Dear all,
Can I invite you to join this education caucus group (ECG)? At http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_164790286881424
Friday, October 22, 2010
education in Malaysia
Education in Malaysia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Education in Malaysia Ministry of Education
Ministry of Higher Education
Minister of Education -
Muhyiddin Yassin
Minister of Higher Education - Mohamed Khaled Nordin
National education budget (2006)
Budget: RM30 billion1
General Details
Primary Languages: Malay, English, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil
System Type: National
Established 1956
Total: 95%
Enrollment
Total: 5,416,924
Primary: 3,111,948
Secondary: 2,304,976
Education in Malaysia is overseen by two government ministries: the Ministry of Education for matters up to the secondary level, and the Ministry of Higher Education for tertiary education. Although education is the responsibility of the federal government, each state has an Education Department to help coordinate educational matters in their respective states. The main legislation governing education is the Education Act of 1996.
Education may be obtained from government-sponsored schools, private schools, or through homeschooling. By law, primary education is compulsory. As in other Asian countries such as Korea and Japan, standardised tests are a common feature.
History
Batu Pahat High School, JohorSekolah Pondok (literally, Hut school), Madrasah and other Islamic schools were the earliest forms of schooling available in Malaysia . Early works of Malay literature such as Hikayat Abdullah mention these schools indicating they pre-date the current secular model of education.
Secular schools in Malaysia were largely an innovation of the British colonial government. Many of the earliest schools in Malaysia were founded in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Melaka, and Singapore. The oldest English-language school in Malaya is the Penang Free School, founded in 1816, followed by Malacca High School, and Anglo Chinese School, Klang. Many English-language schools are considered quite prestigious.
British historian Richard O. Winstedt worked to improve the education of the Malays and was instrumental in establishing Sultan Idris Training College. The college was established with the purpose of producing Malay teachers. R J Wilkinson helped established the Malay College Kuala Kangsar in 1905 which aimed to educate the Malay elite.
Initially, the British colonial government did not provide for any Malay-language secondary schools, forcing those who had studied in Malay during primary school to adjust to an English-language education. Many Malays failed to pursue additional education due to this issue..[1] Despite complaints about this policy, the British Director of Education stated:
“ It would be contrary to the considered policy of government to afford to a community, the great majority of whose members find congenial livelihood and independence in agricultural pursuits, more extended facilities for the learning of English which would be likely to have the effect of inducing them to abandon those pursuits.[2] ”
Malay representatives in the Federal Council as well as the Legislative Council of Singapore responded vehemently, with one calling the British policy "a policy that trains the Malay boy how not to get employment" by excluding the Malays from learning in the "bread-earning language of Malaya". He remarked:
“ In the fewest possible words, the Malay boy is told 'You have been trained to remain at the bottom, and there you must always remain!' Why, I ask, waste so much money to attain this end when without any vernacular school, and without any special effort, the Malay boy could himself accomplish this feat?[3] ”
To remedy this problem, the British established the Malay College Kuala Kangsar. However, it was mainly intended as a way to educate low-level civil servants, and not as a means to opening the doors of commerce to the Malays — the school was never intended to prepare students for entrance to higher institutions of education.[4]
Missionaries of various Christian denominations, such as the Roman Catholic Josephian order and the Lasallian Brothers, Seventh-day Adventist, Anglican as well as Methodist also started a series of mission schools which provided primary and secondary education in the English language. Most of these were single-sex schools. Although nowadays they had fully assimilated into the Malay-medium national school system and most admit students regardless of gender and background (some single-sex schools remain), many of the schools still bear their original names today, such as the ones with the names of various saints or words such as “Katholik”, “Convent”, “Advent” and “Methodist”.
During the British colonial period, large numbers of immigrants from China and India arrived in Malaya. The Chinese and Indian communities eventually established their vernacular schools with school curricula and teachers from China and India respectively.
In the 1950s, there were four initial proposals for developing the national education system: the Barnes Report (favoured by the Malays), Ordinance Report (modification of the Barnes Report), the Fenn-Wu Report (favoured by the Chinese and Indians), and the Razak Report (a compromise between the two reports). The Barnes proposal was implemented through the 1952 Education Ordinance amidst Chinese protests. In 1956, the Razak Report was adopted by the Malayan government as the educational framework for independent Malaya. The Razak Report called for a national school system consists of Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil-medium schools at the primary level, and Malay and English-medium schools at the secondary schools, with a uniform national curriculum regardless of the medium of instruction. Malay-medium schools would be known as "national", while other languages schools would be known as "national-type".
In the early years of independence, existing Chinese, Tamil and mission schools accepted government funding and were allowed to retain their medium of instructions on the condition that they adopt the national curriculum. Chinese secondary schools were given the options of accepting government funding and change into English national-type schools, or remain Chinese and private without government funding. Most of the schools accepted the change, although a few rejected the offer and came to be known as Chinese independent high schools. Shortly after the change, some of the national-type schools reestablished their Chinese independent high school branches.
In the 1970s, in accordance to the national language policy, the government began to change English-medium primary and secondary national-type schools into Malay-medium national schools. The language change was made gradually starting from the first year in primary school, then the second year in the following year and so on. The change was completed by the end of 1982.
In 1996, the Education Act of 1996 was passed to amend the Education Ordinance of 1956 and the Education Act of 1961.
Preschool education
Preschool education is mainly provided by private for-profit preschools, though some are run by the government or religious groups. Some primary schools have attached preschool sections. Attendance in a preschool programme is not universal; while people living in urban areas are generally able to send their children to private kindergartens, few do in rural areas.
There is no formal preschool curriculum except a formal mandatory training and certification for principals and teachers before they may operate a preschool. The training covers lessons on child psychology, teaching methodologies, and other related curricula on childcare and development.
Registered preschools are subjected to zoning regulations and must comply to other regulations such as health screening and fire hazard assessment. Many preschools are located in high density residential areas, where normal residential units compliant to regulations are converted into the schools.
There is no fixed rules on when a child needs to start preschool education but majority would start when the child turns 5 years old. Preschool education usually lasts for 2 years, before they proceed to primary school at age 7.
Primary education
There are two main types of public primary schools in Malaysia: national (Sekolah Kebangsaan in Malay, abbreviated as SK) and national-type (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan, abbreviated as SJK). National-type schools are further divided into Chinese national-type schools (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina, SJK(C)) and Tamil national-type schools (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil, SJK(T)). By degree of government funding, national schools are government-operated, while national-type schools are mostly government-assisted, though some are government-operated. All schools admit students regardless of racial and language background.
The medium of instruction is Malay for SK, Mandarin and simplified Chinese characters writing for SJK(C), and Tamil for SJK(T). Malay and English are compulsory subjects in all schools. All schools use the same syllabus for non-language subjects regardless of the medium of instruction. In January 2003, a mixed medium of instruction was introduced so that students would learn Science and Mathematics in English. Due to pressure from the Chinese community, SJK(C) teach Science and Mathematics in both English and Chinese. However, the government reversed the policy of teaching Science and Mathematics in English in July 2009, and previous languages of instruction will be reintroduced in stages from 2012.[5]
Primary education consists of six years of education, referred to as Year 1 to Year 6 (also known as Standard 1 to Standard 6). Year 1 to Year 3 are classified as Level One (Tahap Satu) while Year 4 to Year 6 are considered as Level Two (Tahap Dua). Primary education begins at the age of 7 and ends at 12. Students are promoted to the next year regardless of their academic performance (poor curriculum induced).
From 1996 until 2000, the Penilaian Tahap Satu (PTS) or the Level One Evaluation was administered to Year 3 students. Excellence in this test allowed students to skip Year 4 and attend Year 5 instead. However, the test was removed from 2001 onwards due to concerns that parents and teachers were unduly pressuring students to pass the exam.
At the end of primary education, students in national schools are required to undergo a standardised test known as the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) or Primary School Evaluation Test. The subjects tested are Malay comprehension, written Malay, English, Science and Mathematics. Chinese comprehension and written Chinese are compulsory in SJK(C), while Tamil comprehension and written Tamil are compulsory in SJK(T).
Between 1995 and 2000, the Seventh Malaysia Plan allocation for primary education development allocated 96.5% to national primary schools which had 75% of total enrollment. Chinese primary schools (21% enrollment) received 2.4% of the allocation while Tamil primary schools (3.6% enrollment) received 1% of the allocation.
The division of public education at the primary level into national and national-type schools has been criticised for allegedly creating racial polarisation at an early age.[6] To address the problem, attempts have been made to establish Sekolah Wawasan ("vision schools"). Under the concept, three schools (typically one SK, one SJK(C) and one SJK(T)) would share the same school compound and facilities while maintaining different school administrations, ostensibly to encourage closer interaction. However, this was met with objections from most of the Chinese and Indian communities as they believe this will restrict the use of their mother tongue in schools.
Secondary education
Chio Min Secondary School, Kulim, Kedah.Public secondary schools are regarded as extensions of the national schools. They study in five forms. Each form will take a year. Some students, however, will have to study in "Remove" before they can study in Form 1 because of the poor academic results, or simply choosing to do so, which is possible in some schools. At the end of Form 3, the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR, formerly known as Sijil Pelajaran Rendah (SRP) or Lower Certificate of Education (LCE)) or Lower Secondary Evaluation is taken by students. Based on choice, they will be streamed into either the Science stream or Arts stream. The Science stream is generally more desirable. Students are allowed to shift to the Arts stream from the Science stream, but rarely vice-versa.
Co-curricular activities are compulsory at the secondary level, where all students must participate in at least 2 activities. There are many co-curricular activities offered at the secondary level, varying at each school and each student is judged based in these areas. Competitions and performances are regularly organized. Co-curricular activities are often categorized under the following: Uniformed Groups, Performing Arts, Clubs & Societies, Sports & Games. Student may also participate in more than 2 co-curricular activities.
At the end of Form 5, students are required to take the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) or Malaysian Certificate of Education examination, before graduating from secondary school. The SPM was based on the old British ‘School Certificate’ examination before it became General Certificate of Education 'O' Levels examination, which became the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education). As of 2006, students are given a GCE 'O' Level grade for their English paper in addition to the normal English SPM paper. (Previously, this was reported on result slips as a separate result labelled 1119, which meant students received two grades for their English papers.) This separate grade is given based on the marks of the essay-writing component of the English paper. The essay section of the English paper is remarked under the supervision of officials from British 'O' Levels examination . Although not part of their final certificates, the 'O' Level grade is included on their results slip.
Shortly after the release of the 2005 SPM results in March 2006, the Education Ministry announced it was considering reforming the SPM system due to what was perceived as over-emphasis on As. Local educators appeared responsive to the suggestion, with one professor at the University of Malaya deploring university students who could not write letters, debate, or understand footnoting. He complained that "They don't understand what I am saying. ... I cannot communicate with them." He claimed that "Before 1957 (the year of independence), school heroes were not those with 8As or 9As, they were the great debaters, those good in drama, in sport, and those leading the Scouts and Girl Guides." A former Education Director-General, Murad Mohd Noor, agreed, saying that "The rat race now begins at Standard 6 with the UPSR, with the competition resulting in parents forcing their children to attend private tuition." He also expressed dismay at the prevalence of students taking 15 or 16 subjects for the SPM, calling it "unnecessary".[7]
National Type/Charter Secondary/High Schools/Residential Schools or Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (SBP)
Within the national public school system are a few magnet type/charter public high schools. Admissions are very selective, reserved for students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and potential at the elementary level, Grade/Standard 1 through 6. These schools are either full time day or boarding schools ('asrama penuh'). Examples of these schools is the Malacca High School, Royal Military College (Malaysia) and Penang Free School.
Residential schools or Sekolah Berasrama Penuh are also known as Science Schools. These schools used to cater mainly for Malays elites but has since expanded as schools for nurturing Malays who are outstanding academically or those displaying talents in sports & leadership. The schools are modeled after British Boarding School.
Pre-university education
After the SPM, students from public secondary school would have a choice of either studying Form 6 or the matriculation (pre-university). If they are accepted to continue studying in Form 6, they will also take the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (which is usually abbreviated as STPM) or Malaysian Higher School Certificate examination (its British equivalent is the General Certificate of Education 'A' Levels examination or internationally, the Higher School Certificate). STPM is regulated by the Malaysian Examinations Council (http://www.mpm.edu.my/bi/main.php) . Form 6 consists of two years of study which is known as Lower 6 (Tingkatan Enam Rendah) and Upper 6 (Tingkatan Enam Atas). Although it is generally taken by those desiring to attend public universities in Malaysia, it is internationally recognised and may also be used, though rarely required, to enter private local universities for undergraduate courses.
Additionally all students may apply for admission to matriculation which is a one or two-year programme run by the Ministry of Education. Previously, it was a one-year programme, but beginning 2006, 30% of all matriculation students were offered two-year programmes. Not all applicants for matriculation are admitted and the selection criteria are not publicly declared, which has led to speculation that any criteria existing may not be adhered to. A race-based quota is applied on the admission process, with 90% of the places being reserved for the Bumiputeras, and the other 10% for the non-Bumiputeras. The matriculation programme is not as rigorous as the STPM. The matriculation programme has come under some criticism as it is the general consensus that this programme is much easier than the sixth form programme leading to the STPM and serves to help Bumiputeras enter public universities easily. Having been introduced after the abolishment of a racial-quota-based admission into universities, the matriculation programme continues the role of its predecessor, albeit in modified form. It is considered easier because in the matriculation programme, teachers set and mark the final exams that their students sit, whereas in the STPM the final exam is standardised and exam papers are exchanged between schools in different states to ensure unbiased marking. Also, the matriculation programme adopts a semester basis examination (2 semesters in a year) whilst STPM involves only one final examination, covering all 2 years' syllabus in one go. The scope and depth of syllabus in matriculation is also lesser to that of STPM. The disparity between the programmes does not end there, for it is a known fact[citation needed] that in critical courses offered by local public universities (such as Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Law), almost 70% of the students comprise matriculation students. On the contrary, STPM students forms the majority in courses which are less in demand, such as a Bachelor in Science. Defenders of the matriculation programme have described the two programmes as distinct and different, drawing the analogy of an apple and an orange. However, having serve the same purpose (i.e. as an entrance requirement to local public universities), the Malaysian public is criticising the matriculation programme as a blatant practice of double standards.
The Centre for Foundation Studies in Science, University of Malaya, offers 2 programmes only for Bumiputera students : i) The Science Program, a one year course under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Higher Education. After completing the program, the students are placed into various science-based courses in the local universities through the meritocracy system. ii) The Special Preparatory Program to Enter the Japanese Universities, a two year intensive programme under the Look East Policy Division of the Public Service Department of Malaysia in cooperation with the Japanese Government.
Some students undertake their pre-university studies in private colleges. They may opt for programmes such as the British 'A' Levels programme, the Canadian matriculation programme or the equivalent of other national systems - namely the Australian NSW Board of Studies Higher School Certificate and the American High School Diploma with AP subjects. More recently, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is becoming more popular as a pre-university option.
The Government has claimed that admission to Universities are purely meritocracy based, but having so many different pre-university programmes and without a standard basis for comparison among the students, the public has been highly sceptical of the claim.
Tertiary education
See also: List of universities in Malaysia
Tertiary education is heavily subsidised by the government. Applicants to public universities must have completed the Malaysia matriculation programme or have an STPM grade. Excellence in these examinations does not guarantee a place in a public university.The selection criteria are largely opaque as no strictly enforced defined guidelines exist.
The classification of tertiary education in Malaysia is organised upon the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF) which seeks to set up a unified system of post secondary qualifications offered on a national basis both in the vocational as well as higher educational sectors.
In 2004, the government formed the Ministry of Higher Education to oversee tertiary education in Malaysia. The ministry is headed by Mustapa Mohamed.
Although the government announced a reduction of reliance of racial quotas in 2002, instead leaning more towards meritocracy. Prior to 2004, all lecturers in public tertiary institutions were required to have some post-graduate award as a requisite qualification. In October 2004, this requirement was removed and the Higher Education Ministry announced that industry professionals who added value to a course could apply for lecturing positions directly to universities even if they did not have postgraduate qualifications. To head off possible allegations that the universities faced a shortage of lecturers, Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Fu Ah Kiow said "This is not because we are facing a shortage of lecturers, but because this move will add value to our courses and enhance the name of our universities...Let's say Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg, both well known and outstanding in their fields, want to be teaching professors. Of course, we would be more than happy to take them in." He went on to offer architecture as an example whereby well-known architects recognized for their talents did not have a masters degree.
The academic independence of public universities' faculty has been questioned. Critics like Bakri Musa cite examples such as a scientist who was reprimanded by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak for "publishing studies on air pollution", and a professor of mathematics at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia who was reproved for criticising the government policy of teaching mathematics and science in English at the primary and secondary levels.[8]
Students also have the choice of attending private institutions of higher learning. Many of these institutions offer courses in cooperation with a foreign institute or university. Some of them are branch campuses of these foreign institutions.
Many private colleges offer programmes whereby the student does part of his degree course here and part of it in the other institution, this method is named "twinning". The nature of these programs is somewhat diverse and ranges from the full "twinning" program where all credits and transcripts are transferable and admission is automatic to programs where the local institution offers an "associate degree" which is accepted at the discretion of the partnering university. In the latter case, acceptance of transcripts and credits is at the discretion of the partner.
Some foreign universities and colleges have also set up branch campuses in Malaysia, including:
■Monash University, Australia.
■The University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
■SAE Institute, Australia
■Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
■Curtin University of Technology, Australia
■Raffles Design Institute, Singapore
The net outflow of academics from Malaysia led to a "brain gain" scheme by then (1995) Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamed. The scheme set a target of attracting 5,000 talents annually. In 2004, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Datuk Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis in a parliamentary reply stated that the scheme attracted 94 scientists (24 Malaysians) in pharmacology, medicine, semi-conductor technology and engineering from abroad between 1995 and 2000. At the time of his reply, only one was remaining in Malaysia.
Postgraduate programmes
Postgraduate degrees such as the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) are becoming popular and are offered by both the public universities and the private colleges.
All public and most private universities in Malaysia offer Master of Science degrees either through coursework or research and Doctor of Philosophy degrees through research.
Vocational programmes and polytechnics schools
Besides the university degrees, students also have the option of continuing their education in professional courses such as the courses offered by the ICSA (Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators) etc. Polytechnics in Malaysia provide courses for diploma level (3 years) and certificate level (2 years).
The following is a list of the public polytechnics in Malaysia.
■Ungku Omar Polytechnic
■Politeknik Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah
■Politeknik Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah
■Politeknik Kota Bharu
■Politeknik Kuching Sarawak
■Politeknik Port Dickson
■Politeknik Kota Kinabalu
■Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah
■Politeknik Johor Bahru
■Politeknik Seberang Perai
■Politeknik Kota, Melaka (Version (http://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politeknik_Kota%2C_Melaka|Malay) )
■Politeknik Kota, Kuala Terengganu
■Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin
■Politeknik Merlimau
■Polytechnic Of Sultan Azlan Shah or Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah
■Politeknik Kulim
■Politeknik Sultan Idris Shah
■Politeknik Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin
■Politeknik Muadzam Shah
■Politeknik Mukah
The Vocational Courses for Automotive Technology:
■TEKAT Automotive College
Universities produce almost 150,000 skilled graduates annually.
Other types of schools
See also: List of schools in Malaysia
Apart from national schools, there are other types of schools in Malaysia.
Islamic religious schools
A system of Islamic religious schools exists in Malaysia. Primary schools are called Sekolah Rendah Agama (SRA), while secondary schools are called Sekolah Menengah Agama (SMA).
Another type of schools available in Malaysia is the Islamic religious schools or sekolah agama rakyat (SAR). The schools teach Muslim students subjects related to Islam such as early Islamic history, Arabic language and Fiqh. It is not compulsory though some states such as Johor make it mandatory for all Muslim children aged six to twelve to attend the schools as a complement to the mandatory primary education. In the final year, students will sit an examination for graduation. Most SAR are funded by respective states and managed by states' religious authority.
Previously, former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohammad suggested to the government that the SARs should be closed down and integrated into the national schools. However, his proposal was met with resistance and later, the matter was left to die quietly.
Such schools still exist in Malaysia, but are generally no longer the only part of a child's education in urban areas. Students in rural parts of the country do still attend these schools. Since the academic results published by these schools are not accepted by mainline universities, many of these students have to continue their education in locations such as Pakistan or Egypt. Some of their alumni include Nik Adli (Son of PAS leader Nik Aziz).
Some parents also opt to send their children for religious classes after secular classes. Dharma classes, Sunday schools and after school classes at the mosque are various options available.
Chinese independent high schools
After receiving primary education in national-type primary school, some students from SJK(C) may choose to study in a Chinese independent high school. Chinese independent high schools are funded mostly by the Malaysian Chinese public, with UCSCAM (United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia, also known as Dong Jiao Zong after its Chinese acronym) as the overall coordination body. Students in Chinese independent high school study in three junior middle levels and three senior middle levels, similar to the secondary schools systems in mainland China and Taiwan, each level usually takes one year. Like the students in public secondary school, students in Chinese independent high school are streamed into several streams like Science Stream or Art/Commerce Stream in the senior middle levels. However, some school recently provided unique streams like Electrical Engineering stream, Food and Beverage Studies or Arts design stream. The medium of instruction in Chinese independent high schools is Mandarin, and uses simplified Chinese characters in writing.
Students in Chinese independent high schools take standardized tests known as the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) at the end of Junior Middle 3 and Senior Middle 3. UEC has been run by UCSCAM since 1975. The UEC is available in three levels: Vocational Unified Exam (UEC-V), UEC Junior Middle Level (UEC-JML/JUEC) and Senior Middle Level (UEC-SML/SUEC). The syllabus and examinations for the UEC-V and UEC-JML are only available in the Chinese language. The UEC-SML has questions for mathematics, sciences (biology, chemistry and physics), bookkeeping, accounting and commerce in both Chinese and English.
UEC-SML is recognised as the entrance qualification in many tertiary educational institutions internationally like Singapore, Australia, Taiwan, China and some European countries, as well as most private colleges in Malaysia, but not by the government of Malaysia for entry into public universities. As the government of Malaysia does not recognize the UEC, some Chinese independent high schools provide instructions in the public secondary school syllabus in addition to the independent school syllabus, thus enabling the students to sit for PMR, SPM, or even STPM.
Dong Jiao Zong's policy:
A "Rooted" Chinese
According to UCSCAM (United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia), known as DJZ (Dong Jiao Zong - the stronghold/fortress of Chinese), it was the British colonial policy (1786–1957) allowing the vernacular language schools to exist and develop, at the same time enabling the Malays while placing restrictions on the Chinese. Students of British school gained better opportunities in employment than any other schools. Nevertheless, under such policy, the development of Chinese language education thrived. Before Malaysia gained independence, the Chinese has had 1300 primary schools, nearly 100 high schools, and even Nanyang University, built without the financial support of the government. The report of UCSCAM claimed that the main reason for many Chinese parents sending their children to Chinese schools was that Chinese parents generally hoped their children would retain their Chinese identity, with love and awareness of the nation, love of their own culture and traditions, ethnic pride, and most importantly being aware of their ethnic "roots".
Mr. Lim Lian Geok (Chinese:林连玉), known as the "Soul of ethnic Chinese" (Chinese:"族魂"), the former president of UCSCAM, said: "One’s culture is the soul of one’s ethnicity, and its value as important to us as our lives. And if any of you (Chinese) want to inherit Chinese cultural heritage, and if any of you (Chinese) want to live a "true" Chinese, your children must be sent to a Chinese school.
"Final goal"
The UCSCAM believed that the government of Malaysia had a "final goal" (referring to Razak Report) to eradicate the Chinese schools and Tamil schools. The report claimed that the Government of Malaysia's culture and language education policy, over the past 50 years was, to not give up implementation of the "final goal", that is, only a final "national school" with the Malay language (National language) as the main medium of instruction. The language of other ethnic groups, namely Chinese and Tamil, thus could only serve as a foreign language. The reason given by the government was that the Chinese and Tamil primary schools were the root cause of disunity of this country. In order to achieve "national unity", all other non-National Schools should be restricted, and finally merge with the National School.
"Do not give up and do not compromise"
The standpoint of UCSCAM is that only the implementation of a multilingual school policy befits Malaysia's multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-linguistic and multi-religious society. Dong Jiao Zong's distinctive position for this protest has remained unchanged over the last 50 years. [1] (http://www.djz.edu.my/hjdaobao/hj.php?id=79&period=54)
International schools
In addition to the Malaysian National Curriculum, Malaysia has many international schools. International schools offer students the opportunity to study the curriculum of another country. These schools mainly cater to the growing expatriate population in the country. International schools include: the Australian International School, Malaysia (Australian curriculum), The Alice Smith School (British Curriculum), elc International school (British Curriculum), The Garden International School (British Curriculum), Lodge International School (British Curriculum), The International School of Kuala Lumpur (International Baccalaureate and American Curriculum), The Japanese School of Kuala Lumpur (Japanese Curriculum), The Chinese Taipei School, Kuala Lumpur and The Chinese Taipei School, Penang (Taiwanese Curriculum), The International School of Penang (International Baccalaureate and British Curriculum), Dalat International School in Penang (American Curriculum), Lycée Français de Kuala Lumpur (http://www.lfkl.edu.my/) (French Curriculum), Horizon International Turkish School[9] amongst others.
School uniforms
See also: School uniform#Malaysia
Present-day Malaysia introduced Western style school uniforms (pakaian seragam sekolah) in the late 19th century during the British colonial era. Today, school uniforms are almost universal in the public and private school systems. Standardised beginning January 1, 1970, public school uniforms are compulsory for all students and standardised nationwide.
A common version of Malaysian school uniform is of public schools. The dress code for males is the most standardised while female uniforms are more varied based on the religion of students and the type of schools. Male students are required to wear a collared shirt with a pair of shorts or long pants. Female students, however, may wear a knee-length pinafore and a collared shirt, a knee-length skirt and a collared shirt, or a baju kurung consisting of a top and a long skirt with an optional hijab (tudung) for Muslim students. White socks and shoes of black or white are almost universally required for all students, while ties are included in certain dress codes. Prefects and students with other additional school duties may wear uniforms of different colours; colours may also differ between primary and secondary schools.
Education policy
The ruling political alliance is composed of ethnically based parties and one of the concessions allowed by the controlling Malay party is to allow the Chinese and Indian parties to start colleges.
In July 2006, Higher Education Deputy Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat stated that a review of the controversial Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) will be held among Malaysian MPs.[10]
National Education Blueprint
In 2006, the National Education Blueprint 2006–10 was released. The Blueprint set a number of goals, such as establishing a National Pre-School Curriculum, setting up 100 new classes for students with special needs, increasing the percentage of single-session schools to 90% for primary schools and 70% for secondary schools, and decreasing class sizes from 31 to 30 students in primary schools and from 32 to 30 in secondary schools by the year 2010. The Blueprint also provided a number of statistics concerning weaknesses in education. According to the Blueprint, 10% of primary schools and 1.4% of secondary schools do not have a 24-hour electricity supply, 20% and 3.4% respectively do not have a public water supply, and 78% and 42% are over 30 years old and require refurbishing. It was also stated that 4.4% of primary students and 0.8% of secondary students had not mastered the 3Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic). The drop-out rate for secondary schools was given as 9.3% in urban areas and 16.7% in rural areas.[11]
The Blueprint also aimed to address the problem of racial polarisation in schools. Under the Blueprint, schools will hold seminars on the Constitution of Malaysia, motivational camps to increase cultural awareness, food festivals to highlight different ethnic cooking styles, and essay competitions on different cultural traditions. Mandarin and Tamil language classes will be held in national schools, beginning with a pilot project in 220 schools in 2007.[12]
The Blueprint has been subject to some criticism. Academic Khoo Kay Kim has criticised the plan, saying:
“ We do not need this blueprint to produce excellent students. What we need is a revival of the old education system... meaning the education system we had before 1957. That was when we saw dedication from the teachers. The Malaysian education system then was second to none in Asia. We did not have sports schools but we produced citizens who were Asian class, if not world class.[13] ”
Issues in Malaysian education
The history of Issues in Malaysian Education started from the British government, the Barnes Report back in 1951, that is to unite all races with the colonial language. The later Razak Report was made to replace the unsuccessful Barnes Report, and the system remains until today.
Language
The issue of language and schools is a key issue for many political groups in Malaysia. UMNO championed the cause of Malay usage in schools but private schools using the Chinese and Tamil language are allowed. Up until 1981 in Peninsular Malaysia (and some years later in Sarawak), there were also English-medium schools, set up by Christian missions. However, following the severe race riots in Kuala Lumpur in May 1969, English-medium schools were phased out from January 1970, so that by 1982 these became Malay-medium schools (‘national schools’).
The existence of vernacular schools is used by non-Malays components of the ruling Barisan Nasional to indicate that their culture and identity have not been infringed upon by the Malay people. This is often a key issue as it is considered important by many. Dong Jiao Zhong (the association of Chinese vernacular school boards and teachers) and other such organizations still shape much of the views of the Chinese educated community, which is a key electoral constituency.
In 2002, the government announced that from 2003 onwards, the teaching of Science and Mathematics would be done in English, in order to ensure that Malaysia will not be left behind in a world that was rapidly becoming globalised. This paved the way for the establishment of mixed-medium education. However, the policy was heavily criticized especially by Malay linguists and activists, fearing that the policy might erode the usage of Malay language in science and mathematics, which led to a massive rally in Kuala Lumpur on 7 March 2009.[14] The government announced however this policy will be reversed in 2012, where the teaching of both subjects would be reverted back to Bahasa Melayu.[15]
Due to the lack of Chinese students attending government schools, coupled with the number of non-Chinese students attending Chinese vernacular schools, the government announced in April 2005 that all national schools will begin teaching Chinese and Tamil, not as a mother tongue course but as an elective course.
Gender
In 2004 the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) representative Dr. Richard Leete stated that Malaysia's ranking in the UNDP gender index was not "as high as it should be". Former Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Shafie Salleh replied that it was not unique to Malaysia. His quoted statistics revealed that there was a 2:1 ratio of boys to girls in polytechnics and at public higher learning institutions. However it should be noted that in virtually all developed countries that both females and males enter university in approximately equal ratios, thus the 2:1 ratio in Malaysia is seen as rather peculiar when placed in a global context.
Malaysian polytechnics and community colleges are not degree producing institutions and none have post-graduate programmed. Most are vocational or technical institutions. This imbalance is corrected once the respective genders leave the educational system.
Racial Quotas in Universities
In 2004, a new Ministry - the Ministry of Higher Education - was formed. The then minister, Dr. Shafie Salleh, stated at the United Malays National Organisation 2004 general assembly, "As the Higher Education Minister, I will ensure the quota of Malay students' entry into universities is always higher"[16].
Some, such as prominent opposition figure Lim Guan Eng, have alleged that this quote may be taken out of context, stating that Shafie was instead guaranteeing that the number of Bumiputra students admitted to public universities would increase every year[17]. He has also stated that "Education is looked at from a racial perspective and not on the basis of educational needs."
Racial quotas, a highly politicised and controversial issue in Malaysia, exist for university admission. In 2002 the government announced a reduction of reliance on racial quotas, instead leaning more towards meritocracy. However, in 2004, 128 students who obtained 5As in the STPM (the best possible grade for university application) were denied their first choice of course which was medicine. This is part of an ongoing issue, where the only thing these students had in common was that they were non-Malay or non-Bumiputra. All students managed to successfully gain offers to private institutions but some did not pursue a medical education due to lack of funds and financial support.
PMR SPM Reference Books
Academic reference books which covers all subjects that are tested on the PMR (Penilaian Menengah Rendah) and SPM examinations (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) are popular with students. Many students purchase these books as they cover most of their respective subject's essential concepts so much so that it provides a easily adaptive framework for students to write a report. In addition, the PEKA (Science Lab Reports) are written in very elaborate and concise details which allows the students to easily write a modified, unoriginal report for submission. These books reduce the students' capacity to engage in independent learning and hinder their long term potential to think critically by a considerable margin.
See also
■Mahathir bin Mohamad#Educational system
References
■"Country Facts - Malaysia" (http://www.tradeport.org/countries/malaysia/01grw.html) . Retrieved Oct. 16, 2005.
■"A Glimpse of History" (http://www.moe.gov.my/tayang.php?laman=imbasan_sejarah&bhs=en) . Retrieved Oct. 16, 2005.
■"PM Unveils Caring Budget, More New Measures To Perk Up Economy" (http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_business.php?id=158185) . (Sept. 30, 2005). Bernama.
■Yusop, Husna (Oct. 16, 2005). Speaking of culture (http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=11569) . The Sun.
■Yusop, Husna (Mar. 9, 2006). Time to overhaul education system (http://www.malaysia-today.net/Blog-e/2006/03/time-to-overhaul-education-system.htm) . Malaysia Today.
■Tan, Peter K. W. (2005), ‘The medium-of-instruction debate in Malaysia: English as a Malaysian language?’, Problems & Language Planning 29: 1, pp. 47–66 The medium-of-instruction debate in Malaysia (http://www.benjamins.com/jbp/series/LPLP/29-1/art/0003a.pdf)
Notes
1.^ Puthucheary, Mavis (1978). The Politics of Administration: The Malaysian Experience, p. 9. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-580387-6.
2.^ Puthucheary, pp. 9–10.
3.^ Puthucheary, p. 10.
4.^ Puthucheary, pp. 10–11.
5.^ English in Schools: Policy reversed but English hours extended (http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/Frontpage/20090709083157/Article/index_html) , New Strait Times, 9 July 2009.
6.^ Beech, Hannah (Oct. 30, 2006). Not the Retiring Type (http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/501061106/story3.html) (page three). TIME.
7.^ "Experts: Go back to drawing board", p. 22. (Mar. 21, 2006). New Straits Times.
8.^ Musa, M. Bakri (2007). Towards A Competitive Malaysia. Petaling Jaya: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre. pp. 143. ISBN 978-983-3782-20-8.
9.^ "Foreigners in Malaysia Prefer Turkish Schools" (http://www.turks.us/article.php?story=20031129174159986) . http://www.turks.us/article.php?story=20031129174159986.
10.^ theSun (http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=14677)
11.^ Koh, Lay Chin (Jan. 17, 2007). "Free hand for 'clusters' to excel", p. 12. New Straits Times.
12.^ "Enhancing racial unity in national schools", p. 13. (Jan. 17, 2007). New Straits Times.
13.^ "Review of curricula soon", p. 13. (Jan. 17, 2006). New Straits Times.
14.^ "Malaysian police fire teargas at protesters: witnesses" (http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2722919) . AFP. MSN News. http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2722919. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
15.^ "Teaching Of Science And Mathematics Back To Bahasa Melayu" (http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=423799) . Bernama. 2009-07-08. http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=423799. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
16.^ Malaysian National News Agency :: BERNAMA (http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news.php?id=94883)
17.^ Will qualified non-bumi students be sacrificed by Shafie for his defeat in UMNO? (http://dapmalaysia.org/english/lge/lge011.htm)
External links
■Ministry of Education official website (http://www.moe.gov.my/?lang=en)
■Ministry of Higher Education official website (http://www.portal.mohe.gov.my/portal/page/portal/ExtPortal/MOHE_MAIN_PAGE)
■Education Malaysia (http://educationmalaysia.gov.my) , government website promoting education in Malaysia
■United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (UCSCAM) (http://www.djz.edu.my) , also known as Dong Jiao Zong (董教总)
■This page was last modified on 12 October 2010 at 09:45.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Education in Malaysia Ministry of Education
Ministry of Higher Education
Minister of Education -
Muhyiddin Yassin
Minister of Higher Education - Mohamed Khaled Nordin
National education budget (2006)
Budget: RM30 billion1
General Details
Primary Languages: Malay, English, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil
System Type: National
Established 1956
Total: 95%
Enrollment
Total: 5,416,924
Primary: 3,111,948
Secondary: 2,304,976
Education in Malaysia is overseen by two government ministries: the Ministry of Education for matters up to the secondary level, and the Ministry of Higher Education for tertiary education. Although education is the responsibility of the federal government, each state has an Education Department to help coordinate educational matters in their respective states. The main legislation governing education is the Education Act of 1996.
Education may be obtained from government-sponsored schools, private schools, or through homeschooling. By law, primary education is compulsory. As in other Asian countries such as Korea and Japan, standardised tests are a common feature.
History
Batu Pahat High School, JohorSekolah Pondok (literally, Hut school), Madrasah and other Islamic schools were the earliest forms of schooling available in Malaysia . Early works of Malay literature such as Hikayat Abdullah mention these schools indicating they pre-date the current secular model of education.
Secular schools in Malaysia were largely an innovation of the British colonial government. Many of the earliest schools in Malaysia were founded in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Melaka, and Singapore. The oldest English-language school in Malaya is the Penang Free School, founded in 1816, followed by Malacca High School, and Anglo Chinese School, Klang. Many English-language schools are considered quite prestigious.
British historian Richard O. Winstedt worked to improve the education of the Malays and was instrumental in establishing Sultan Idris Training College. The college was established with the purpose of producing Malay teachers. R J Wilkinson helped established the Malay College Kuala Kangsar in 1905 which aimed to educate the Malay elite.
Initially, the British colonial government did not provide for any Malay-language secondary schools, forcing those who had studied in Malay during primary school to adjust to an English-language education. Many Malays failed to pursue additional education due to this issue..[1] Despite complaints about this policy, the British Director of Education stated:
“ It would be contrary to the considered policy of government to afford to a community, the great majority of whose members find congenial livelihood and independence in agricultural pursuits, more extended facilities for the learning of English which would be likely to have the effect of inducing them to abandon those pursuits.[2] ”
Malay representatives in the Federal Council as well as the Legislative Council of Singapore responded vehemently, with one calling the British policy "a policy that trains the Malay boy how not to get employment" by excluding the Malays from learning in the "bread-earning language of Malaya". He remarked:
“ In the fewest possible words, the Malay boy is told 'You have been trained to remain at the bottom, and there you must always remain!' Why, I ask, waste so much money to attain this end when without any vernacular school, and without any special effort, the Malay boy could himself accomplish this feat?[3] ”
To remedy this problem, the British established the Malay College Kuala Kangsar. However, it was mainly intended as a way to educate low-level civil servants, and not as a means to opening the doors of commerce to the Malays — the school was never intended to prepare students for entrance to higher institutions of education.[4]
Missionaries of various Christian denominations, such as the Roman Catholic Josephian order and the Lasallian Brothers, Seventh-day Adventist, Anglican as well as Methodist also started a series of mission schools which provided primary and secondary education in the English language. Most of these were single-sex schools. Although nowadays they had fully assimilated into the Malay-medium national school system and most admit students regardless of gender and background (some single-sex schools remain), many of the schools still bear their original names today, such as the ones with the names of various saints or words such as “Katholik”, “Convent”, “Advent” and “Methodist”.
During the British colonial period, large numbers of immigrants from China and India arrived in Malaya. The Chinese and Indian communities eventually established their vernacular schools with school curricula and teachers from China and India respectively.
In the 1950s, there were four initial proposals for developing the national education system: the Barnes Report (favoured by the Malays), Ordinance Report (modification of the Barnes Report), the Fenn-Wu Report (favoured by the Chinese and Indians), and the Razak Report (a compromise between the two reports). The Barnes proposal was implemented through the 1952 Education Ordinance amidst Chinese protests. In 1956, the Razak Report was adopted by the Malayan government as the educational framework for independent Malaya. The Razak Report called for a national school system consists of Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil-medium schools at the primary level, and Malay and English-medium schools at the secondary schools, with a uniform national curriculum regardless of the medium of instruction. Malay-medium schools would be known as "national", while other languages schools would be known as "national-type".
In the early years of independence, existing Chinese, Tamil and mission schools accepted government funding and were allowed to retain their medium of instructions on the condition that they adopt the national curriculum. Chinese secondary schools were given the options of accepting government funding and change into English national-type schools, or remain Chinese and private without government funding. Most of the schools accepted the change, although a few rejected the offer and came to be known as Chinese independent high schools. Shortly after the change, some of the national-type schools reestablished their Chinese independent high school branches.
In the 1970s, in accordance to the national language policy, the government began to change English-medium primary and secondary national-type schools into Malay-medium national schools. The language change was made gradually starting from the first year in primary school, then the second year in the following year and so on. The change was completed by the end of 1982.
In 1996, the Education Act of 1996 was passed to amend the Education Ordinance of 1956 and the Education Act of 1961.
Preschool education
Preschool education is mainly provided by private for-profit preschools, though some are run by the government or religious groups. Some primary schools have attached preschool sections. Attendance in a preschool programme is not universal; while people living in urban areas are generally able to send their children to private kindergartens, few do in rural areas.
There is no formal preschool curriculum except a formal mandatory training and certification for principals and teachers before they may operate a preschool. The training covers lessons on child psychology, teaching methodologies, and other related curricula on childcare and development.
Registered preschools are subjected to zoning regulations and must comply to other regulations such as health screening and fire hazard assessment. Many preschools are located in high density residential areas, where normal residential units compliant to regulations are converted into the schools.
There is no fixed rules on when a child needs to start preschool education but majority would start when the child turns 5 years old. Preschool education usually lasts for 2 years, before they proceed to primary school at age 7.
Primary education
There are two main types of public primary schools in Malaysia: national (Sekolah Kebangsaan in Malay, abbreviated as SK) and national-type (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan, abbreviated as SJK). National-type schools are further divided into Chinese national-type schools (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina, SJK(C)) and Tamil national-type schools (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil, SJK(T)). By degree of government funding, national schools are government-operated, while national-type schools are mostly government-assisted, though some are government-operated. All schools admit students regardless of racial and language background.
The medium of instruction is Malay for SK, Mandarin and simplified Chinese characters writing for SJK(C), and Tamil for SJK(T). Malay and English are compulsory subjects in all schools. All schools use the same syllabus for non-language subjects regardless of the medium of instruction. In January 2003, a mixed medium of instruction was introduced so that students would learn Science and Mathematics in English. Due to pressure from the Chinese community, SJK(C) teach Science and Mathematics in both English and Chinese. However, the government reversed the policy of teaching Science and Mathematics in English in July 2009, and previous languages of instruction will be reintroduced in stages from 2012.[5]
Primary education consists of six years of education, referred to as Year 1 to Year 6 (also known as Standard 1 to Standard 6). Year 1 to Year 3 are classified as Level One (Tahap Satu) while Year 4 to Year 6 are considered as Level Two (Tahap Dua). Primary education begins at the age of 7 and ends at 12. Students are promoted to the next year regardless of their academic performance (poor curriculum induced).
From 1996 until 2000, the Penilaian Tahap Satu (PTS) or the Level One Evaluation was administered to Year 3 students. Excellence in this test allowed students to skip Year 4 and attend Year 5 instead. However, the test was removed from 2001 onwards due to concerns that parents and teachers were unduly pressuring students to pass the exam.
At the end of primary education, students in national schools are required to undergo a standardised test known as the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) or Primary School Evaluation Test. The subjects tested are Malay comprehension, written Malay, English, Science and Mathematics. Chinese comprehension and written Chinese are compulsory in SJK(C), while Tamil comprehension and written Tamil are compulsory in SJK(T).
Between 1995 and 2000, the Seventh Malaysia Plan allocation for primary education development allocated 96.5% to national primary schools which had 75% of total enrollment. Chinese primary schools (21% enrollment) received 2.4% of the allocation while Tamil primary schools (3.6% enrollment) received 1% of the allocation.
The division of public education at the primary level into national and national-type schools has been criticised for allegedly creating racial polarisation at an early age.[6] To address the problem, attempts have been made to establish Sekolah Wawasan ("vision schools"). Under the concept, three schools (typically one SK, one SJK(C) and one SJK(T)) would share the same school compound and facilities while maintaining different school administrations, ostensibly to encourage closer interaction. However, this was met with objections from most of the Chinese and Indian communities as they believe this will restrict the use of their mother tongue in schools.
Secondary education
Chio Min Secondary School, Kulim, Kedah.Public secondary schools are regarded as extensions of the national schools. They study in five forms. Each form will take a year. Some students, however, will have to study in "Remove" before they can study in Form 1 because of the poor academic results, or simply choosing to do so, which is possible in some schools. At the end of Form 3, the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR, formerly known as Sijil Pelajaran Rendah (SRP) or Lower Certificate of Education (LCE)) or Lower Secondary Evaluation is taken by students. Based on choice, they will be streamed into either the Science stream or Arts stream. The Science stream is generally more desirable. Students are allowed to shift to the Arts stream from the Science stream, but rarely vice-versa.
Co-curricular activities are compulsory at the secondary level, where all students must participate in at least 2 activities. There are many co-curricular activities offered at the secondary level, varying at each school and each student is judged based in these areas. Competitions and performances are regularly organized. Co-curricular activities are often categorized under the following: Uniformed Groups, Performing Arts, Clubs & Societies, Sports & Games. Student may also participate in more than 2 co-curricular activities.
At the end of Form 5, students are required to take the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) or Malaysian Certificate of Education examination, before graduating from secondary school. The SPM was based on the old British ‘School Certificate’ examination before it became General Certificate of Education 'O' Levels examination, which became the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education). As of 2006, students are given a GCE 'O' Level grade for their English paper in addition to the normal English SPM paper. (Previously, this was reported on result slips as a separate result labelled 1119, which meant students received two grades for their English papers.) This separate grade is given based on the marks of the essay-writing component of the English paper. The essay section of the English paper is remarked under the supervision of officials from British 'O' Levels examination . Although not part of their final certificates, the 'O' Level grade is included on their results slip.
Shortly after the release of the 2005 SPM results in March 2006, the Education Ministry announced it was considering reforming the SPM system due to what was perceived as over-emphasis on As. Local educators appeared responsive to the suggestion, with one professor at the University of Malaya deploring university students who could not write letters, debate, or understand footnoting. He complained that "They don't understand what I am saying. ... I cannot communicate with them." He claimed that "Before 1957 (the year of independence), school heroes were not those with 8As or 9As, they were the great debaters, those good in drama, in sport, and those leading the Scouts and Girl Guides." A former Education Director-General, Murad Mohd Noor, agreed, saying that "The rat race now begins at Standard 6 with the UPSR, with the competition resulting in parents forcing their children to attend private tuition." He also expressed dismay at the prevalence of students taking 15 or 16 subjects for the SPM, calling it "unnecessary".[7]
National Type/Charter Secondary/High Schools/Residential Schools or Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (SBP)
Within the national public school system are a few magnet type/charter public high schools. Admissions are very selective, reserved for students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and potential at the elementary level, Grade/Standard 1 through 6. These schools are either full time day or boarding schools ('asrama penuh'). Examples of these schools is the Malacca High School, Royal Military College (Malaysia) and Penang Free School.
Residential schools or Sekolah Berasrama Penuh are also known as Science Schools. These schools used to cater mainly for Malays elites but has since expanded as schools for nurturing Malays who are outstanding academically or those displaying talents in sports & leadership. The schools are modeled after British Boarding School.
Pre-university education
After the SPM, students from public secondary school would have a choice of either studying Form 6 or the matriculation (pre-university). If they are accepted to continue studying in Form 6, they will also take the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (which is usually abbreviated as STPM) or Malaysian Higher School Certificate examination (its British equivalent is the General Certificate of Education 'A' Levels examination or internationally, the Higher School Certificate). STPM is regulated by the Malaysian Examinations Council (http://www.mpm.edu.my/bi/main.php) . Form 6 consists of two years of study which is known as Lower 6 (Tingkatan Enam Rendah) and Upper 6 (Tingkatan Enam Atas). Although it is generally taken by those desiring to attend public universities in Malaysia, it is internationally recognised and may also be used, though rarely required, to enter private local universities for undergraduate courses.
Additionally all students may apply for admission to matriculation which is a one or two-year programme run by the Ministry of Education. Previously, it was a one-year programme, but beginning 2006, 30% of all matriculation students were offered two-year programmes. Not all applicants for matriculation are admitted and the selection criteria are not publicly declared, which has led to speculation that any criteria existing may not be adhered to. A race-based quota is applied on the admission process, with 90% of the places being reserved for the Bumiputeras, and the other 10% for the non-Bumiputeras. The matriculation programme is not as rigorous as the STPM. The matriculation programme has come under some criticism as it is the general consensus that this programme is much easier than the sixth form programme leading to the STPM and serves to help Bumiputeras enter public universities easily. Having been introduced after the abolishment of a racial-quota-based admission into universities, the matriculation programme continues the role of its predecessor, albeit in modified form. It is considered easier because in the matriculation programme, teachers set and mark the final exams that their students sit, whereas in the STPM the final exam is standardised and exam papers are exchanged between schools in different states to ensure unbiased marking. Also, the matriculation programme adopts a semester basis examination (2 semesters in a year) whilst STPM involves only one final examination, covering all 2 years' syllabus in one go. The scope and depth of syllabus in matriculation is also lesser to that of STPM. The disparity between the programmes does not end there, for it is a known fact[citation needed] that in critical courses offered by local public universities (such as Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Law), almost 70% of the students comprise matriculation students. On the contrary, STPM students forms the majority in courses which are less in demand, such as a Bachelor in Science. Defenders of the matriculation programme have described the two programmes as distinct and different, drawing the analogy of an apple and an orange. However, having serve the same purpose (i.e. as an entrance requirement to local public universities), the Malaysian public is criticising the matriculation programme as a blatant practice of double standards.
The Centre for Foundation Studies in Science, University of Malaya, offers 2 programmes only for Bumiputera students : i) The Science Program, a one year course under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Higher Education. After completing the program, the students are placed into various science-based courses in the local universities through the meritocracy system. ii) The Special Preparatory Program to Enter the Japanese Universities, a two year intensive programme under the Look East Policy Division of the Public Service Department of Malaysia in cooperation with the Japanese Government.
Some students undertake their pre-university studies in private colleges. They may opt for programmes such as the British 'A' Levels programme, the Canadian matriculation programme or the equivalent of other national systems - namely the Australian NSW Board of Studies Higher School Certificate and the American High School Diploma with AP subjects. More recently, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is becoming more popular as a pre-university option.
The Government has claimed that admission to Universities are purely meritocracy based, but having so many different pre-university programmes and without a standard basis for comparison among the students, the public has been highly sceptical of the claim.
Tertiary education
See also: List of universities in Malaysia
Tertiary education is heavily subsidised by the government. Applicants to public universities must have completed the Malaysia matriculation programme or have an STPM grade. Excellence in these examinations does not guarantee a place in a public university.The selection criteria are largely opaque as no strictly enforced defined guidelines exist.
The classification of tertiary education in Malaysia is organised upon the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF) which seeks to set up a unified system of post secondary qualifications offered on a national basis both in the vocational as well as higher educational sectors.
In 2004, the government formed the Ministry of Higher Education to oversee tertiary education in Malaysia. The ministry is headed by Mustapa Mohamed.
Although the government announced a reduction of reliance of racial quotas in 2002, instead leaning more towards meritocracy. Prior to 2004, all lecturers in public tertiary institutions were required to have some post-graduate award as a requisite qualification. In October 2004, this requirement was removed and the Higher Education Ministry announced that industry professionals who added value to a course could apply for lecturing positions directly to universities even if they did not have postgraduate qualifications. To head off possible allegations that the universities faced a shortage of lecturers, Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Fu Ah Kiow said "This is not because we are facing a shortage of lecturers, but because this move will add value to our courses and enhance the name of our universities...Let's say Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg, both well known and outstanding in their fields, want to be teaching professors. Of course, we would be more than happy to take them in." He went on to offer architecture as an example whereby well-known architects recognized for their talents did not have a masters degree.
The academic independence of public universities' faculty has been questioned. Critics like Bakri Musa cite examples such as a scientist who was reprimanded by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak for "publishing studies on air pollution", and a professor of mathematics at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia who was reproved for criticising the government policy of teaching mathematics and science in English at the primary and secondary levels.[8]
Students also have the choice of attending private institutions of higher learning. Many of these institutions offer courses in cooperation with a foreign institute or university. Some of them are branch campuses of these foreign institutions.
Many private colleges offer programmes whereby the student does part of his degree course here and part of it in the other institution, this method is named "twinning". The nature of these programs is somewhat diverse and ranges from the full "twinning" program where all credits and transcripts are transferable and admission is automatic to programs where the local institution offers an "associate degree" which is accepted at the discretion of the partnering university. In the latter case, acceptance of transcripts and credits is at the discretion of the partner.
Some foreign universities and colleges have also set up branch campuses in Malaysia, including:
■Monash University, Australia.
■The University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
■SAE Institute, Australia
■Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
■Curtin University of Technology, Australia
■Raffles Design Institute, Singapore
The net outflow of academics from Malaysia led to a "brain gain" scheme by then (1995) Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamed. The scheme set a target of attracting 5,000 talents annually. In 2004, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Datuk Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis in a parliamentary reply stated that the scheme attracted 94 scientists (24 Malaysians) in pharmacology, medicine, semi-conductor technology and engineering from abroad between 1995 and 2000. At the time of his reply, only one was remaining in Malaysia.
Postgraduate programmes
Postgraduate degrees such as the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) are becoming popular and are offered by both the public universities and the private colleges.
All public and most private universities in Malaysia offer Master of Science degrees either through coursework or research and Doctor of Philosophy degrees through research.
Vocational programmes and polytechnics schools
Besides the university degrees, students also have the option of continuing their education in professional courses such as the courses offered by the ICSA (Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators) etc. Polytechnics in Malaysia provide courses for diploma level (3 years) and certificate level (2 years).
The following is a list of the public polytechnics in Malaysia.
■Ungku Omar Polytechnic
■Politeknik Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah
■Politeknik Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah
■Politeknik Kota Bharu
■Politeknik Kuching Sarawak
■Politeknik Port Dickson
■Politeknik Kota Kinabalu
■Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah
■Politeknik Johor Bahru
■Politeknik Seberang Perai
■Politeknik Kota, Melaka (Version (http://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politeknik_Kota%2C_Melaka|Malay) )
■Politeknik Kota, Kuala Terengganu
■Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin
■Politeknik Merlimau
■Polytechnic Of Sultan Azlan Shah or Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah
■Politeknik Kulim
■Politeknik Sultan Idris Shah
■Politeknik Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin
■Politeknik Muadzam Shah
■Politeknik Mukah
The Vocational Courses for Automotive Technology:
■TEKAT Automotive College
Universities produce almost 150,000 skilled graduates annually.
Other types of schools
See also: List of schools in Malaysia
Apart from national schools, there are other types of schools in Malaysia.
Islamic religious schools
A system of Islamic religious schools exists in Malaysia. Primary schools are called Sekolah Rendah Agama (SRA), while secondary schools are called Sekolah Menengah Agama (SMA).
Another type of schools available in Malaysia is the Islamic religious schools or sekolah agama rakyat (SAR). The schools teach Muslim students subjects related to Islam such as early Islamic history, Arabic language and Fiqh. It is not compulsory though some states such as Johor make it mandatory for all Muslim children aged six to twelve to attend the schools as a complement to the mandatory primary education. In the final year, students will sit an examination for graduation. Most SAR are funded by respective states and managed by states' religious authority.
Previously, former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohammad suggested to the government that the SARs should be closed down and integrated into the national schools. However, his proposal was met with resistance and later, the matter was left to die quietly.
Such schools still exist in Malaysia, but are generally no longer the only part of a child's education in urban areas. Students in rural parts of the country do still attend these schools. Since the academic results published by these schools are not accepted by mainline universities, many of these students have to continue their education in locations such as Pakistan or Egypt. Some of their alumni include Nik Adli (Son of PAS leader Nik Aziz).
Some parents also opt to send their children for religious classes after secular classes. Dharma classes, Sunday schools and after school classes at the mosque are various options available.
Chinese independent high schools
After receiving primary education in national-type primary school, some students from SJK(C) may choose to study in a Chinese independent high school. Chinese independent high schools are funded mostly by the Malaysian Chinese public, with UCSCAM (United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia, also known as Dong Jiao Zong after its Chinese acronym) as the overall coordination body. Students in Chinese independent high school study in three junior middle levels and three senior middle levels, similar to the secondary schools systems in mainland China and Taiwan, each level usually takes one year. Like the students in public secondary school, students in Chinese independent high school are streamed into several streams like Science Stream or Art/Commerce Stream in the senior middle levels. However, some school recently provided unique streams like Electrical Engineering stream, Food and Beverage Studies or Arts design stream. The medium of instruction in Chinese independent high schools is Mandarin, and uses simplified Chinese characters in writing.
Students in Chinese independent high schools take standardized tests known as the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) at the end of Junior Middle 3 and Senior Middle 3. UEC has been run by UCSCAM since 1975. The UEC is available in three levels: Vocational Unified Exam (UEC-V), UEC Junior Middle Level (UEC-JML/JUEC) and Senior Middle Level (UEC-SML/SUEC). The syllabus and examinations for the UEC-V and UEC-JML are only available in the Chinese language. The UEC-SML has questions for mathematics, sciences (biology, chemistry and physics), bookkeeping, accounting and commerce in both Chinese and English.
UEC-SML is recognised as the entrance qualification in many tertiary educational institutions internationally like Singapore, Australia, Taiwan, China and some European countries, as well as most private colleges in Malaysia, but not by the government of Malaysia for entry into public universities. As the government of Malaysia does not recognize the UEC, some Chinese independent high schools provide instructions in the public secondary school syllabus in addition to the independent school syllabus, thus enabling the students to sit for PMR, SPM, or even STPM.
Dong Jiao Zong's policy:
A "Rooted" Chinese
According to UCSCAM (United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia), known as DJZ (Dong Jiao Zong - the stronghold/fortress of Chinese), it was the British colonial policy (1786–1957) allowing the vernacular language schools to exist and develop, at the same time enabling the Malays while placing restrictions on the Chinese. Students of British school gained better opportunities in employment than any other schools. Nevertheless, under such policy, the development of Chinese language education thrived. Before Malaysia gained independence, the Chinese has had 1300 primary schools, nearly 100 high schools, and even Nanyang University, built without the financial support of the government. The report of UCSCAM claimed that the main reason for many Chinese parents sending their children to Chinese schools was that Chinese parents generally hoped their children would retain their Chinese identity, with love and awareness of the nation, love of their own culture and traditions, ethnic pride, and most importantly being aware of their ethnic "roots".
Mr. Lim Lian Geok (Chinese:林连玉), known as the "Soul of ethnic Chinese" (Chinese:"族魂"), the former president of UCSCAM, said: "One’s culture is the soul of one’s ethnicity, and its value as important to us as our lives. And if any of you (Chinese) want to inherit Chinese cultural heritage, and if any of you (Chinese) want to live a "true" Chinese, your children must be sent to a Chinese school.
"Final goal"
The UCSCAM believed that the government of Malaysia had a "final goal" (referring to Razak Report) to eradicate the Chinese schools and Tamil schools. The report claimed that the Government of Malaysia's culture and language education policy, over the past 50 years was, to not give up implementation of the "final goal", that is, only a final "national school" with the Malay language (National language) as the main medium of instruction. The language of other ethnic groups, namely Chinese and Tamil, thus could only serve as a foreign language. The reason given by the government was that the Chinese and Tamil primary schools were the root cause of disunity of this country. In order to achieve "national unity", all other non-National Schools should be restricted, and finally merge with the National School.
"Do not give up and do not compromise"
The standpoint of UCSCAM is that only the implementation of a multilingual school policy befits Malaysia's multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-linguistic and multi-religious society. Dong Jiao Zong's distinctive position for this protest has remained unchanged over the last 50 years. [1] (http://www.djz.edu.my/hjdaobao/hj.php?id=79&period=54)
International schools
In addition to the Malaysian National Curriculum, Malaysia has many international schools. International schools offer students the opportunity to study the curriculum of another country. These schools mainly cater to the growing expatriate population in the country. International schools include: the Australian International School, Malaysia (Australian curriculum), The Alice Smith School (British Curriculum), elc International school (British Curriculum), The Garden International School (British Curriculum), Lodge International School (British Curriculum), The International School of Kuala Lumpur (International Baccalaureate and American Curriculum), The Japanese School of Kuala Lumpur (Japanese Curriculum), The Chinese Taipei School, Kuala Lumpur and The Chinese Taipei School, Penang (Taiwanese Curriculum), The International School of Penang (International Baccalaureate and British Curriculum), Dalat International School in Penang (American Curriculum), Lycée Français de Kuala Lumpur (http://www.lfkl.edu.my/) (French Curriculum), Horizon International Turkish School[9] amongst others.
School uniforms
See also: School uniform#Malaysia
Present-day Malaysia introduced Western style school uniforms (pakaian seragam sekolah) in the late 19th century during the British colonial era. Today, school uniforms are almost universal in the public and private school systems. Standardised beginning January 1, 1970, public school uniforms are compulsory for all students and standardised nationwide.
A common version of Malaysian school uniform is of public schools. The dress code for males is the most standardised while female uniforms are more varied based on the religion of students and the type of schools. Male students are required to wear a collared shirt with a pair of shorts or long pants. Female students, however, may wear a knee-length pinafore and a collared shirt, a knee-length skirt and a collared shirt, or a baju kurung consisting of a top and a long skirt with an optional hijab (tudung) for Muslim students. White socks and shoes of black or white are almost universally required for all students, while ties are included in certain dress codes. Prefects and students with other additional school duties may wear uniforms of different colours; colours may also differ between primary and secondary schools.
Education policy
The ruling political alliance is composed of ethnically based parties and one of the concessions allowed by the controlling Malay party is to allow the Chinese and Indian parties to start colleges.
In July 2006, Higher Education Deputy Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat stated that a review of the controversial Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) will be held among Malaysian MPs.[10]
National Education Blueprint
In 2006, the National Education Blueprint 2006–10 was released. The Blueprint set a number of goals, such as establishing a National Pre-School Curriculum, setting up 100 new classes for students with special needs, increasing the percentage of single-session schools to 90% for primary schools and 70% for secondary schools, and decreasing class sizes from 31 to 30 students in primary schools and from 32 to 30 in secondary schools by the year 2010. The Blueprint also provided a number of statistics concerning weaknesses in education. According to the Blueprint, 10% of primary schools and 1.4% of secondary schools do not have a 24-hour electricity supply, 20% and 3.4% respectively do not have a public water supply, and 78% and 42% are over 30 years old and require refurbishing. It was also stated that 4.4% of primary students and 0.8% of secondary students had not mastered the 3Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic). The drop-out rate for secondary schools was given as 9.3% in urban areas and 16.7% in rural areas.[11]
The Blueprint also aimed to address the problem of racial polarisation in schools. Under the Blueprint, schools will hold seminars on the Constitution of Malaysia, motivational camps to increase cultural awareness, food festivals to highlight different ethnic cooking styles, and essay competitions on different cultural traditions. Mandarin and Tamil language classes will be held in national schools, beginning with a pilot project in 220 schools in 2007.[12]
The Blueprint has been subject to some criticism. Academic Khoo Kay Kim has criticised the plan, saying:
“ We do not need this blueprint to produce excellent students. What we need is a revival of the old education system... meaning the education system we had before 1957. That was when we saw dedication from the teachers. The Malaysian education system then was second to none in Asia. We did not have sports schools but we produced citizens who were Asian class, if not world class.[13] ”
Issues in Malaysian education
The history of Issues in Malaysian Education started from the British government, the Barnes Report back in 1951, that is to unite all races with the colonial language. The later Razak Report was made to replace the unsuccessful Barnes Report, and the system remains until today.
Language
The issue of language and schools is a key issue for many political groups in Malaysia. UMNO championed the cause of Malay usage in schools but private schools using the Chinese and Tamil language are allowed. Up until 1981 in Peninsular Malaysia (and some years later in Sarawak), there were also English-medium schools, set up by Christian missions. However, following the severe race riots in Kuala Lumpur in May 1969, English-medium schools were phased out from January 1970, so that by 1982 these became Malay-medium schools (‘national schools’).
The existence of vernacular schools is used by non-Malays components of the ruling Barisan Nasional to indicate that their culture and identity have not been infringed upon by the Malay people. This is often a key issue as it is considered important by many. Dong Jiao Zhong (the association of Chinese vernacular school boards and teachers) and other such organizations still shape much of the views of the Chinese educated community, which is a key electoral constituency.
In 2002, the government announced that from 2003 onwards, the teaching of Science and Mathematics would be done in English, in order to ensure that Malaysia will not be left behind in a world that was rapidly becoming globalised. This paved the way for the establishment of mixed-medium education. However, the policy was heavily criticized especially by Malay linguists and activists, fearing that the policy might erode the usage of Malay language in science and mathematics, which led to a massive rally in Kuala Lumpur on 7 March 2009.[14] The government announced however this policy will be reversed in 2012, where the teaching of both subjects would be reverted back to Bahasa Melayu.[15]
Due to the lack of Chinese students attending government schools, coupled with the number of non-Chinese students attending Chinese vernacular schools, the government announced in April 2005 that all national schools will begin teaching Chinese and Tamil, not as a mother tongue course but as an elective course.
Gender
In 2004 the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) representative Dr. Richard Leete stated that Malaysia's ranking in the UNDP gender index was not "as high as it should be". Former Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Shafie Salleh replied that it was not unique to Malaysia. His quoted statistics revealed that there was a 2:1 ratio of boys to girls in polytechnics and at public higher learning institutions. However it should be noted that in virtually all developed countries that both females and males enter university in approximately equal ratios, thus the 2:1 ratio in Malaysia is seen as rather peculiar when placed in a global context.
Malaysian polytechnics and community colleges are not degree producing institutions and none have post-graduate programmed. Most are vocational or technical institutions. This imbalance is corrected once the respective genders leave the educational system.
Racial Quotas in Universities
In 2004, a new Ministry - the Ministry of Higher Education - was formed. The then minister, Dr. Shafie Salleh, stated at the United Malays National Organisation 2004 general assembly, "As the Higher Education Minister, I will ensure the quota of Malay students' entry into universities is always higher"[16].
Some, such as prominent opposition figure Lim Guan Eng, have alleged that this quote may be taken out of context, stating that Shafie was instead guaranteeing that the number of Bumiputra students admitted to public universities would increase every year[17]. He has also stated that "Education is looked at from a racial perspective and not on the basis of educational needs."
Racial quotas, a highly politicised and controversial issue in Malaysia, exist for university admission. In 2002 the government announced a reduction of reliance on racial quotas, instead leaning more towards meritocracy. However, in 2004, 128 students who obtained 5As in the STPM (the best possible grade for university application) were denied their first choice of course which was medicine. This is part of an ongoing issue, where the only thing these students had in common was that they were non-Malay or non-Bumiputra. All students managed to successfully gain offers to private institutions but some did not pursue a medical education due to lack of funds and financial support.
PMR SPM Reference Books
Academic reference books which covers all subjects that are tested on the PMR (Penilaian Menengah Rendah) and SPM examinations (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) are popular with students. Many students purchase these books as they cover most of their respective subject's essential concepts so much so that it provides a easily adaptive framework for students to write a report. In addition, the PEKA (Science Lab Reports) are written in very elaborate and concise details which allows the students to easily write a modified, unoriginal report for submission. These books reduce the students' capacity to engage in independent learning and hinder their long term potential to think critically by a considerable margin.
See also
■Mahathir bin Mohamad#Educational system
References
■"Country Facts - Malaysia" (http://www.tradeport.org/countries/malaysia/01grw.html) . Retrieved Oct. 16, 2005.
■"A Glimpse of History" (http://www.moe.gov.my/tayang.php?laman=imbasan_sejarah&bhs=en) . Retrieved Oct. 16, 2005.
■"PM Unveils Caring Budget, More New Measures To Perk Up Economy" (http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_business.php?id=158185) . (Sept. 30, 2005). Bernama.
■Yusop, Husna (Oct. 16, 2005). Speaking of culture (http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=11569) . The Sun.
■Yusop, Husna (Mar. 9, 2006). Time to overhaul education system (http://www.malaysia-today.net/Blog-e/2006/03/time-to-overhaul-education-system.htm) . Malaysia Today.
■Tan, Peter K. W. (2005), ‘The medium-of-instruction debate in Malaysia: English as a Malaysian language?’, Problems & Language Planning 29: 1, pp. 47–66 The medium-of-instruction debate in Malaysia (http://www.benjamins.com/jbp/series/LPLP/29-1/art/0003a.pdf)
Notes
1.^ Puthucheary, Mavis (1978). The Politics of Administration: The Malaysian Experience, p. 9. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-580387-6.
2.^ Puthucheary, pp. 9–10.
3.^ Puthucheary, p. 10.
4.^ Puthucheary, pp. 10–11.
5.^ English in Schools: Policy reversed but English hours extended (http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/Frontpage/20090709083157/Article/index_html) , New Strait Times, 9 July 2009.
6.^ Beech, Hannah (Oct. 30, 2006). Not the Retiring Type (http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/501061106/story3.html) (page three). TIME.
7.^ "Experts: Go back to drawing board", p. 22. (Mar. 21, 2006). New Straits Times.
8.^ Musa, M. Bakri (2007). Towards A Competitive Malaysia. Petaling Jaya: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre. pp. 143. ISBN 978-983-3782-20-8.
9.^ "Foreigners in Malaysia Prefer Turkish Schools" (http://www.turks.us/article.php?story=20031129174159986) . http://www.turks.us/article.php?story=20031129174159986.
10.^ theSun (http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=14677)
11.^ Koh, Lay Chin (Jan. 17, 2007). "Free hand for 'clusters' to excel", p. 12. New Straits Times.
12.^ "Enhancing racial unity in national schools", p. 13. (Jan. 17, 2007). New Straits Times.
13.^ "Review of curricula soon", p. 13. (Jan. 17, 2006). New Straits Times.
14.^ "Malaysian police fire teargas at protesters: witnesses" (http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2722919) . AFP. MSN News. http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2722919. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
15.^ "Teaching Of Science And Mathematics Back To Bahasa Melayu" (http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=423799) . Bernama. 2009-07-08. http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=423799. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
16.^ Malaysian National News Agency :: BERNAMA (http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news.php?id=94883)
17.^ Will qualified non-bumi students be sacrificed by Shafie for his defeat in UMNO? (http://dapmalaysia.org/english/lge/lge011.htm)
External links
■Ministry of Education official website (http://www.moe.gov.my/?lang=en)
■Ministry of Higher Education official website (http://www.portal.mohe.gov.my/portal/page/portal/ExtPortal/MOHE_MAIN_PAGE)
■Education Malaysia (http://educationmalaysia.gov.my) , government website promoting education in Malaysia
■United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (UCSCAM) (http://www.djz.edu.my) , also known as Dong Jiao Zong (董教总)
■This page was last modified on 12 October 2010 at 09:45.
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Thursday, August 12, 2010
10 Ways to Conquer Your Procrastination
10 Ways to Conquer Your Procrastination
Put aside your big project for just a moment longer to read this article.
By Marty Nemko, Contributing Columnist, Kiplinger.com
October 2009
Aren't you sick of hearing, "But you have so much potential”?
I don’t know about you, but I believe my life's worth is defined by what I've produced. Every time you forgo productivity in favor of TV, golf or gardening, aren't you wasting life’s most precious resource—time? The following ways to reduce procrastination have often worked for my clients. I hope you'll find at least one worth trying.
Set a big goal. Goethe said, “Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.” So what’s the most exciting goal you might achieve if you put your mind to it? Even if you’re unsure you could do it, might partial achievement or simply enjoying the process be good enough? Most people don’t have the intellectual firepower to make a big contribution, but you’re a Kiplinger reader. You do.
Picture the benefits of achieving your goal. Money? Fame? Self-esteem? A more meaningful life? Getting your spouse off your back?
Recognize that success lies mainly within you. Stop believing such nonsense as "The world is abundant. It will provide" or "It's in the hands of fate." Yes, luck matters, but success is mainly in your hands, although it sometimes requires the help of others you trust.
Recruit a partner. Compensate for your lack of drive by adding some firepower to your project as necessary.
Be aware of the “moment of truth.” That's when you decide, usually subconsciously, whether you should work or play. By making that choice consciously, you’ll more often choose the productive activity.
Start big projects NOW. It's tough to determine, in advance, how long a big project will take. So waiting until the last minute greatly increases the risk you'll do a bad job. Make this rule inviolate: I will start a big project as soon as it is assigned to me.
How do you get motivated to stick with that rule? Remind yourself that if you start right away, the project will be more fun:
• You'll avoid the stress of trying to get it done well at the last minute.
• You'll have time to play with the parts you like to do—for example, toying with words or illustrating.
• If you're done early, you'll have a chunk of free time that you can enjoy without the project hanging over your head.
• You'll likely have done a better job, which will yield more praise and make you proud of yourself.
Use the mantra "Make it fun; more will get done." Constantly ask yourself, "What's the fun way to do this task?”
Take the “one-minute struggle” test. If you haven’t made progress within a minute, additional struggling probably won't help. It merely will make you procrastinate more in the future as you recall the pain you experienced in doing previous tasks. After the one-minute mark, get help or try to figure out a way to do the project without the hard part.
Avoid perfectionism, especially on first drafts. Just get it on paper. It's far easier to revise your way to perfection than to generate it out of thin air.
Embrace discipline. Intelligence and discipline are the biggest factors distinguishing successful people from unsuccessful people. What does discipline mean? A few examples:
• Be willing to stay focused on a task, taking breaks only when necessary, until the task or a component of it is complete.
• Be willing to fight past the discomfort of not knowing: Struggle to master something, be willing to expose your deficiencies by asking a co-worker a question, or hire a tutor or mentor to accelerate your learning.
• Work longer hours. We tend to repress the obvious truth that the longer you work at your profession or avocation, the better you'll get.
Now stop reading Kiplinger and do something productive. All right, five more minutes with Kiplinger.
________________________________________
Marty Nemko is a contributing columnist for Kiplinger and has been named “The Bay Area’s Best Career Coach” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Find more than 500 of his other published writings free at www.martynemko.com.
Put aside your big project for just a moment longer to read this article.
By Marty Nemko, Contributing Columnist, Kiplinger.com
October 2009
Aren't you sick of hearing, "But you have so much potential”?
I don’t know about you, but I believe my life's worth is defined by what I've produced. Every time you forgo productivity in favor of TV, golf or gardening, aren't you wasting life’s most precious resource—time? The following ways to reduce procrastination have often worked for my clients. I hope you'll find at least one worth trying.
Set a big goal. Goethe said, “Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.” So what’s the most exciting goal you might achieve if you put your mind to it? Even if you’re unsure you could do it, might partial achievement or simply enjoying the process be good enough? Most people don’t have the intellectual firepower to make a big contribution, but you’re a Kiplinger reader. You do.
Picture the benefits of achieving your goal. Money? Fame? Self-esteem? A more meaningful life? Getting your spouse off your back?
Recognize that success lies mainly within you. Stop believing such nonsense as "The world is abundant. It will provide" or "It's in the hands of fate." Yes, luck matters, but success is mainly in your hands, although it sometimes requires the help of others you trust.
Recruit a partner. Compensate for your lack of drive by adding some firepower to your project as necessary.
Be aware of the “moment of truth.” That's when you decide, usually subconsciously, whether you should work or play. By making that choice consciously, you’ll more often choose the productive activity.
Start big projects NOW. It's tough to determine, in advance, how long a big project will take. So waiting until the last minute greatly increases the risk you'll do a bad job. Make this rule inviolate: I will start a big project as soon as it is assigned to me.
How do you get motivated to stick with that rule? Remind yourself that if you start right away, the project will be more fun:
• You'll avoid the stress of trying to get it done well at the last minute.
• You'll have time to play with the parts you like to do—for example, toying with words or illustrating.
• If you're done early, you'll have a chunk of free time that you can enjoy without the project hanging over your head.
• You'll likely have done a better job, which will yield more praise and make you proud of yourself.
Use the mantra "Make it fun; more will get done." Constantly ask yourself, "What's the fun way to do this task?”
Take the “one-minute struggle” test. If you haven’t made progress within a minute, additional struggling probably won't help. It merely will make you procrastinate more in the future as you recall the pain you experienced in doing previous tasks. After the one-minute mark, get help or try to figure out a way to do the project without the hard part.
Avoid perfectionism, especially on first drafts. Just get it on paper. It's far easier to revise your way to perfection than to generate it out of thin air.
Embrace discipline. Intelligence and discipline are the biggest factors distinguishing successful people from unsuccessful people. What does discipline mean? A few examples:
• Be willing to stay focused on a task, taking breaks only when necessary, until the task or a component of it is complete.
• Be willing to fight past the discomfort of not knowing: Struggle to master something, be willing to expose your deficiencies by asking a co-worker a question, or hire a tutor or mentor to accelerate your learning.
• Work longer hours. We tend to repress the obvious truth that the longer you work at your profession or avocation, the better you'll get.
Now stop reading Kiplinger and do something productive. All right, five more minutes with Kiplinger.
________________________________________
Marty Nemko is a contributing columnist for Kiplinger and has been named “The Bay Area’s Best Career Coach” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Find more than 500 of his other published writings free at www.martynemko.com.
Best Values in Private Colleges
Best Values in Private Colleges
Our top 100 schools deliver an affordable, high-quality education and keep the financial aid flowing.
By Jane Bennett Clark, Senior Associate Editor
From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, December 2009
A year ago, private colleges were struggling to navigate rough economic waters. Then they headed into the hurricane. Endowments plunged along with the stock market. Families whose savings had sunk or whose home equity had disappeared began rethinking plans to send their kids to private schools.
Students who did apply to private institutions, or who hoped to return, asked for financial aid in greater numbers and requested larger amounts. With resources tight for both parents and colleges, says Barmak Nassirian, of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, “it was a very scary time all around.”
But here’s the surprise: In many cases, students who applied to college for the 2009-10 academic year actually received more financial help than the previous year’s applicants. Independent colleges boosted financial aid by 9% while keeping tuition increases -- an average of 4.3% -- to their lowest levels in four decades (increasing the average cost of a year at a private school to about $35,600). Some schools, worried about competition from public schools, accepted more applicants. And many vigorously pruned expenses. Result? Families found that private college was still affordable, and enrollments generally held steady. Says David Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities: “What we’re seeing is a well-weathered storm.”
To find schools that have weathered the storm especially well, look to Kiplinger’s 100 best values in private colleges and universities for 2009-10. These institutions, led by Pomona College among liberal-arts colleges and the California Institute of Technology among universities, provide a top-quality education at an affordable price -- usually because of generous financial aid.
Think you earn too much to qualify for financial aid? You might be pleasantly surprised. In recent years, most top-tier colleges and universities have extended financial aid almost exclusively to students with need. A few of the top 20 institutions in our rankings, however, bestow merit money to a significant percentage of students. Davidson (read more about it), Whitman and Grinnell on the liberal-arts side, and Rice, Stanford, Emory, Vanderbilt and the University of Richmond on the list of universities, offer scholarships to at least 20% of their undergraduates. Grinnell awards aid to an impressive 61%.
Delivering real value
Kiplinger’s definition of value starts with academic quality. Each year, we choose schools that are competitive enough to attract bright students and strong enough to keep them. Unlike other rankings, our rankings use numeric, not subjective, measures to determine quality. (For more on how we crunch the numbers, see How We Rank the Schools.)
True to our personal-finance focus, we also look at costs, including the price of attending the institution and its generosity when it comes to financial aid. Strange as it may seem to call a school that charges, say, $50,000 a year a good value, many of our top-ranked institutions give enough aid -- often in the form of grants -- to bring the average price to as little as half or less of the sticker price. Because liberal-arts colleges concentrate on undergraduates and universities extend their mission to graduate students, we separate our top 100 into two lists, but we apply the same academic and financial criteria to both categories.
This year’s top 100 private colleges and universities met the challenges of a slumping economy with brio, delivering quality, generous financial aid and, in a few cases, sticker prices that are almost as low as out-of-state tuition at some public institutions. Caltech, in Pasadena, which heads the list of private universities for the fourth time running, and Pomona, in Claremont, Cal., which leads the liberal-arts list for the second consecutive year, may be the past and current crown jewels, but gems appear throughout our rankings.
On the liberal-arts side, Swarthmore, outside of Philadelphia, edges out Williams, in Williamstown, Mass., for the number-two spot, in part because of the significant merit aid it awards to a few students. Both schools attract outstanding students and offer enough need-based aid to make them affordable to families with limited resources.
Princeton, Harvard and Yale, on the universities side, also offer ample need-based aid and have stretched the definition of need to include families with higher incomes. At Yale, where total costs run $48,450 per year, families pay an average of 10% of their income.
Some schools in our rankings simply offer a good education at a good price. Wheaton, Wofford, College of St. Benedict, Hillsdale, Knox and Thomas Aquinas, on the liberal-arts list, manage to keep total costs below $40,000. On the universities side, Elon, Creighton, Whitworth, Bradley, the University of Tulsa and Gonzaga also have sticker prices under $40,000. College of St. Benedict, in St. Joseph, Minn., and Bradley University, in Peoria, Ill., are both new to the top 100.
Cutting costs, not quality
Like many schools, Pomona has coped with reduced endowment revenue (down 22% from June 2008 to June 2009) and greater financial need by cutting expenses on everything except academics. The college froze salaries across the board, offered voluntary retirement packages to nonacademic employees and cut back on nonessentials, such as catering for administration events. As a member of the five-college Claremont consortium, Pomona is able to save money by sharing resources, including professors, across campuses.
Despite all these cutbacks, Pomona provides its students with a top-quality education in a setting that snowbound Ivy Leaguers can only dream of. This small school, with some 1,500 students, faces the stunning San Gabriel Mountains and basks in the Southern California sun. Almost all of its freshmen return for sophomore year, a sure sign of happy campers, and 90% of its seniors graduate on time, sparing their parents the expense of a fifth year. As for financial aid, if you need it, you get it. The average financial-aid package brings the $50,568 sticker price down to a modest $16,454.
About 25 miles west of Pomona College, students at Caltech enjoy an equally sun-saturated setting, along with the ultimate in academic nurturing: a student-faculty ratio of three to one, the lowest ratio on either list. Here, 100% of incoming freshmen score more than 700 on the math section of the SAT. Thanks to small classes and a compact campus, these left-brainers have plenty of opportunity to soak up each other’s smarts as well as the wisdom of an elite faculty that includes five Nobel-prize winners.
But it doesn’t take a math whiz to figure out that Caltech provides a great deal as well as great academics. It charges a relatively low sticker price of $46,629, and it knocks more than half off, on average, for students who qualify for need-based aid. It also offers merit scholarships, although those awards are being phased out, says Caltech president Jean-Lou Chameau. Students graduate with an average debt of $9,871, the second-lowest on our universities list. (Princeton leads in that category: Its students walk away with an average debt of less than $6,000.)
Caltech’s endowment did not emerge from the recession unscathed, but the hit could have been worse: It lost about 20% over the 12 months that ended in September, compared with Harvard’s 27.3% haircut and Yale’s 24.6% drop (as of June 30). The school responded to the downturn by cutting administrative costs and postponing long-term projects, but it continued to hire faculty and maintain financial aid. Last spring, applicants enthusiastically responded to Caltech’s efforts, accepting admission in record numbers. Chameau says the school has no problem squeezing in a few more students. “We will accommodate them, and they will be happy here.”
A mixed outlook
How will next year’s college applicants fare? Prospects are mixed. Tuition increases should remain in the 4.3% range, says Warren, making the average annual total cost of a private-college education a little more than $37,000 in 2010Ð11. That’s a smaller bump than the 6% increase of recent years. But the amount itself is hardly peanuts, especially compared with the $14,500 average total cost at a public school. Many private colleges already charge more than $50,000 per year.
Meanwhile, colleges that had recently expanded their financial aid, including replacing loans with grants, must now do so with vastly diminished endowments -- the well from which much of the aid is drawn. So far, top-tier schools have stood by their commitment. But some schools are quietly adjusting their admissions policies to weed out more-needy students, says David Oxtoby, president of Pomona. He hopes to continue Pomona’s no-loan policy, introduced in 2007, but won’t guarantee it. “We can’t commit to never pulling back.”
Our top 100 schools deliver an affordable, high-quality education and keep the financial aid flowing.
By Jane Bennett Clark, Senior Associate Editor
From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, December 2009
A year ago, private colleges were struggling to navigate rough economic waters. Then they headed into the hurricane. Endowments plunged along with the stock market. Families whose savings had sunk or whose home equity had disappeared began rethinking plans to send their kids to private schools.
Students who did apply to private institutions, or who hoped to return, asked for financial aid in greater numbers and requested larger amounts. With resources tight for both parents and colleges, says Barmak Nassirian, of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, “it was a very scary time all around.”
But here’s the surprise: In many cases, students who applied to college for the 2009-10 academic year actually received more financial help than the previous year’s applicants. Independent colleges boosted financial aid by 9% while keeping tuition increases -- an average of 4.3% -- to their lowest levels in four decades (increasing the average cost of a year at a private school to about $35,600). Some schools, worried about competition from public schools, accepted more applicants. And many vigorously pruned expenses. Result? Families found that private college was still affordable, and enrollments generally held steady. Says David Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities: “What we’re seeing is a well-weathered storm.”
To find schools that have weathered the storm especially well, look to Kiplinger’s 100 best values in private colleges and universities for 2009-10. These institutions, led by Pomona College among liberal-arts colleges and the California Institute of Technology among universities, provide a top-quality education at an affordable price -- usually because of generous financial aid.
Think you earn too much to qualify for financial aid? You might be pleasantly surprised. In recent years, most top-tier colleges and universities have extended financial aid almost exclusively to students with need. A few of the top 20 institutions in our rankings, however, bestow merit money to a significant percentage of students. Davidson (read more about it), Whitman and Grinnell on the liberal-arts side, and Rice, Stanford, Emory, Vanderbilt and the University of Richmond on the list of universities, offer scholarships to at least 20% of their undergraduates. Grinnell awards aid to an impressive 61%.
Delivering real value
Kiplinger’s definition of value starts with academic quality. Each year, we choose schools that are competitive enough to attract bright students and strong enough to keep them. Unlike other rankings, our rankings use numeric, not subjective, measures to determine quality. (For more on how we crunch the numbers, see How We Rank the Schools.)
True to our personal-finance focus, we also look at costs, including the price of attending the institution and its generosity when it comes to financial aid. Strange as it may seem to call a school that charges, say, $50,000 a year a good value, many of our top-ranked institutions give enough aid -- often in the form of grants -- to bring the average price to as little as half or less of the sticker price. Because liberal-arts colleges concentrate on undergraduates and universities extend their mission to graduate students, we separate our top 100 into two lists, but we apply the same academic and financial criteria to both categories.
This year’s top 100 private colleges and universities met the challenges of a slumping economy with brio, delivering quality, generous financial aid and, in a few cases, sticker prices that are almost as low as out-of-state tuition at some public institutions. Caltech, in Pasadena, which heads the list of private universities for the fourth time running, and Pomona, in Claremont, Cal., which leads the liberal-arts list for the second consecutive year, may be the past and current crown jewels, but gems appear throughout our rankings.
On the liberal-arts side, Swarthmore, outside of Philadelphia, edges out Williams, in Williamstown, Mass., for the number-two spot, in part because of the significant merit aid it awards to a few students. Both schools attract outstanding students and offer enough need-based aid to make them affordable to families with limited resources.
Princeton, Harvard and Yale, on the universities side, also offer ample need-based aid and have stretched the definition of need to include families with higher incomes. At Yale, where total costs run $48,450 per year, families pay an average of 10% of their income.
Some schools in our rankings simply offer a good education at a good price. Wheaton, Wofford, College of St. Benedict, Hillsdale, Knox and Thomas Aquinas, on the liberal-arts list, manage to keep total costs below $40,000. On the universities side, Elon, Creighton, Whitworth, Bradley, the University of Tulsa and Gonzaga also have sticker prices under $40,000. College of St. Benedict, in St. Joseph, Minn., and Bradley University, in Peoria, Ill., are both new to the top 100.
Cutting costs, not quality
Like many schools, Pomona has coped with reduced endowment revenue (down 22% from June 2008 to June 2009) and greater financial need by cutting expenses on everything except academics. The college froze salaries across the board, offered voluntary retirement packages to nonacademic employees and cut back on nonessentials, such as catering for administration events. As a member of the five-college Claremont consortium, Pomona is able to save money by sharing resources, including professors, across campuses.
Despite all these cutbacks, Pomona provides its students with a top-quality education in a setting that snowbound Ivy Leaguers can only dream of. This small school, with some 1,500 students, faces the stunning San Gabriel Mountains and basks in the Southern California sun. Almost all of its freshmen return for sophomore year, a sure sign of happy campers, and 90% of its seniors graduate on time, sparing their parents the expense of a fifth year. As for financial aid, if you need it, you get it. The average financial-aid package brings the $50,568 sticker price down to a modest $16,454.
About 25 miles west of Pomona College, students at Caltech enjoy an equally sun-saturated setting, along with the ultimate in academic nurturing: a student-faculty ratio of three to one, the lowest ratio on either list. Here, 100% of incoming freshmen score more than 700 on the math section of the SAT. Thanks to small classes and a compact campus, these left-brainers have plenty of opportunity to soak up each other’s smarts as well as the wisdom of an elite faculty that includes five Nobel-prize winners.
But it doesn’t take a math whiz to figure out that Caltech provides a great deal as well as great academics. It charges a relatively low sticker price of $46,629, and it knocks more than half off, on average, for students who qualify for need-based aid. It also offers merit scholarships, although those awards are being phased out, says Caltech president Jean-Lou Chameau. Students graduate with an average debt of $9,871, the second-lowest on our universities list. (Princeton leads in that category: Its students walk away with an average debt of less than $6,000.)
Caltech’s endowment did not emerge from the recession unscathed, but the hit could have been worse: It lost about 20% over the 12 months that ended in September, compared with Harvard’s 27.3% haircut and Yale’s 24.6% drop (as of June 30). The school responded to the downturn by cutting administrative costs and postponing long-term projects, but it continued to hire faculty and maintain financial aid. Last spring, applicants enthusiastically responded to Caltech’s efforts, accepting admission in record numbers. Chameau says the school has no problem squeezing in a few more students. “We will accommodate them, and they will be happy here.”
A mixed outlook
How will next year’s college applicants fare? Prospects are mixed. Tuition increases should remain in the 4.3% range, says Warren, making the average annual total cost of a private-college education a little more than $37,000 in 2010Ð11. That’s a smaller bump than the 6% increase of recent years. But the amount itself is hardly peanuts, especially compared with the $14,500 average total cost at a public school. Many private colleges already charge more than $50,000 per year.
Meanwhile, colleges that had recently expanded their financial aid, including replacing loans with grants, must now do so with vastly diminished endowments -- the well from which much of the aid is drawn. So far, top-tier schools have stood by their commitment. But some schools are quietly adjusting their admissions policies to weed out more-needy students, says David Oxtoby, president of Pomona. He hopes to continue Pomona’s no-loan policy, introduced in 2007, but won’t guarantee it. “We can’t commit to never pulling back.”
Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10
Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10
Jane Bennett Clark
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Despite widespread budget cuts, these schools still deliver strong academics at affordable prices.
The economy may be recovering, but the effects of the recession continue to buffet the nation's public colleges and universities. State governments, coping with shrunken tax revenues and an overwhelming demand for services, have cut funding for higher education. Universities that once relied on the income from fat endowments have yet to recoup multimillion-dollar losses to their portfolios. Families continue to apply for financial aid in record numbers. Meanwhile, enrollment at state institutions has spiked as more students go public and more people overall seek college degrees.
The schools in our top 100 best values in public colleges and universities -- led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for overall value and by Binghamton University (SUNY) for out-of-state value -- continue to deliver strong academics at reasonable prices, in many cases by offering the same or more financial aid as in previous years. But no one can say that it has been easy.
To cope with less money and more students, public institutions, including many in our rankings, have slashed operating costs and raised tuition beyond the average increase of about five percentage points over inflation in recent years. The University of California system, caught in the downdraft of a state budget meltdown, imposed a midyear tuition hike of 15 percent, to be followed by another 15 percent increase in the summer, precipitating statewide protests. (Our rankings reflect tuition and fees, including midyear increases, as of December 1, 2009.)
With neither state nor college budgets able to turn on a dime, the immediate future for public higher education looks "difficult, challenging and messy," says Daniel Hurley, of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Your student could end up in bigger classes with more part-time instructors -- or worse yet, get shut out of a public college altogether as states limit enrollment to control costs.
In the best-case scenario, however, colleges will find more and better ways to preserve quality and eliminate fat, perhaps ultimately reducing the size or frequency of tuition increases. Some universities, including UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Maryland at College Park (number 8 in our rankings), are already doing just that. "There's no reason we can't conduct nonacademic functions as efficiently as possible," says UNC chancellor Holden Thorp.
Last year, Thorp hired consultants Bain & Co. to help streamline operations, enabling the university to pare 10 percent in administrative expenses in anticipation of a state reduction in funding. "We insisted that the cuts be as far away from the classroom as we could get them," says Thorp. In Maryland, the university system struck a bargain with state leaders in which school administrators pledged to cut costs in exchange for a steady flow of state funding. Result? In-state students enjoyed a tuition freeze for four consecutive years.
Weighing Quality and Cost
Our definition of value begins with academics: No school is a bargain if it skimps on quality. All of the schools in our rankings perform well on measurable criteria, such as student-faculty ratios, academic competitiveness and on-time graduation rates.
The schools on our list also deliver an affordable education, our other measure of value, by keeping the sticker price low, offering plenty of financial aid or both. Of the colleges in our rankings, 39 charge about the same or less than the average annual in-state sticker price ($15,213) for four-year public institutions, and many come in well below that amount. Those prices look especially attractive compared with the average cost of a private-school education, which this year hit an average total of $35,636, according to the College Board.
You can also find bargains in our rankings for out-of-state students, who typically pay at least twice the price to attend someone else's home-state school. For example, Binghamton charges $26,075 a year to students who are not New York residents -- only one-third more than the in-state price. The school's large number of international students and its dual-degree programs with universities in Mexico, Russia and Turkey give the term out of state new meaning; but Binghamton's strong academics and affordable price attract interest from students across the U.S. as well. Says President Lois DeFleur, "With so many applications, we've become more selective. We're taking the best."
As for financial aid, the colleges on our list have managed to dig deep and dole out sufficient money to keep students coming. At UNC-Chapel Hill, an academic superstar that competes with the Ivies, the annual in-state cost for students with financial need comes to a dirt-cheap $5,912. The University of Virginia, another public Ivy (and number 3 on our list), and the New College of Florida (number 12), a tiny public honors school, charge students with need an average of less than $5,000.
Unlike many top-tier private universities, some of the high-ranked institutions on our list also offer non-need-based aid to encourage top achievers to enroll in-state. "One of our responsibilities as a land-grant institution is to keep the best and the brightest," says Sarah Bauder, director of the office of student financial aid at the University of Maryland. UNC-Chapel Hill, which offers need-based and merit aid to both residents and nonresidents, uses 25 percent of the revenue from logo-bearing T-shirts and sports memorabilia to stoke its merit-scholarship fund. Tar Heel fans keep the money rolling in, says Shirley Ort, associate provost and director of scholarships and student aid. "Luckily for us, we won a basketball championship in 2009."
UNC -- Still the One
Chapel Hill, a consistent winner of Kiplinger's top honors, maintains its lofty spot in our tables in part for its ability to attract and keep highflying students. Three-fourths or more of its incoming freshmen scored higher than 600 on both the verbal and math portions of their SATs, and almost all -- 96.5 percent -- stay on after freshman year. This year, Chapel Hill fielded more than 23,000 applications and admitted about 7,400, giving it a competitive 32 percent admission rate. Almost 20 percent of the admitted students were the first in their families to attend college.
Besides boasting top students, an outstanding faculty and a historic campus, Chapel Hill enjoys one big advantage over many other public schools: strong state support for financial aid. "Our aid money from the state has grown significantly over the past few years," says Ort. Although funding was trimmed a bit in the current academic year, she says, "we were still in an improved spot over the previous year." That support has enabled UNC to protect its financial-aid budget and to maintain its policy of minimizing or eliminating loans from the financial-aid packages for families with need.
Still, financial-aid applications at Chapel Hill jumped 17 percent this year over last year's number, which rose 13 percent over the previous year. Despite the demand, UNC plans to meet the need of every student who walks through its doors, says Thorp. "We're not going to back away from our traditions in financial aid."
Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Undergraduate Enrollment: 17,895
SAT: 75 percent scored 600 or higher on verbal/math; ACT: 82 percent scored 24 or higher
Student/Faculty Ratio: 14
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 75 percent/88 percent
Total In-State Cost: $15,296
Total Out-of-State Cost: $33,184
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,936
Chapel Hill, a consistent winner of Kiplinger's top honors, maintains its lofty spot in part for its ability to attract and keep highflying students. This year, it fielded more than 23,000 applications and admitted about 7,400, giving it a competitive 32 percent admission rate.
2. University of Florida
Undergraduate Enrollment: 34,654
SAT: 65 percent; ACT: 73 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 20
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 54 percent/81 percent
Total In-State Cost: $12,863
Total Out-of-State Cost: $32,234
Average Debt at Graduation: $15,318
Low annual in-state costs and diverse academic programs are just a few reasons why this school ranks in the top of our list. On campus, students can find cutting-edge research facilities, ten libraries and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (pictured right), home of the Florida Gators.
3. University of Virginia
Undergraduate Enrollment: 15,208
SAT: 78 percent; ACT: 83 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 15
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 85 percent/93 percent
Total In-State Cost: $19,312
Total Out-of-State Cost: $41,312
Average Debt at Graduation: $19,016
Considered a public Ivy League school, the University of Virginia doesn't come with a top-tier price tag for in-state students with financial need. It charges them, on average, less than $5,000.
4. College of William and Mary (Va.)
Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,850
SAT: 84 percent; ACT: 83 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 11
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 84 percent/92 percent
Total In-State Cost: $20,566
Total Out-of-State Cost: $40,358
Average Debt at Graduation: $12,859
This public school, which is the second oldest college in the U.S., looks and feels like an elite Ivy League institution. It has one of the lowest student-faculty ratios on our list and one the highest percentages of students who scored 600 or higher on the verbal and math SATs.
5. Binghamton University (SUNY)
Undergraduate Enrollment: 11,821
SAT: 66 percent; ACT: 83 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 20
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 69 percent/80 percent
Total In-State Cost: $18,175
Total Out-of-State Cost: $26,075
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,541
Binghamton charges $26,075 a year to students who are not New York residents -- only one-third more than the in-state price. The school's large number of international students and its dual-degree programs with universities in Mexico, Russia and Turkey give the term out of state new meaning; but Binghamton's strong academics and affordable price attract interest from students across the U.S. as well.
6. University of Georgia
Undergraduate Enrollment: 25,467
SAT: 58 percent; ACT: 62 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 18
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 51 percent/80 percent
Total In-State Cost: $16,636
Total Out-of-State Cost: $34,846
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,343
Most in-state students qualify for the merit-based HOPE scholarship, which covers tuition and mandatory fees -- making the school a great value for Georgia residents. University of Georgia is the nation's first state-chartered university, and recently it opened the world's first stand-alone academic school devoted specifically to the study of ecology. It also is home to Georgia's State Botanical Garden, State Museum of Art and State Museum of Natural History.
7. University of Washington
Undergraduate Enrollment: 29,397
SAT: 48 percent; ACT: 63 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 11
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 51 percent/77 percent
Total In-State Cost: $17,676
Total Out-of-State Cost: $34,351
Average Debt at Graduation: $16,800
One of the oldest public universities on the West Coast, this top research institution draws strong students from around the world to its Seattle-based campus, where the 11 to 1 student-faculty ratio gives them plenty of access to professors who include Nobel Prize winners and MacArthur Foundation award recipients.
8. University of Maryland, College Park
Undergraduate Enrollment: 26,431
SAT: 66 percent; ACT: 76 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 18
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 63 percent/82 percent
Total In-State Cost: $18,455
Total Out-of-State Cost: $34,392
Average Debt at Graduation: $20,091
University of Maryland, known for its engineering, journalism and computer-science programs, has risen to our top ten by keeping in-state costs virtually unchanged while improving on quality, especially in its graduation rates. Maryland also provides need-based financial aid to 50 percent of its students.
9. SUNY Geneseo
Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,451
SAT: 80 percent; ACT: 87 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 19
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 58 percent/78 percent
Total In-State Cost: $17,176
Total Out-of-State Cost: $25,076
Average Debt at Graduation: $18,700
Like the other State University of New York school on our list (Binghamton), SUNY Geneseo is a bargain for out-of-state students. Out-of-state costs are about $7,000 higher than in-state costs. Many public schools charge non-residents double the amount residents pay.
10. North Carolina State University
Undergraduate Enrollment: 24,741
SAT: 36 percent; ACT: 56 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 16
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 37 percent/70 percent
Total In-State Cost: $14,390
Total Out-of-State Cost: $26,875
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,996
This large university comprises ten colleges in disciplines including textiles, design, agriculture and veterinary medicine. At $14,390, its annual in-state costs are below the average ($15,213) for four-year public institutions and second-lowest in our top ten, after the University of Florida. NC State's relatively low out-of-state sticker price, $26,875, makes it number 9 for out-of-state value.
Click here to see the full list of Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10
Jane Bennett Clark
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Despite widespread budget cuts, these schools still deliver strong academics at affordable prices.
The economy may be recovering, but the effects of the recession continue to buffet the nation's public colleges and universities. State governments, coping with shrunken tax revenues and an overwhelming demand for services, have cut funding for higher education. Universities that once relied on the income from fat endowments have yet to recoup multimillion-dollar losses to their portfolios. Families continue to apply for financial aid in record numbers. Meanwhile, enrollment at state institutions has spiked as more students go public and more people overall seek college degrees.
The schools in our top 100 best values in public colleges and universities -- led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for overall value and by Binghamton University (SUNY) for out-of-state value -- continue to deliver strong academics at reasonable prices, in many cases by offering the same or more financial aid as in previous years. But no one can say that it has been easy.
To cope with less money and more students, public institutions, including many in our rankings, have slashed operating costs and raised tuition beyond the average increase of about five percentage points over inflation in recent years. The University of California system, caught in the downdraft of a state budget meltdown, imposed a midyear tuition hike of 15 percent, to be followed by another 15 percent increase in the summer, precipitating statewide protests. (Our rankings reflect tuition and fees, including midyear increases, as of December 1, 2009.)
With neither state nor college budgets able to turn on a dime, the immediate future for public higher education looks "difficult, challenging and messy," says Daniel Hurley, of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Your student could end up in bigger classes with more part-time instructors -- or worse yet, get shut out of a public college altogether as states limit enrollment to control costs.
In the best-case scenario, however, colleges will find more and better ways to preserve quality and eliminate fat, perhaps ultimately reducing the size or frequency of tuition increases. Some universities, including UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Maryland at College Park (number 8 in our rankings), are already doing just that. "There's no reason we can't conduct nonacademic functions as efficiently as possible," says UNC chancellor Holden Thorp.
Last year, Thorp hired consultants Bain & Co. to help streamline operations, enabling the university to pare 10 percent in administrative expenses in anticipation of a state reduction in funding. "We insisted that the cuts be as far away from the classroom as we could get them," says Thorp. In Maryland, the university system struck a bargain with state leaders in which school administrators pledged to cut costs in exchange for a steady flow of state funding. Result? In-state students enjoyed a tuition freeze for four consecutive years.
Weighing Quality and Cost
Our definition of value begins with academics: No school is a bargain if it skimps on quality. All of the schools in our rankings perform well on measurable criteria, such as student-faculty ratios, academic competitiveness and on-time graduation rates.
The schools on our list also deliver an affordable education, our other measure of value, by keeping the sticker price low, offering plenty of financial aid or both. Of the colleges in our rankings, 39 charge about the same or less than the average annual in-state sticker price ($15,213) for four-year public institutions, and many come in well below that amount. Those prices look especially attractive compared with the average cost of a private-school education, which this year hit an average total of $35,636, according to the College Board.
You can also find bargains in our rankings for out-of-state students, who typically pay at least twice the price to attend someone else's home-state school. For example, Binghamton charges $26,075 a year to students who are not New York residents -- only one-third more than the in-state price. The school's large number of international students and its dual-degree programs with universities in Mexico, Russia and Turkey give the term out of state new meaning; but Binghamton's strong academics and affordable price attract interest from students across the U.S. as well. Says President Lois DeFleur, "With so many applications, we've become more selective. We're taking the best."
As for financial aid, the colleges on our list have managed to dig deep and dole out sufficient money to keep students coming. At UNC-Chapel Hill, an academic superstar that competes with the Ivies, the annual in-state cost for students with financial need comes to a dirt-cheap $5,912. The University of Virginia, another public Ivy (and number 3 on our list), and the New College of Florida (number 12), a tiny public honors school, charge students with need an average of less than $5,000.
Unlike many top-tier private universities, some of the high-ranked institutions on our list also offer non-need-based aid to encourage top achievers to enroll in-state. "One of our responsibilities as a land-grant institution is to keep the best and the brightest," says Sarah Bauder, director of the office of student financial aid at the University of Maryland. UNC-Chapel Hill, which offers need-based and merit aid to both residents and nonresidents, uses 25 percent of the revenue from logo-bearing T-shirts and sports memorabilia to stoke its merit-scholarship fund. Tar Heel fans keep the money rolling in, says Shirley Ort, associate provost and director of scholarships and student aid. "Luckily for us, we won a basketball championship in 2009."
UNC -- Still the One
Chapel Hill, a consistent winner of Kiplinger's top honors, maintains its lofty spot in our tables in part for its ability to attract and keep highflying students. Three-fourths or more of its incoming freshmen scored higher than 600 on both the verbal and math portions of their SATs, and almost all -- 96.5 percent -- stay on after freshman year. This year, Chapel Hill fielded more than 23,000 applications and admitted about 7,400, giving it a competitive 32 percent admission rate. Almost 20 percent of the admitted students were the first in their families to attend college.
Besides boasting top students, an outstanding faculty and a historic campus, Chapel Hill enjoys one big advantage over many other public schools: strong state support for financial aid. "Our aid money from the state has grown significantly over the past few years," says Ort. Although funding was trimmed a bit in the current academic year, she says, "we were still in an improved spot over the previous year." That support has enabled UNC to protect its financial-aid budget and to maintain its policy of minimizing or eliminating loans from the financial-aid packages for families with need.
Still, financial-aid applications at Chapel Hill jumped 17 percent this year over last year's number, which rose 13 percent over the previous year. Despite the demand, UNC plans to meet the need of every student who walks through its doors, says Thorp. "We're not going to back away from our traditions in financial aid."
Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Undergraduate Enrollment: 17,895
SAT: 75 percent scored 600 or higher on verbal/math; ACT: 82 percent scored 24 or higher
Student/Faculty Ratio: 14
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 75 percent/88 percent
Total In-State Cost: $15,296
Total Out-of-State Cost: $33,184
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,936
Chapel Hill, a consistent winner of Kiplinger's top honors, maintains its lofty spot in part for its ability to attract and keep highflying students. This year, it fielded more than 23,000 applications and admitted about 7,400, giving it a competitive 32 percent admission rate.
2. University of Florida
Undergraduate Enrollment: 34,654
SAT: 65 percent; ACT: 73 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 20
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 54 percent/81 percent
Total In-State Cost: $12,863
Total Out-of-State Cost: $32,234
Average Debt at Graduation: $15,318
Low annual in-state costs and diverse academic programs are just a few reasons why this school ranks in the top of our list. On campus, students can find cutting-edge research facilities, ten libraries and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (pictured right), home of the Florida Gators.
3. University of Virginia
Undergraduate Enrollment: 15,208
SAT: 78 percent; ACT: 83 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 15
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 85 percent/93 percent
Total In-State Cost: $19,312
Total Out-of-State Cost: $41,312
Average Debt at Graduation: $19,016
Considered a public Ivy League school, the University of Virginia doesn't come with a top-tier price tag for in-state students with financial need. It charges them, on average, less than $5,000.
4. College of William and Mary (Va.)
Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,850
SAT: 84 percent; ACT: 83 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 11
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 84 percent/92 percent
Total In-State Cost: $20,566
Total Out-of-State Cost: $40,358
Average Debt at Graduation: $12,859
This public school, which is the second oldest college in the U.S., looks and feels like an elite Ivy League institution. It has one of the lowest student-faculty ratios on our list and one the highest percentages of students who scored 600 or higher on the verbal and math SATs.
5. Binghamton University (SUNY)
Undergraduate Enrollment: 11,821
SAT: 66 percent; ACT: 83 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 20
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 69 percent/80 percent
Total In-State Cost: $18,175
Total Out-of-State Cost: $26,075
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,541
Binghamton charges $26,075 a year to students who are not New York residents -- only one-third more than the in-state price. The school's large number of international students and its dual-degree programs with universities in Mexico, Russia and Turkey give the term out of state new meaning; but Binghamton's strong academics and affordable price attract interest from students across the U.S. as well.
6. University of Georgia
Undergraduate Enrollment: 25,467
SAT: 58 percent; ACT: 62 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 18
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 51 percent/80 percent
Total In-State Cost: $16,636
Total Out-of-State Cost: $34,846
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,343
Most in-state students qualify for the merit-based HOPE scholarship, which covers tuition and mandatory fees -- making the school a great value for Georgia residents. University of Georgia is the nation's first state-chartered university, and recently it opened the world's first stand-alone academic school devoted specifically to the study of ecology. It also is home to Georgia's State Botanical Garden, State Museum of Art and State Museum of Natural History.
7. University of Washington
Undergraduate Enrollment: 29,397
SAT: 48 percent; ACT: 63 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 11
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 51 percent/77 percent
Total In-State Cost: $17,676
Total Out-of-State Cost: $34,351
Average Debt at Graduation: $16,800
One of the oldest public universities on the West Coast, this top research institution draws strong students from around the world to its Seattle-based campus, where the 11 to 1 student-faculty ratio gives them plenty of access to professors who include Nobel Prize winners and MacArthur Foundation award recipients.
8. University of Maryland, College Park
Undergraduate Enrollment: 26,431
SAT: 66 percent; ACT: 76 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 18
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 63 percent/82 percent
Total In-State Cost: $18,455
Total Out-of-State Cost: $34,392
Average Debt at Graduation: $20,091
University of Maryland, known for its engineering, journalism and computer-science programs, has risen to our top ten by keeping in-state costs virtually unchanged while improving on quality, especially in its graduation rates. Maryland also provides need-based financial aid to 50 percent of its students.
9. SUNY Geneseo
Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,451
SAT: 80 percent; ACT: 87 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 19
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 58 percent/78 percent
Total In-State Cost: $17,176
Total Out-of-State Cost: $25,076
Average Debt at Graduation: $18,700
Like the other State University of New York school on our list (Binghamton), SUNY Geneseo is a bargain for out-of-state students. Out-of-state costs are about $7,000 higher than in-state costs. Many public schools charge non-residents double the amount residents pay.
10. North Carolina State University
Undergraduate Enrollment: 24,741
SAT: 36 percent; ACT: 56 percent
Student/Faculty Ratio: 16
Graduation Rate 4-yr./6-yr.: 37 percent/70 percent
Total In-State Cost: $14,390
Total Out-of-State Cost: $26,875
Average Debt at Graduation: $14,996
This large university comprises ten colleges in disciplines including textiles, design, agriculture and veterinary medicine. At $14,390, its annual in-state costs are below the average ($15,213) for four-year public institutions and second-lowest in our top ten, after the University of Florida. NC State's relatively low out-of-state sticker price, $26,875, makes it number 9 for out-of-state value.
Click here to see the full list of Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10
Please trust me
Saturday December 12, 2009
Please trust me
Science of Building Leaders by ROSHAN THIRAN
Effective leaders build trust across their organisations.
A FEW months ago, Audrey, our youth camp leader, was faced with a dilemma. A campsite vendor had under-charged her for a recent camp. At the same time, she was under tremendous pressure to make ends meet for the camp.
What did she do? She informed the vendor of the mistake. The vendor was pleasantly surprised and soon a strong bond of trust developed. I was extremely proud of Audrey’s action as she’s a great role model for our kids. With this small act, trust was enabled, resulting in lower prices and flexible arrangements at future camps.
Trust relationships are vital to the success of business. Trust is under-rated in most businesses and taken for granted by many. We follow leaders because we trust them and believe they will take us to greater heights. When we interview, we tend to hire people we trust. We use products only if we trust it. And the best companies in the world use trust to grow their businesses. Rock band Radiohead released its last album online, trusting fans to decide the price for the album, and generated more revenue than all its previous releases.
Research by the Institute of Business Ethics found that companies displaying a “clear commitment to ethical conduct” almost invariably outperformed companies that did not display integrity and trust. Its director, Philippa Black, concludes that trust and integrity has been proven to pay off in financial returns for companies.
Trust is essential to building enduring connections with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities in which we do business.
A recent study showed that trust is significantly related to sales, profits, and turnover and is a source of competitive advantage. The study also concluded that “the ability of a general manager to earn higher trust from his or her employees likely creates a competitive advantage for a firm over its rivals”.
We see numerous examples of how trust drives productivity. Years ago, Ford, who had more than 500 employees working in their accounts payable department decided to benchmark against Mazda, another car manufacturer.
To their surprise, Ford found that Mazda had only five employees in payables. Yes, you read that right – FIVE. Ford had 500 vs Mazda’s five. How did Mazda do it? The answer – you guessed it – is TRUST!
In Ford, the account payables folks had to match the purchase order, receiving reports and supplier invoices. If there was a mismatch, there was significant rework. In Mazda, there was no paperwork at all. Mazda trusted its suppliers and did not bother processing invoices. When goods arrived from suppliers, Mazda built their cars. Once a car was built, they automatically transferred funds to the suppliers. Mazda had no invoicing or processing, but paid with trust, saving significant costs.
Trust is a key element in business, as it is in relationships and politics. In fact, trust actually lowers the risk of malpractice among US doctors. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Blink, uncovers that “the risk of being sued for malpractice has very little to do with how many mistakes a doctor makes. Analyses of malpractice lawsuits show that there are highly skilled doctors who get sued a lot and doctors who make lots of mistakes and never get sued.”
Apparently, people only sue doctors they don’t like or trust. They don’t sue doctors with errors whom they trust or like. In fact, in some hospitals today, doctors are encouraged to apologise when they make mistakes, trusting patients to forgive them. And statistics have shown that in such hospitals, malpractice suits have dwindled.
On the flip side, lack of trust destroys entire industries as the world’s recent financial markets collapse attest. Credit stopped flowing due to trust issues. Big banks refused to lend to each other because they didn’t trust each other’s ability to repay.
Trust is like a vase; once it is broken, even if you fix it, the vase will never be the same again.
So, even if you have the best products in the world, if you lose trust in your service or product, you will soon not have a business. Numerous companies try to create trust by PR stunts and building corporate social responsibility arms, but fail to understand that trust is not an event-based action. It takes years to build up trust, and seconds to destroy it.
If trust is so important, what precisely is trust? How can it be achieved and sustained?
According to Dr Duane Tway, “We all think we know what trust is from our own experience, but we don’t know much about how to improve it. Why? I believe it is because we have been taught to look at trust as if it were a single entity.”
Dr Tway is right. Trust is not a single act. Aristotle, the great philosopher best described trust in his Rhetoric. He suggested that trust, which he called Ethos (the trust of a speaker to a listener), had three parts. First was the intelligence of the speaker (correctness of opinions, or competence), secondly the character of the speaker (reliability, integrity), and finally, the goodwill of the speaker (favourable intentions towards the listener).
In layman’s term, leaders and managers today need to build trust by the integrity of their competence, the integrity of their character and finally their sincerity towards their employees.
In other words, a leader cannot fake town halls meetings and occasional roundtables with employees and expect them to trust his or her leadership. Trust has to be earned. Having a title doesn’t guarantee you the trust of your subordinates. Trust is built on a daily basis. It is the employees’ perceptions of your ability, honesty, and sincerity.
But how do we begin this process of building trust? I personally believe the best way to build trust is to extend it to others. I know a Ramly burger stall owner who decided to allow his customers take their own change from coins he left out on the counter. He was able to serve them faster, but more importantly, his customers hardly cheated him because they felt honoured to be trusted by him. Trust begets trust.
Netflix, the world’s top DVD rental company, trusts its employees to take whatever vacation they feel they need. Many companies trust their employees to have “flexi” working hours, and research has shown that in most cases these employees work longer hours than those that do not adopt “flexi” hours.
Finally, trust begins when a leader role models the qualities of trust and filters it down throughout the company. This drives others to follow suit and soon a culture of trust emanates across the entire organisation. Trust is a powerful tool as it forms the foundation for effective communication, employee retention, motivation, and contribution of discretionary energy – the extra effort that people voluntarily invest in work.
Yes, you can still get things done without trust when you are the boss by ordering people to do things. But you run the risk of getting the salute and not the heart, gaining compliance and not the commitment. Trust has to be earned. And when you get it, the rewards that come from it, makes you a leader on a different platform. As George McDonald puts it, “to be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved”.
•Roshan Thiran is CEO of Leaderonomics, a social enterprise passionate about transforming the nation. Join the Leaderonomics journey via Facebook, Twitter or by logging on to www.leaderonomics.com. And if you have just completed your SPM, sign up for the Diode School Leaver’s camp at www.diodecamp.com.
Please trust me
Science of Building Leaders by ROSHAN THIRAN
Effective leaders build trust across their organisations.
A FEW months ago, Audrey, our youth camp leader, was faced with a dilemma. A campsite vendor had under-charged her for a recent camp. At the same time, she was under tremendous pressure to make ends meet for the camp.
What did she do? She informed the vendor of the mistake. The vendor was pleasantly surprised and soon a strong bond of trust developed. I was extremely proud of Audrey’s action as she’s a great role model for our kids. With this small act, trust was enabled, resulting in lower prices and flexible arrangements at future camps.
Trust relationships are vital to the success of business. Trust is under-rated in most businesses and taken for granted by many. We follow leaders because we trust them and believe they will take us to greater heights. When we interview, we tend to hire people we trust. We use products only if we trust it. And the best companies in the world use trust to grow their businesses. Rock band Radiohead released its last album online, trusting fans to decide the price for the album, and generated more revenue than all its previous releases.
Research by the Institute of Business Ethics found that companies displaying a “clear commitment to ethical conduct” almost invariably outperformed companies that did not display integrity and trust. Its director, Philippa Black, concludes that trust and integrity has been proven to pay off in financial returns for companies.
Trust is essential to building enduring connections with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities in which we do business.
A recent study showed that trust is significantly related to sales, profits, and turnover and is a source of competitive advantage. The study also concluded that “the ability of a general manager to earn higher trust from his or her employees likely creates a competitive advantage for a firm over its rivals”.
We see numerous examples of how trust drives productivity. Years ago, Ford, who had more than 500 employees working in their accounts payable department decided to benchmark against Mazda, another car manufacturer.
To their surprise, Ford found that Mazda had only five employees in payables. Yes, you read that right – FIVE. Ford had 500 vs Mazda’s five. How did Mazda do it? The answer – you guessed it – is TRUST!
In Ford, the account payables folks had to match the purchase order, receiving reports and supplier invoices. If there was a mismatch, there was significant rework. In Mazda, there was no paperwork at all. Mazda trusted its suppliers and did not bother processing invoices. When goods arrived from suppliers, Mazda built their cars. Once a car was built, they automatically transferred funds to the suppliers. Mazda had no invoicing or processing, but paid with trust, saving significant costs.
Trust is a key element in business, as it is in relationships and politics. In fact, trust actually lowers the risk of malpractice among US doctors. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Blink, uncovers that “the risk of being sued for malpractice has very little to do with how many mistakes a doctor makes. Analyses of malpractice lawsuits show that there are highly skilled doctors who get sued a lot and doctors who make lots of mistakes and never get sued.”
Apparently, people only sue doctors they don’t like or trust. They don’t sue doctors with errors whom they trust or like. In fact, in some hospitals today, doctors are encouraged to apologise when they make mistakes, trusting patients to forgive them. And statistics have shown that in such hospitals, malpractice suits have dwindled.
On the flip side, lack of trust destroys entire industries as the world’s recent financial markets collapse attest. Credit stopped flowing due to trust issues. Big banks refused to lend to each other because they didn’t trust each other’s ability to repay.
Trust is like a vase; once it is broken, even if you fix it, the vase will never be the same again.
So, even if you have the best products in the world, if you lose trust in your service or product, you will soon not have a business. Numerous companies try to create trust by PR stunts and building corporate social responsibility arms, but fail to understand that trust is not an event-based action. It takes years to build up trust, and seconds to destroy it.
If trust is so important, what precisely is trust? How can it be achieved and sustained?
According to Dr Duane Tway, “We all think we know what trust is from our own experience, but we don’t know much about how to improve it. Why? I believe it is because we have been taught to look at trust as if it were a single entity.”
Dr Tway is right. Trust is not a single act. Aristotle, the great philosopher best described trust in his Rhetoric. He suggested that trust, which he called Ethos (the trust of a speaker to a listener), had three parts. First was the intelligence of the speaker (correctness of opinions, or competence), secondly the character of the speaker (reliability, integrity), and finally, the goodwill of the speaker (favourable intentions towards the listener).
In layman’s term, leaders and managers today need to build trust by the integrity of their competence, the integrity of their character and finally their sincerity towards their employees.
In other words, a leader cannot fake town halls meetings and occasional roundtables with employees and expect them to trust his or her leadership. Trust has to be earned. Having a title doesn’t guarantee you the trust of your subordinates. Trust is built on a daily basis. It is the employees’ perceptions of your ability, honesty, and sincerity.
But how do we begin this process of building trust? I personally believe the best way to build trust is to extend it to others. I know a Ramly burger stall owner who decided to allow his customers take their own change from coins he left out on the counter. He was able to serve them faster, but more importantly, his customers hardly cheated him because they felt honoured to be trusted by him. Trust begets trust.
Netflix, the world’s top DVD rental company, trusts its employees to take whatever vacation they feel they need. Many companies trust their employees to have “flexi” working hours, and research has shown that in most cases these employees work longer hours than those that do not adopt “flexi” hours.
Finally, trust begins when a leader role models the qualities of trust and filters it down throughout the company. This drives others to follow suit and soon a culture of trust emanates across the entire organisation. Trust is a powerful tool as it forms the foundation for effective communication, employee retention, motivation, and contribution of discretionary energy – the extra effort that people voluntarily invest in work.
Yes, you can still get things done without trust when you are the boss by ordering people to do things. But you run the risk of getting the salute and not the heart, gaining compliance and not the commitment. Trust has to be earned. And when you get it, the rewards that come from it, makes you a leader on a different platform. As George McDonald puts it, “to be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved”.
•Roshan Thiran is CEO of Leaderonomics, a social enterprise passionate about transforming the nation. Join the Leaderonomics journey via Facebook, Twitter or by logging on to www.leaderonomics.com. And if you have just completed your SPM, sign up for the Diode School Leaver’s camp at www.diodecamp.com.
Business ethics in board decisions
Friday January 22, 2010
Business ethics in board decisions
Whose Business Is It Anyway - By John Zenkin
THE concept of business ethics recognises that people in a company can relate to more than just profit maximisation when making decisions, even if it is not very clear how they should behave.
This lack of clarity comes from the fact that each person, let alone each culture, has their own unique way of combining the individual virtues that make up ethical behaviour.
Thus there may be many ways of being ethical and sometimes boards need to combine them to get to good and right decisions.
These different types can be grouped into five systems of ethical behaviour: Machiavellian, Utilitarian, Kantian rules-based, Rousseau’s social contract, and finally “Personalistic” ethics.
l Machiavellian ethics
These are pragmatic, weighing probable consequences and the likelihood of achieving given outcomes, often regardless of how the ends have been achieved. People practising this type of ethics will argue that the ends justify the means.
The merit of this system is that at least any decision being taken can be assessed in terms of whether it will achieve the desired ends; and if it fails this basic test, then it should not be taken.
However, there are two problems with this approach. First, it does not recognise that organisations need codes of conduct and rules to help people to make predictable and consistent decisions.
Second, it can lead to a failure of “Tone at the Top” with people encouraged to “do whatever it takes” – the kind of thinking that contributed to the recent failures of governance in Wall Street that have hurt us all so badly.
•Utilitarian Ethics
These are a more moral extension of Machiavellian ethics, where the outcomes are weighed up by calculating how to “achieve the greatest good for the greatest number” for both the company and its customers. Principles are important only as rules of thumb.
The problem with this type of approach is that it encourages the tyranny of the majority and can lead to ignoring the needs of minorities and so be used to justify persecuting minority shareholders, which is poor governance.
•Kantian rules-based ethics
Rules-based ethics (associated with the German philosopher Immanuel Kant) go one step further in that they also consider the effect actions have on the rules of the organisation and whether they adhere to given principles.
This approach tends to be bureaucratic and perhaps overly legalistic, sometimes with a rigid adherence to the rules without due regard for particular circumstances that may justify exceptions.
Of course, the problem is that if there are too many exceptions or waivers, the rules themselves and the system they represent are discredited; outcomes become unpredictable; and corruption and free riding are encouraged.
•Rousseau’s social contract ethics
Social contract ethics recognise the need for mutuality and reciprocity if companies are to flourish: both within the organisation itself, where “Do unto others as you would be done by” is as good a rule as any for behaviour, and between the company and the community it serves.
They also recognise that no company is an island and it must therefore behave responsibly towards the community, minimising the external costs the company creates, lest it create a “tragedy of the commons” with its associated risk of systemic failure.
The problem with this type of approach is when it leads to the kind of loyalist, tribal thinking within a profession so that bad practices are covered up and justified in the name of loyalty to the group (a favourite topic of films with rogue cops who are protected from Internal Affairs for example).
•Personalistic ethics
Personalistic ethics reflect what an individual feels about the decisions being taken. As such they often share the following three characteristics:
First, they are driven by the individual’s personal sense of virtue and how the decision will reflect on the person’s character and sense of self-worth;
Second, they may be based on empathy where the decision maker puts himself/herself in the shoes of the other person when deciding what to do;
Third, they may be based on intuition driven by conscience – asking the question “will I be able to sleep at nights” when making a decision.
Obviously it is important that board members must be personally comfortable with the decisions they are involved with.
The problem is that often people who decide on Personalistic ethical grounds become impatient with other people calculating what to do using either a rules-based or utilitarian approach, and may be uncomfortable with Machiavellian thinking.
To cover these five ethical approaches, boards should ask the following questions:
1. Will it achieve the desired outcome?
2. Will it be for the greatest good?
3. Will it respect the rules?
4. Will it be responsible?
5. Will we be able to sleep at night?
If the answer to all five questions is affirmative, they will have made a right-good decision.
•The writer is CEO of Securities Industry Development Corp, the training and development arm of the Securities Commission.
Business ethics in board decisions
Whose Business Is It Anyway - By John Zenkin
THE concept of business ethics recognises that people in a company can relate to more than just profit maximisation when making decisions, even if it is not very clear how they should behave.
This lack of clarity comes from the fact that each person, let alone each culture, has their own unique way of combining the individual virtues that make up ethical behaviour.
Thus there may be many ways of being ethical and sometimes boards need to combine them to get to good and right decisions.
These different types can be grouped into five systems of ethical behaviour: Machiavellian, Utilitarian, Kantian rules-based, Rousseau’s social contract, and finally “Personalistic” ethics.
l Machiavellian ethics
These are pragmatic, weighing probable consequences and the likelihood of achieving given outcomes, often regardless of how the ends have been achieved. People practising this type of ethics will argue that the ends justify the means.
The merit of this system is that at least any decision being taken can be assessed in terms of whether it will achieve the desired ends; and if it fails this basic test, then it should not be taken.
However, there are two problems with this approach. First, it does not recognise that organisations need codes of conduct and rules to help people to make predictable and consistent decisions.
Second, it can lead to a failure of “Tone at the Top” with people encouraged to “do whatever it takes” – the kind of thinking that contributed to the recent failures of governance in Wall Street that have hurt us all so badly.
•Utilitarian Ethics
These are a more moral extension of Machiavellian ethics, where the outcomes are weighed up by calculating how to “achieve the greatest good for the greatest number” for both the company and its customers. Principles are important only as rules of thumb.
The problem with this type of approach is that it encourages the tyranny of the majority and can lead to ignoring the needs of minorities and so be used to justify persecuting minority shareholders, which is poor governance.
•Kantian rules-based ethics
Rules-based ethics (associated with the German philosopher Immanuel Kant) go one step further in that they also consider the effect actions have on the rules of the organisation and whether they adhere to given principles.
This approach tends to be bureaucratic and perhaps overly legalistic, sometimes with a rigid adherence to the rules without due regard for particular circumstances that may justify exceptions.
Of course, the problem is that if there are too many exceptions or waivers, the rules themselves and the system they represent are discredited; outcomes become unpredictable; and corruption and free riding are encouraged.
•Rousseau’s social contract ethics
Social contract ethics recognise the need for mutuality and reciprocity if companies are to flourish: both within the organisation itself, where “Do unto others as you would be done by” is as good a rule as any for behaviour, and between the company and the community it serves.
They also recognise that no company is an island and it must therefore behave responsibly towards the community, minimising the external costs the company creates, lest it create a “tragedy of the commons” with its associated risk of systemic failure.
The problem with this type of approach is when it leads to the kind of loyalist, tribal thinking within a profession so that bad practices are covered up and justified in the name of loyalty to the group (a favourite topic of films with rogue cops who are protected from Internal Affairs for example).
•Personalistic ethics
Personalistic ethics reflect what an individual feels about the decisions being taken. As such they often share the following three characteristics:
First, they are driven by the individual’s personal sense of virtue and how the decision will reflect on the person’s character and sense of self-worth;
Second, they may be based on empathy where the decision maker puts himself/herself in the shoes of the other person when deciding what to do;
Third, they may be based on intuition driven by conscience – asking the question “will I be able to sleep at nights” when making a decision.
Obviously it is important that board members must be personally comfortable with the decisions they are involved with.
The problem is that often people who decide on Personalistic ethical grounds become impatient with other people calculating what to do using either a rules-based or utilitarian approach, and may be uncomfortable with Machiavellian thinking.
To cover these five ethical approaches, boards should ask the following questions:
1. Will it achieve the desired outcome?
2. Will it be for the greatest good?
3. Will it respect the rules?
4. Will it be responsible?
5. Will we be able to sleep at night?
If the answer to all five questions is affirmative, they will have made a right-good decision.
•The writer is CEO of Securities Industry Development Corp, the training and development arm of the Securities Commission.
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