Teo-Education.Com

KUALA LUMPUR: Teachers need to use their creativity and skills to get students of all races to participate in indoor or outdoor activities that enhance racial integration and unity, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said yesterday.

He also urged students to master knowledge and skills to help develop the country and make it respected throughout the world.

“I believe students from various races and background do not have any problems studying together in the same classroom or participating in sports and co-curricular activities,” Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said in his message in conjunction with the 53rd National Day celebration yesterday.

Muhyiddin said the involvement of students from various races in such activities would enable them to interact with one another and create a better understanding among them.

“This is important and should be encouraged as the students of today are the future leaders of the country.”

Muhyiddin expressed hope that all teachers and students from various races and ethnic backgrounds could appreciate and value the National Day celebration.
“It is hoped the celebration would promote a love for our country. At the same time, we must be grateful to the real meaning of independence.

“We must appreciate that we are no longer ruled by others and that we are capable of governing our own country. At the same time, if we are not careful and fight among ourselves, the peace and stability we have today will not last long.”

Muhyiddin described the 1Malaysia concept envisioned by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak as an integrated effort to enhance unity among Malaysians. He said the concept was based on important values that should be adopted by all Malaysians.

“I believe understanding the concept of 1Malaysia will bring about positive changes to all in the country.”

Muhyiddin said the Education Ministry would continue with its role to enhance unity among the younger generation through education.

“This can be achieved through the policies introduced by the ministry and various programmes and activities held in schools to foster unity.”

Read more @ http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/04las/Article

THE traditional morning greeting Selamat Pagi Cikgu that is said in unison as a teacher enters her class is no longer as enthusiastic as it used to be. In fact, it no longer seems relevant to students. More often than not, a teacher walks in and out of classrooms without any greetings or pleasantries exchanged with her pupils. There is hardly any respect given to the teacher. Have teachers become so insignificant? Do students really think that they can pass all public exams like the UPSR, PMR, SPM, and STPM without stepping into a school?

If education has come to mean only exams, testing memory and low-level knowledge skills, then, we don’t really need teachers. Again, can teachers make a difference? I am prepared to say they should, but I am not sure if they do! The question is, do our teachers have the attributes to make that difference with the current generation of students, whose attitude and demands are worrying?

Many teachers would be quick to say that they are just doing their job, which is to teach and complete the syllabus, so that their students will have a fair chance in the exams.

Are our teachers consumed only by the demands of their superiors and parents, to ensure that their respective schools attain cemerlang (excellence) status?

Most teachers will not hold themselves accountable for the policies and decisions of the school and higher authorities. They will be quick to point out that many aspects of the system are not within their control. Teaching is their job and that is what they have been trained for.

So, what are teachers taught in teacher training colleges and universities?

To answer this question, we need to reflect on the qualities of excellence among teachers. What are the attributes of excellence?

If we can determine the position and extent of these boundaries, we then have the basis for developing ideal professional development programmes that will form the basis for teacher education programmes.

Relating to current needs

Do our current programmes truly have recognisable, quantifiable and justifiable processes in place? Do these correlate to the demands of new market places and careers for new types of learning spaces?

Do these cater to a global community that is now creating “knowledge producers” rather than “knowledge consumers”? This should form the basis for a renewed focus on change for our curriculum, especially in educating and evaluation methods. Teachers need to start making a difference in a world they are seemingly falling out of touch with.

Are our teacher education programmes in universities able to create teachers with personal attributes of the type we are seeking?

Our programmes must be able to develop and enhance the quality of education we offer to our pre-service teachers.

These include attributes such as enthusiasm in educating young minds; creativity in enhancing learning; energy and resourcefulness in facilitating learning; knowledge of current thinking in evaluating whether actual learning is taking place and; dedication and commitment to real world learning processes (this has other implications).

If the answer is “no”, then we must start thinking of revamping our programmes to instil professional attributes related to the area of inquiry, particularly in curriculum processes; teaching and learning; assessment and learning; professional learning; research and learning and dissemination of knowledge and skills through writing.

Teachers, especially those at the upper-secondary school level, ought to have strong content knowledge. Therefore teacher development programmes must produce teachers who are proficient in the subject matter. The teachers must also have a sound knowledge of current issues and new information, aware of changes in the subject, and incorporate them into their regular teaching sessions.

The programmes must also be able to give some meaning and purpose for the students. This can be done by providing relevance of knowledge to real-world industry.

Enhancing communication skills

To do this, teachers must be competent in enhancing language and communication skills, and have the ability to synthesise data, discuss and present thoughts and opinions across the curriculum.

They should also be competent in presenting multi-disciplinary and multi-perspective content in an integrated way to form coherent thoughts resulting in plans of action.

Only then will our teachers be able to provide understanding and relevance to students in the incorporation of appropriate cultural, moral and ethical values everyday, be it locally or globally.

When our programmes are able to bring out and instil the above attributes among our new breed of teachers, then we can expect them to make a difference to their students.

These teachers will then possess core skills in instruction and facilitation of knowledge.

The next great hurdle in a nutshell is evaluations.

My colleagues will elaborate on this in the next article. Teachers should be able to evaluate students in meaningful ways that focus on grasps of high-level strategic knowledge, as opposed to the testing of low-level declarative knowledge.

The new breed of teachers would be:

● proficient in the usage of technology and media tools in instruction;

● capable of planning and managing a classroom;

● competent in communication skills and understand the importance of developing personal skills;

● skilled in appreciating pupils’ difficulties and proficient in differentiated instructions and evaluations; and

● competent enough to address pupils with special needs and motivate and stimulate students’ appreciation for knowledge and lifelong learning.

The new programme is no longer a dream, but one that can become a reality.

The School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Penang, is going to start the Engage Programme – Education for Sustainable Global Futures, with a number of schools, institutions and stakeholders, at the varsity to formulate a curriculum for now and the future.

We strongly believe that the programme will produce teachers who can and will make a difference.

We ask that all Malaysians be involved in the Engage Programme that will hopefully be created for and by Malaysians.

This will eventually result in a call not for separate streams of schools, but for 1School that will create a globally relevant 1Malaysia.

Prof Abdul Rashid Mohamed is the dean of the School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang. He is currently working with his colleagues on a proposal to transform the landscape of Malaysian schooling and higher education systems. He can be contacted at
rich@usm.my.

by Prof Abdul Rashid Mohamed.

http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2010/2/7/education/5450297&sec=education

I APPLAUD the attempts made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in promoting racial integration through the 1Malaysia concept. Malaysians have been encouraged to get to know the cultures and observances of other races, as it would rid them of prejudiced views of others. While this effort may pave the way for better and deeper understanding among the various races, I am of the opinion that it will not see the necessary results, unless they are inculcated at a young age.

To me, Malaysians can achieve a considerable level of harmony and unity if such values are instilled in children and what better place to start than in schools.

Most children have no qualms about mixing with their peers of different racial or religious backgrounds, and school authorities and the Government should zoom in on schoolchildren to ensure that its efforts at promoting racial integration pay off.

When schoolmates of different racial backgrounds get along well, it will not take long for their parents to make that extra effort to get to know their children’s friends and their parents, who in turn may become their friends too.

Once children have a network of friends from different backgrounds, they will certainly look beyond race, colour or religion and we will eventually have a generation of 1Malaysians.

My other suggestion is for all public schools to be converted to national schools. However, the Education Ministry should see to it that each school has a good mix of all the races.

The ministry and state education departments must make it a point to ensure that there is a racial quota, and that students from each community are well represented in each school. The same should be done for school teachers, for only then can we truly say that there is racial integration.

MENTAKAB SENIOR CITIZEN,

Source:

http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2010/1/24/education/5510689&sec=education

SEPANG, July 20 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin plans to introduce an annual 1 Malaysia camp for students to instil a sense of unity in them.

The deputy prime minister and education minister said 1 Malaysia was one of his four key performance indicators (KPI) for the Education Ministry.

“In this camp, I hope that the eight values of 1 Malaysia will be learned and planted in all the participants and therefore help push the concept of 1 Malaysia and the national education philosophy,” he told the audience at a workshop on the Education Development Master Plan (PIPP).

Muhyiddin also stressed the importance of producing quality teachers and school heads.

“A policy to place teachers who are responsive to the needs of society is a priority. School heads must also be people who are smart in interpreting, understanding the tasks given, committed and able to increase their knowledge so they can translate the education policy to daily tasks and be able to give the best education to their students,” he said.

Muhyiddin wants the education system to continue producing knowledgeable human capital who are productive, creative and innovative.

“Priority must be given to efforts to produce students who are proficient in both Malay and English language. Therefore, PIPP must realise that education is the key to achieving a Malaysian society that has integrity, morality and ethics,” he said.

He explained that it was important for the government to continue providing the necessary infrastructure because there are still remote schools which did not have electricity and clean water.

Muhyiddin said the education system must be able to produce quality students who are capable of mastering the three Qs — intellectual quotient, emotional quotient and spiritual quotient.

“This has to be the minimum requirement which is in line with the spirit of the national education philosophy,” he said.

by Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/32810-education-minister-wants-1-malaysia-camp-for-students

Najib’s Opening Address at the 17th Conference Of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Kuala Lumpur on June 16 (Edited Version)

“Education [thus] has to be the engagement and opening of hearts and minds. In this sense, education is transformative and has to be a value-add, not just at the higher levels but right from the early formative years…As the Chinese saying goes, to build a house you have to start at the foundation.” —Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak

“One-Malaysia” Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak

TODAY, I feel privileged and honoured to be able to stand before the assembled engineers of human capital of the Commonwealth and speak on a subject close to all of our hearts — that of education. The role of education as a transformational tool in moulding and determining the destiny of nations can be found etched in the annals of history…

The struggle for a more hopeful future for generations to come ultimately will be won or lost in our classrooms of today. We in Malaysia view education as a very important agenda and priority, a platform to optimise the potential of every citizen and put within reach the promise of the Malaysian dream. Towards this end, more than a fifth of our budget is annually geared towards education and the development of human capital…

It is the Malaysian Government’s underlying commitment to provide equal access to quality educational opportunities for all Malaysians notwithstanding their geographical locations or income levels.

New Economic Model for Malaysia

Malaysia is currently in the midst of formulating a new economic model... The new economic model will shift our reliance from a manufacturing base dependent on semi-skilled and low-cost labour to one that hinges on a modern services sector dependent upon skilled and highly paid workers. [It] will seek to leverage on inputs such as creativity, innovation, high value add and the entrepreneurial spirit.

I have made the successful formulation and implementation of the new economic model as the central theme of my administration. I realise it will require a major and comprehensive policy overhaul in all fields but it is nevertheless pivotal for Malaysia’s future.

The success of the new economic model is dependent largely upon an effective human capital development strategy. This national endeavour will come to nought if our education system fails to produce human capital that can thrive in meeting the challenges of the 21st century innovation economy. Rest assured it shall be the central policy thrust of this government to formulate and execute all necessary strategies and policies to ensure the success of this new economic model.

We are also initiating a comprehensive relook at our national curriculum so as to ensure that the elements of creativity, innovation, high value add and entrepreneurial drive  [to] be integrated at all levels of our schooling system.

Another important aspect that we are looking at is the need to produce human capital who can master more than one language or who are multilingual. Advancements in the information, communication and transportation technologies have made this an important imperative as the whole world is now one big potential marketplace for our goods and services, we must take advantage of this situation…

With more than half of the world’s 115 million children without an education residing in the Commonwealth, we must endeavour with an ever greater sense of urgency and commitment to ensure that these Millennium Development goals– chiefly to halve poverty, improve education, and combat child mortality by 2015 and meeting the Education for All — are realised. Let the promise be accessible to all so that no child is left behind.

Currently these challenges are compounded by the global economic turmoil. In a borderless interdependent world no country is free from the effects of the downturn. The impact of the crises on education has been, and will continue to be, intense and severe. The economic crisis has increased competition for the scant public funds available. Plans for educational initiatives that were formulated in better economic times have been put on hold. Severe cuts in education will inevitably result in reduced educational opportunity and quality.

Experience from previous economic crises indicates that the effects of the economic downturn will be disproportionately felt most among children and young people.

All of these factors left unchecked will result in a higher level of poverty in the future, greater level of income inequality and lower capacity for sustainable growth thus perpetuating the vicious cycle of hopelessness and low expectations.

However, the attainment of MDGs and Education for All should not stop at statistics and logistics. Today, more than ever, the attainment of universal primary education is not just the mere act of sending all our children to school or making sure they have schools to go to. The whole notion of moving beyond global numerical goals and targets means not merely the numbers must add up but the qualitative aspect must also be met.

Education thus has to be the engagement and opening of hearts and minds. In this sense, education is transformative and has to be a value-add, not just at the higher levels but right from the early formative years.

If education is to have any impact at all, it is pointless to talk about quality education at higher levels if we do not ensure quality at the most basic level, that is, from preschool. As the Chinese saying goes, to build a house you have to start from the foundation…

Education is seen as the engine of economic advancement and social mobility. The never ending quest to gain a competitive advantage has led many countries to focus on education as the panacea for strengthening competitiveness, employment and social cohesion. Indeed this is an inevitable consequence of increasing complexity of the global economy and rapid technological advancement.

To survive and compete in these trying times, we must leverage our creativity and innovativeness to provide that critical difference. It is no longer enough being ordinary in a highly competitive innovation economy. We must move beyond the ordinary and strive for excellence. In a scenario such as this, teaching has never before been as challenging. Opening the doors to creativity and to innovation demands that teachers take on new and different roles, deploying innovative pedagogies.

The sage on stage must give way to the facilitator by the side. The instructor must become the coach. From being mere purveyors of knowledge, teachers must become the sculptors who mould individuals into wholesome beings who possess positive values in addition to the knowledge and skills required in this new world. For this to take place, schools and teachers must provide a safe and comfortable environment for our children to develop.

The post-9/11 world is a dangerous place; while global peace remains a universal goal pursued by all, the current trajectory of global discourse seems to be on wrong side of history. Being in perpetual conflict and turmoil serves no purpose except for the benefit of a few with a perverted vision of the world and who are bent on forcing their own version of reality upon all of humanity. Therefore, I am happy to note that in President Barack Obama’s defining Cairo speech he managed to address the heart of the issue:

“It’s easier to start wars than to end them. It’s easier to blame others than to look inward. It’s easier to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path….”

Hence, in the Commonwealth we… can and should show the way forward as the Commonwealth is a successful showcase of peaceful coexistence and what can be achieved if only we are willing to work together based on mutual respect and mutual benefit.

This conference is aptly held as we partake in the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of this august organisation. Time may have passed and circumstances may have changed for the 53 member states from the time when we first chose to join this fraternity of nations but 60 years on for most if not all of us the Commonwealth is still, if not more, relevant as we end the first decade of the 21st century.

The Commonwealth has been able to withstand the test of time because its espoused values of diversity, liberty, hope, social justice and a sense of fair play is universal in nature and represents the best yearning of humanity…

That Malaysia has benefited from its membership is beyond doubt. The English Language, the common law tradition, the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy, an effective bureaucracy and a reverence for learning are some of the common wealth that we are fortunate to inherit.

Furthermore, as a multicultural and multiethnic nation, we are particularly sensitive to the need to maintain peace and harmony. We believed [that] peace and unity could be attained through acceptance, shared values and social justice. These values have long been imbued in the philosophy that has guided us through our 50-odd year history as a nation.

1Malaysia Concept

… I introduced the 1Malaysia concept in continuing my predecessor’s quest for national unity and national cohesion. The most important tenet of this concept seeks a major paradigm shift in the state of race relations in Malaysia, a migration from mere tolerance of our differences to unconditional acceptance based on mutual respect. We need to accept and celebrate our differences as it adds colour, diversity and vibrancy to our country. We must recognise that our diversity is our greatest strength and we must leverage it for the benefit of our nation.

Globalisation

The notion of globalisation is capable of evoking very strong responses. Some of us reject and refuse to accept the phenomenon. Others try to understand and accept it, while there are still others who completely embrace the idea of globalisation, associating it with all that is good and progressive in this new century’s socio-cultural and educational space.

Whatever our response, we cannot deny the effects of globalisation on our development, on our consciousness, and in the context of this conference, its effects on our education systems. Globalisation offers both threats and opportunities. We need to recognise and exploit the opportunities, while at the same time being mindful of the threats since those margin-alised by globalisation are often the least equipped to have their voices heard.

Various elements have been identified as the hallmarks of globalisation. I would like to focus on just one — the unprecedented explosion of knowledge. The globalised world is marked by the unprecedented emergence and dissemination of information and knowledge, much of it in a digitised format.

Research and development is now exceeding capital investment in plant and machinery. The entrepreneurial corporation is now being transformed from a place for production to a place for knowledge creation. The role of knowledge in all human activities is now so critical that even the concepts of development and progress are being redefined in terms of the capacity to generate, acquire, disseminate and utilise knowledge.

The presence or absence of this capacity for knowledge creation is the single defining factor that distinguishes between rich and poor nations, between those parts of the world in which individuals have the potential to decide and act with autonomy, and those in which people are not yet empowered to realise their full potential. This new paradigm centred on knowledge creation and utilisation is creating new challenges for developing countries’ efforts to mobilise science and technology to improve lives of their citizenry. It has become increasingly evident that without at least a minimum level of science and technology capabilities and access to knowledge and information, developing countries cannot expect to improve significantly their standards of living.

The key to unlocking the potential of this new paradigm of knowledge is education. The success of an education system will be measured by the extent to which education professionals are able to re-structure and re-programme that system to develop a knowledge-based economy. The intellectual capital that the education system generates will determine the economic success of the country or the region. The pace of technological change will require that people be well trained even for entry-level jobs and that they be retrained continuously. In the future, jobs will require fairly sophisticated intellectual abilities — the ability to think abstractly and analytically and to make judgments based on those skills.

It is clear, therefore, that there is a need for us to upgrade the quality of our educational systems, preschool through graduate and professional schools. We need to consider how learning modes and learning technologies can be harnessed to produce a workforce that has the linguistic, scientific and technical literacies to generate and apply knowledge effectively in order to competitively turn out ever more sophisticated goods and services. This is a key requirement for the innovation economy. The quality of education is thus directly related to the strength of the economy.

The challenge for this conference is to offer concrete and workable proposals and programmes to upgrade the quality of our workforce. I would like to suggest that this conference consider the possibility of establishing an expert working group that can assist member countries that might encounter challenges in achieving the MDG and Education for All goals.

I believe that it is important for this Conference to not only forge solutions to the more overt and visible impacts of the economic crisis such as reduced funding for education, but to also consider ways and means of addressing the less overt and visible impacts that I have just outlined. We must prioritise efforts to alleviate the impact of the crisis on availability of opportunities for quality education among women, children and young people. We need strategies and solutions that will enable us to reclaim this lost ground by using the reduced economic resources available to us with the greatest efficiency, effectiveness and efficacy.

In the final analysis education must continue to be the harbinger, agent and custodian of change and transformation. That, admittedly, is a tall order. As policymakers and educators we cannot shirk from this responsibility: we could not afford to take the path of least resistance or of expediency over doing what is right even though it is hard, for our nation’s very future depends on our decisions, commitment and determination.

In conclusion, on top of everything, our journey in education is paramountly about surpassing expectations and optimising potential…

Source:

http://dinmerican.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/education-one-malaysia-globalisation-and-the-commonwealth-a-najibian-version/

IN THIS second article on 1Session in 1School, being the way forward for the country, I will present a proposal for a new education model where technology and higher levels of awareness and demands by stakeholders of education systems are creating new pressures that the Education and Higher Education Ministry must be held accountable for.

The centre section (with the pyramid) in the figure above describes the Fields of Play in a classroom environment, the smallest unit in a formal schooling system, and the factors that are at work in a classroom to evolve a student from the point where

>all he perceives are data that hold no meaning, but yet he manipulates;

>to the point where he is able to evolve the data and through choice, application and intuition, finally achieves a level of wisdom where he is able to make well informed, thoughtful and mostly correct decisions that will impact the world and his place in it.

The defined factors interacting within the Field of Play are:

>Curriculum: Defined as content, pedagogy, andragogy, evaluations, learning aids including technology, diets and Neuronutrition – all tangible and intangible items used in the learning space for the express purpose of achieving the aims of the curriculum

>Social Forces: Defined as forces that affect the emotional content of a student, both positive and negative; and include friendships, relationships, peer and parental pressure, performance pressure, praise and criticisms and rewards, conditioning and stimulus response systems. These forces are also involved in the building of unity, inter cultural and religious tolerance and understanding and in nation building.

>Stressors: Defined as strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities available to the student that impact the shaping of academic related skills and talents, and are the supplementary forces that are needed to evolve brains and minds to the level where wisdom is enabled to make “leaps of logic”.

Experience and interactions of cause and effect in the real world will further inform his wisdom so that as his thinking skills evolves further, he starts making fewer mistakes and better choices.

This feeds his thinking and intuitive skills and he becomes wiser as he matures. The final step is when he is able to make instant decisions based on Leaps of Logic that fuel Disruptive Thinking to create Innovation.

Intuition and Leaps of Logic are phenomena that actually are the highest order skills that develop when we become expert enough in a field of study that our brain networks processes data instantly and without conscious effort, and provides an answer to a related question in that same field, to the conscious brain.

There are two parts to achieving this level of skill. One is to become expert enough so that we are aware of all the possibilities, research and knowledge in that field. The other, is to learn to listen to that inner voice that is called intuition or gut feeling.

As we become more aware of the intuitive answer, and we experience the correctness or wrongness of it in the real world (it is almost always correct), then we start learning to listen to our intuition and start relying on the answers that we know must be correct, although we have not purposefully processed the question pathways.

In the last article, I wrote about the many problems facing the Malaysian schooling and curricular systems. In this article, I try to address the details involved in an ideal classroom environment. I have also included what the Malaysian classroom environment is.

Ideally, the education curriculum is based on input by stakeholders – the Malaysian universities, non-governmental organisations, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Ministry, teachers, student focus groups, parents, invited global accreditation and qualifying bodies – whose contributions and vision are then evaluated by government to make sure its policies will be fine-tuned to fit , and then taken by experts in curriculum development and solidified into a product that will now be used in the classroom.

In the diagram above though, I have prominently mentioned the government, the ministries and political parties as the top heavy shapers of Malaysian education, whilst the stakeholders who should be at the top, are at the bottom, to be seen but not heard.

This is the problem we have now. Our total education scenario, encompassed by the circle and divided into three sections, are in disarray and completely disparate to an ideal system. How then can we begin a process to transform our education system so that it becomes the vehicle that enables the concept of 1Malaysia in order to create a sustainable future for Malaysians?

I would suggest a five-step process:

1. Gather a representation of all stakeholders in Malaysian education as well as a representation of the powers that be from the Ministries, and be fearless and open enough to invite international representatives, political organisations and anyone else who wants to have a say in the formation of a new education system that MUST be based on a 1Session 1School concept

2. Create a platform for dialogues when all these parties meet so that all concern of various parties will be collected and compiled into a guide to the development of a new education system.

3. Conduct a series of workshops involving stakeholders and experts who will develop and build a framework for new education system. This process should be able to be viewed online and will present findings, suggested courses of actions and the final framework to the Malaysian public through newspapers and other easily accessible media.

4. Conduct dialogues and engage stakeholders to fine-tune the framework for the new education system till a final consensus is reached. This will be further developed by university and stakeholder experts and a presentation to public will be conducted for final approval.

5. Implementation plan with monitoring and feedback for refinement and fine-tuning will be constantly carried out for constant evolution of curriculum to keep up with technological, student and teacher advancements and changing demands of industry and market place.

I have overly simplified the process, but the idea I would like to convey is that the process has to be inclusive of, participative and consultative with all Malaysian and Global stakeholders, and it has to be a process with accountability clearly defined at every step of the way.

If this proposal actually comes to fruition and we reach stage five of the process, then the buy-in by the Malaysian public and acknowledgement by International parties will be realised and we should have no problem convincing everyone that 1Session in 1School is the way forward for Malaysia.

Prejudices and false perceptions can be laid to rest, and Malaysia will be able to start producing students who will meet the demands and expectations of global standards of student attributes and curricular outcomes.

> Dr Theva is a senior lecturer at The School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia. He is currently working with his colleagues on a proposal to transform the landscape of Malaysian Schooling and Higher Education Systems. He can be contacted at
theva@usm.my.

by Dr. Thevanithy.

http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2009/12/27/education/5255198&sec=education

KUALA LUMPUR:  The 1Malaysia Foundation has proposed five measures to achieve balance between ethnicity and economic prosperity in tandem with the 1Malaysia concept.

Its board of trustees chairman Dr Chandra Muzaffar said how the issue of ethnic interests were addressed in the nation’s economic and social development would be a major determinant of the success or failure of 1Malaysia.

“This is why in our quest for 1Malaysia, there is a critical need to ameliorate the adverse impact of the ethnic approach,” he said in a statement yesterday.

The first proposal is to faithfully observe the equilibrium established in the Federal Cons­titution between “special position” and “the legitimate interests of other communities” in promulgation of policies and implementation.

The next is that the concept behind the first prong of the New Economic Policy (NEP) to eradicate poverty irrespective of ethnicity should be expanded to embrace the needy and the disadvantaged from all racial and religious backgrounds.

“In other words, need and not ethnicity should be the guiding principle in providing assistance in areas such as education and housing,” he explained.

Thirdly, the second prong of the NEP to reduce the identification of economic function with ethnicity should apply to both the private and public sectors and be implemented with regards to ability and excellence.

On the fourth proposal, Chandra said there should be concerted efforts to curb corruption, abuse of power and greed at all levels of society.

“Lastly, media practitioners, politicians, bureaucrats, business people, and indeed the influential stratum of society should be encouraged to view issues of ethnicity in relation to the economy from a more holistic perspective that takes into consideration the interests and feelings of others,” he said.

Chandra said the elements of the five proposals were already part of the agenda of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“The challenge before us is to make de-ethnicising the economy and enhancing justice for all, the agenda of each and every Malaysian,” he added. — Bernama

Source:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/18/nation/5330308&sec=nation