Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Angers to the deception of Malaysian Chinese education

Chinese education problems: Real solutions needed

Pauline Wong
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

KAJANG (March 25, 2012): The anger and frustration of Chinese educationists and the community over the decades-old problems faced by Chinese schools boiled over today.

This was manifested in the treatment meted out to Deputy Education Minister Datuk Wee Ka Siong when he attended a rally organised by the United Chinese School Committees Association (Dong Zong) here.

Wee was not only heckled and jeered by a rowdy crowd of over 7,000 people at the New Era College where the rally was held, but someone even managed to throw a punch at him as he was leaving the event.

Fortunately, due to the cordon of police personnel around him, the full force of the punch was deflected and Wee only suffered a glancing blow on his left cheek.

Despite the incident, Wee was seemingly calm when he spoke to reporters at a press conference later, saying he was saddened by the way the crowd had become emotional.

“While we do not expect cheers or applause from them (the crowd), the whole purpose of attending this rally is to listen to the people,” said Wee, who believed the crowd was made up of mostly opposition supporters.

Earlier, on his arrival about 11am, Wee had been met by a ‘hostile’ crowd and had to be protected by about 20 uniformed police and Rela personnel who formed a human wall around him.

Even after he had sat down, Wee was booed at every time the Education Ministry was mentioned in the speech by Dong Zong president president Yap Sin Tian who lashed out at the ministry for failing to solve the problems which have festered for over 40 years.

Among them, the lack of teachers in Chinese primary schools, which has been a sore point among its educationists for many years, made worse by the government placing non-Chinese speaking teachers as stop-gap measures.

Yap said as far back as 1968, the Education Ministry was on record in Parliament as admitting that Chinese schools faced a shortage of 1,172 teachers.

“This problem has never been resolved and remained the same for over 40 years. Over the years, many senior officials continue to say that the shortage would be resolved, but nothing has materialised,” he said.

“The Education Ministry today continues to say it needs to gather information about the problem before anything can be done, but the fact is, the ministry is in possession of the most up-to-date and complete information.

“Therefore, it can be concluded that the ministry does not intend to settle the problem, not because of the lack of ability, but the lack of will,” Yap said.

The rally later passed four resolutions presented by the Dong Zong standing committee.

They are, for the Education Ministry to :

immediately transfer out all teachers who do not have the required SPM Chinese language qualification from Chinese primary schools;
conduct special courses for Chinese language teachers who have taught Bahasa Malaysia or English for at least three years so that they are qualified to teach all three languages;
reform the teachers training syllabus so that more qualified Chinese-speaking teachers can be trained to fulfil needs of Chinese schools; and
review the Education Act to ensure vernacular schools are accorded equal status and safeguarded as an integral part of national education system.

Responding to Dong Zong’s demands, Wee said the ministry would continue to work towards resolving the issues raised.

However, he was evasive when pressed as to whether the government would give a commitment to resolve the problems or concede to the demands of the Dong Zong.

“We will most certainly take into consideration anything, listen to whatever grievances which we think are rational,” he said, adding that was why the cabinet had agreed to set up a special committee, which he chairs, to resolve the problem.

“The committee will get the cooperation of all stakeholders. Over the past month, we have engaged stakeholders to resolve this issue. We will study each of their resolutions and demands and consider it. We have come up with strategies,” he said.

When it was pointed out that Chinese educationists have been faced with this problem for over four decades and will not accept any more delays, Wee reiterated that the committee was formed to look into it immediately.

“Of course, we know this needs immediate attention. As far as government is concerned, we need to identify the root of the problem before we can solve anything.

“Transferring the non-Chinese speaking teachers out will not solve anything. There are integrated issues which have to be resolved and discussed as a whole, not piecemeal,” he added.

Related posts:
English language in Malaysia in dire straits!

Malaysian education heavily politicised, Quality & English standard ...

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

China's Dueling Economic Theories

China's NPC (Parliament) Photograph: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

Delegates attend the closing ceremony of the closing session of the National Peoples Congress (NPC) at The Great Hall Of The People on March 14, 2012 in Beijing, China. The National People's Congress (NPC), China's parliament, adopted the revision to the Criminal Procedure Law at the closing session of its annual session today.

Should China push for radical reform or return to a more government-directed economy? It’s a familiar question made more urgent by the downfall of Bo Xilai, seen by many as a leader of the Communist Party’s conservative faction. A recent People’s Daily editorial that strongly supported more reform, plus a call by the World Bank and a research arm of China’s Cabinet for a smaller state role in financing and industry, have highlighted the issues. “The debate will be messy,” wrote Standard Chartered (STAN:LN) China economist Stephen Green in a March 1 report. However, he added, “something good is stirring in Beijing.”

The back-and-forth focuses on two models. The Chongqing model calls for a top-down push for social equality, with a stronger role for government in the economy; its name evokes the giant southwestern city where Bo Xilai ran the show until early March. The other model plays down the role of state companies, encourages the growth of more capital-intensive, value-added industries, and favors grassroots political reform. This is the Guangdong approach, named for the coastal province that was first to grow rich on exports and now is a center for experiments in governance. “I am strongly supportive of the Guangdong model and wary of the Chongqing model,” wrote Tsinghua University sociologist Sun Liping on March 16 in the Beijing-based business weekly Economic Observer. “In the long term, it is more important that the masses have the right to struggle for their own interests.”

Despite Bo Xilai’s fall from power, the Chongqing model still has its adherents. A website whose name translates as Utopia in English supports the state-heavy approach, and was blocked after Bo’s dismissal in an unfolding scandal that may implicate him in corruption. The site, back in business, has posted hundreds of articles supporting Bo, says David Kelly, research director at the Beijing-based consulting firm China Policy.

To reverse growing social inequality in its region, Chongqing has encouraged farmers to become urban residents and qualify for better benefits, and started to build 800,000 units of public housing. Bo also created several large conglomerates by merging more than a dozen smaller state companies. Despite Chongqing’s success in attracting such investors as Ford Motor (F) and Foxconn Technology Group, foreign businessmen have worried that government-backed businesses could squeeze them out. A crackdown by city officials last fall on Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) over mislabeled pork forced the world’s biggest retailer to shutter 13 stores temporarily, spooking investors. “If the Chongqing model is one that favors a greater role for the government, with state enterprises managing the economy, that is a negative for foreign businesses,” says Christian Murck, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China. Also disturbing was Bo’s handling of a cleanup of the mob in Chongqing: He jailed not only the alleged mobsters but also a top Beijing lawyer who was defending one of the accused.

Guangdong party secretary Wang Yang has been upgrading the province’s economy from labor- and energy-intensive, polluting export industries such as toys, textiles, and plastics to newer and cleaner ones including software, new energy, and biotech. Wang has opted to rely mainly on private businesses, encouraging their growth with tax breaks and squeezing lower-margin industries with tighter labor and environmental regulations. Shenzhen, for example, has seen many of its dying industries depart in what Wang has dubbed “emptying the cage and changing the bird.”

What excites Chinese liberals more is Wang’s encouragement of grassroots policy making. That includes giving workers more of a voice within the official union, as well as a soft-handed approach to last year’s Wukan village uprising over land grabs and the death of a protester. Wukan, on Guangdong’s coast, just held what appear to be unrestricted elections for a new village chief.

Which of these two models will gain the upper hand is unclear. Clarity is unlikely at least until the fall Party Congress, when China will replace most of its top leaders, and both camps may vie for supremacy for years. “In 2001, we had a road map and that was the World Trade Organization accession agreement. Today we don’t have a sense of what comes next for China,” says the Chamber’s Murck. “There is more uncertainty than we’ve seen in years.”

The bottom line: As social inequality deepens and growth slows, China’s leaders must choose between more market reforms or a stronger state.

By Roberts is Bloomberg Businessweek's Asia News Editor and China bureau chief.
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Don't have experience to lead, appoint a British?

Don’t kill your talent, take a chance on inexperienced people

SOON after India obtained independence, Prime Minister Jawahar Nehru chaired a meeting to discuss appointing a chief general for the Indian Army. As key leaders discussed candidates and options, Nehru disappointingly claimed: “I think we should appoint a British officer as the general as we don't have anyone with enough experience to lead.” Everybody nodded their heads in support and they started discussing possible British candidates.

This same conversation Nehru had with his leaders half a century ago is the same conversation taking place in many global organisations today. There are always big vacancies to fill yet no one experienced enough to fill them. And most leaders look outside their organisation and even outside the country for that perfect “experienced” person. Nehru's story though, ends differently.

One of Nehru's officers abruptly interrupted Nehru as he started contemplating which British “expat” to bring in: “I have one point, sir. Can I interrupt?”

Nehru nodded: “Yes, gentleman. Speak.”

The officer responded: “Sir, we don't have enough experience to lead a nation, too, so shouldn't we appoint a British person as the first Prime Minister of India too?”

The meeting hall suddenly went silent. Nehru had an “aha” moment and later decided against appointing an “experienced” general but a high potential local.

Almost every business leader I meet complains to me about the same issue they don't have enough good talented people to take their businesses to the next level. According to McKinsey's “War for Talent” study, the most important corporate resource over the next 20 years will be talent. It's also the resource in shortest supply. In fact, the search for the best and the brightest has become a constant, costly battle, with no end in sight. Talent has become the prime source of competitive advantage.

Yet, most of us unknowingly “kill” our talented people. How are we “killing” our talent? By not allowing our people to fulfil their potential. And we do this by curtailing their experiences.

Real learning

Talent can only be developed through experiences and failure. You cannot send a person to a three-day classroom programme on swimming and expect them to become great swimmers. To learn to swim, you need to practice in the pool. No matter how much you listen, read or watch about swimming, without pool practice, you won't be able to swim. Real learning happens when applied in the workplace. Nehru learnt to become Prime Minister of India through the school of hard knocks and experience. Even if he was sent to a “Prime Minister School” (if that existed!), his learning would still ultimately come from doing the job. But when you block your people from the roles they crave, because of their lack of experience, we thereby ensure they never learn.

I recall going through succession planning reviews with a number of senior business leaders in my capacity as a HR leader. Each year, these business leaders would highlight specific talent they had in their teams. But much to my dismay, every single year, those highlighted were deemed “not ready” to take on bigger roles, claiming they needed a few more years to become “ready.” Four years later, the same excuses rang. The story never changed or ever will. As long as we hoard our best talent and never allow them to grow through new experiences, they will never be ready.

Thomas Edison correctly stated that “genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Based on research done by Anders Ericsson, we now know just how much “perspiration” is required to become a genius apparently three years at a job or 10,000 hours. Ericsson's research indicates that if you are at your job for about two to three years (depending on how many hours you put into your work), you will master the role. But once you have mastered it, your learning subsides. And for you to keep growing, you need to learn something new.

The most talented people have figured this out and so if you do not give challenging work to them, they leave. They may claim they leave for money or other reasons, but in reality, if you truly give them challenging work which forces them to learn, they hardly leave. (It may be also because they are so busy being challenged, they have no time to do up their resume!)

However, the less talented employees, who love being in their zone of comfort, will stay on (maybe forever). The job becomes easy making it “wise” to continue in this zone of comfort. The real talents, however, know that if they don't keep getting new experiences and developing themselves, they may never achieve their dream. And so they pack their bags to gain new experiences, if you don't provide them.

Final thoughts

I am not at all advocating that experience has no place in our business. In fact, experience is necessary for big roles where failure should be minimised. However, one cannot attain that experience unless someone gives these people a break. We cannot gain experiences unless given a shot at the big stage.

What I want to emphasise is that this “talent disease” which is plaguing our nation can somewhat be curtailed if we build in talent development as part of our business agenda. So, what are some practical things you can do:

1. Demonstrate your commitment to employees by preferring to develop from within versus hiring from the outside. Give your “inexperienced” people a chance. Sure they may take some time to “learn” the job, but in the long term, it will be better for your business.

2. Keep pushing your people outside their comfort zone. They need experiences. Give them projects outside their silos. And when they fail (which they will!), help them get up and learn from their failures

3. Empower your employees make them partners in their own development. Make sure they understand the importance of hard work, learning and pain.

As my three-year-old son always says: “No pain, no gain.” The same goes for all of us.

We need to go through the pain and struggle of new experiences to keep growing. And business leaders need to go through the pain of pushing their best people out to new roles and to take chances on the less experienced. Someone after all took a chance on you previously. Nehru took a chance on his general. So can you.

Roshan Thiran is a firm believer that talent is developed and not genetic, and has made it his mission to build leaders in Malaysia through his social enterprise, Leaderonomics.

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Monday, March 26, 2012

What it takes to be an entrepreneur by a Malaysian digital research?

Healthy pulse in data research

Bob Chua, who started a Malaysian digital research company in 2005 that went global and became a public-listed company in London within 33 months, talks about what it takes to be an entrepreneur

BOB Chua, a third generation Tiger in a family of entrepreneurs, said he had always wanted to run his own business for a living. “It’s in my blood,” he said.

“My impression of a person born in the Year of the Tiger is of bravery and risk-taking. I am not superstitious and think of it more as a good laugh,” the Pulse Group chief executive officer said.

It is a fact, however, that his family consists of entrepreneurs who are involved in various industries, from shipping to property, and growing up surrounded by such people inspired him to start his own business.

Of his company’s name, Chua said the name “Pulse” signified exactly who and what they were.

“Our main endeavour is creating insight out of data. Research does not have much life to it as it is just a lot of boring data and numbers. It is how you interpret the data that gives the work life, like a pulse. Hence, our tagline ‘Does your research have a pulse?’” he explained.

Chua, who studied in a business school and has a passion for technology, said it was a natural progression for him to start a company that specialises in digital research as he had always been in the industry, having worked for TNS and Nielson, two of the largest market research specialists in the world.

“How the Internet is changing our lives, the way we interact, research and buy stuff is interesting. It is even changing the way we collect data and I see a big opportunity in it,” he said.

Chua describes Pulse as being in the right place at the right time to capture the first-mover advantage.

“Entrepreneurship is all about timing and identifying opportunity and, at that point, we were the only ones in Asia to do it. When Pulse started in 2005, Facebook was getting big and Internet adoption was huge,” Chua said, adding that they remain the biggest company in Asia to do this.

Even then, Chua had thought of social networks as a game-changer and the situation has remained the same today.

“We are only just scratching the surface. Consumers are spending more time online and they talk about brands and their experiences. If we can compile all that data, we can create more accurate prediction models about how people are going to purchase things, access information about brands and who influences them to buy,” he said.

As an entrepreneur, Chua always believed his company was going to be successful and innovative when he started back in 2005 with its headquarters in Malaysia.

“Entrepreneurs have to have strong self confidence and have a never-say-no attitude. We never believe we are going to fail and even if that happens, we must pick ourselves up. I wanted to create a leading brand and fortunately, seven years down the road we are now where we are,” he said, adding that he is proud to be able to call Pulse a Malaysian company that has gone global.

Chua had always wanted the company to go global from day one, which was why he opened the Sydney office simultaneously with the Malaysian one.

“Australia had a more mature market and was a bit more sophisticated for online research with its bigger Internet penetration at 60% so it was a logical starting point. Within 12 months, we had opened up our London office and within 33 months of starting Pulse, we became a public-listed company in London on the PLUS Stock Exchange,” he said.

Recently Chua gave a talk at the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur to potential investors and painted a hopeful picture for Asian companies seeking opportunities in Britain and vice-versa.

“There are a lot of people there sitting on money right now, but they are no longer spending as freely as they used to. When you say Asia, their eyes light up as this is the only area for growth and countries like Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia are still enjoying a 5% to 6% growth. The only thing is proving that you have a strong business product,” he said.

However, the UK remains one of the largest economies in the world and there are several reasons to look into opportunities there as well, according to Chua.

“If we compare listing costs, it could be two or three times higher because of the British pound but in terms of how much you can raise there, it is also two or three times higher. It is the relativity people need to look at and not just dollar value. Also, the pound is relatively weak now, so going in now is a good idea,” he said.

However, making it big like Pulse requires a lot of work and Chua recalls averaging 55 trips a year within two years of starting the company.

“I used to spend 75% of my time leading the jet-setting lifestyle and it was not fun. To be honest, there was not much balance in terms of my working and personal life then, but that is what you have to put in to grow quickly,” he said, adding that Pulse grew at a rate of 430% from its first to third year.

Chua believes the company is still in the right place at the right time as Europe continues to look for growth in Asia which is the geography Pulse specialises in.

“We are a much bigger company now and have professional managers all over the place with people running specific things. I travel less and family is my priority. Where I can, I mix business and leisure with my travels, which I still spend about 150 days of a year doing, but at least life is more balanced now,” he said.

One tip he offers those with an eye on the UK is to hire “self-starters”.

“They are going to be far away from the mothership here so you need good people on the ground, but that is not really an issue as it is easy to find good talent there. You also need to understand the relative cost and immediately build your market. We got our first client before even starting up there and that helped,” Chua said.

He also said that a business in the UK can have a back-end support locally who works on European time.

By CHOONG MEK ZHIN mekzhin@thestar.com.my

Malaysia needs more engineers

The experts: Dr Goh (left) with Kim Hor giving their talk on engineering at The Star Education Fair 2012 at Penang International Sports Arena.

THE country needs at least 200,000 engineers by 2020 in order to attain the status of a developed nation.

Institute of Engineers, Malaysia (Penang Branch) immediate past chairman Prof Datuk Dr Eric Goh said there were now only 70,000 registered engineers in Malaysia.

Dr Goh was speaking at a talk on Engineering held on the final day of The Star Education Fair 2012.

The institute’s electronic engineering technical division advisor Dr Tan Kim Hor who spoke during the second half of the talk said the engineering profession had great prospects as it was now high in demand.

In a talk about law, barrister-at-law Mureli Navaratnam said that although the country had sufficient supply of practitioners, there was a need for specialists in the field of arbitration and shipping law.

At a talk on medicine, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr K. Suresh said a medical career means lifelong learning while his co-speaker Dr S. Bina Rai stressed on the importance of doing proper research before choosing medical schools.

Another co-speaker Dr Tan Kok Joo said one must think carefully before deciding to take up medical courses.

Stories by WINNIE YEOH, KOW KWAN YEE, HAFIZ MARZUKHI, JEREMY TAN, KIATISAK CHUA and ROYCE TAN
Photos by NG AH BAK, GOH GAIK LEE, CHIN CHENG YEANG, LIM BENG TATT, CHAN BOON KAI and ZHAFARAN NASIB

Soaring high: A large replica of an aeroplane set up above Advanced Tourism International College's booths at the Star Education Fair 2012 which concluded yesterday at the Penang International Sports Arena.

Can money buy happiness?

Two thirds of people worldwide "need to live better"

Whether or not money can buy happiness, people worldwide seem to think it can, at least according to a new poll that canvassed respondents in two dozen countries.

Nearly two-thirds of about 20,000 people surveyed said they "need to live better," the survey by market research company Ipsos showed, while one-third said their life was fine the way it was.

Given a list of factors for improving their well-being and quality of life, 89 percent said a stronger economy in their country was very or somewhat important -- the top response.

Better living conditions and stronger family relationships were named by 84 percent, while only 56 percent listed finding a romantic partner, and 49 percent included meditation or prayer.

Lifestyle factors such as eating better, sleeping or exercising more and finding new challenges also placed high.

Responses from nations as far-flung as Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Sweden, Germany, South Africa, Hungary, Japan and Mexico varied widely, according to the poll.

Hungarians were mostly likely to say they needed to live better, with 89 percent agreeing, and second-most likely to say this was harder to do than ever before.

Saudi Arabians were the most likely to say their lives were fine as they were, followed by those from India and Sweden.

"These sentiments are inseparable from their crushed economy," said Keren Gottfried, research manager for Ipsos Global Public Affairs, which conducted the poll on behalf of Reuters News, referring to Hungary.

"We know from our economic confidence polling that these days only three percent in Hungary say their national economic is good. On the flip side, economic juggernaut Saudi Arabia is least likely to think they need to live better," Gottfried said.

"They also consistently have the highest economic confidence scores," she added.

And despite the popular perceptions of the French quality of life -- ample social services, great food, generous, federally mandated annual leave -- the French were the most likely to say that living better is now more difficult than ever.

While nearly three-quarters worldwide agreed that living better requires a plan, more than two-thirds of the French felt that living better is not something that can be planned.

Belgians were next, but far behind, with only 49 percent agreeing, while Indonesians were the strongest believers in the power of planning for a better life. Almost 95 percent said this was essential, followed by South Africa at 92 percent, South Korea with 90 percent and Hungary and Sweden, both with 87 percent.

"The planners come from all sorts of countries, economically strong and weak alike," Gottfried noted.

Reporting by Chris Michaud; editing by Patricia Reaney) - (Reuters)

Sunday, March 25, 2012

US Monopoly on World Bank Presidency Challenged

U.S. President Barack Obama arrives at the Osan Air Base in Seoul, South Korea, on March 25, 2012. Obama arrived in South Korea to attend the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit to be held on March 26-27. (Xinhua)

The United States on Friday named its candidate to lead the World Bank (WB), but this time the selection is not a solo any more.

Two candidates endorsed by developing countries unprecedentedly challenged the U.S. monopoly on the top post of the WB, the leading global financial institution for fighting poverty and supporting development.

SURPRISE PICK

As the deadline loomed, U.S. President Barack Obama announced the nomination of Jim Yong Kim, a Korean-American global health expert, as candidate to replace outgoing Robert Zoellick, whose term as WB president expires at the end of June.

"It's time for a development professional to lead the world's largest development agency," Obama said as he made the announcement.

"Jim has truly global experience," said Obama, "He has worked from Asia to Africa to the Americas, from capitals to small villages. His personal story exemplifies the great diversity to our country."

The selection is commonly considered as a surprise pick because Kim, the current Dartmouth College president, has hardly been talked about for the nominee in the past week.

The U.S. traditional choices of the WB head have been either politicians or business leaders since the bank was founded after World War II.

Obama chose Kim out of several more well-known candidates, such as Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Lawrence Summers, former director of the president's National Economic Council.

Arvind Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International economics, called it a "quite unusual choice."

Yukon Huang, a senior associate in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Xinhua the message the White House conveyed was that the nominee is a man of the world - born in Korea, raised and educated in the United States with professional interests that are highly relevant for developing countries.

U.S. economist Jeffrey Sachs, who openly campaigned for the job and finally withdrew, said in an article posted on the Washington Post website that "without incisive leadership, the bank has often seemed like just a bank."

"And unfortunately, Washington has backed at the helm bankers and politicians who lack the expertise to fulfill the institution's unique mandate," Sachs added.

UNPRECEDENTED COMPETITION

Following the close of the nomination process, the WB announced two more candidates for the position: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria and Jose Antonio Ocampo of Colombia.

For the first time, two non-American candidates will compete with a U.S. nominee. What's more, both of them have impressive credentials as economists and diplomats.

Okonjo-Iweala, the current Nigerian finance minister, was nominated by three African countries - South Africa, Angola and her native land. She has profound working experience in the multinational World Bank and her capability has been widely recognized.

Ocampo, endorsed by Brazil, has strong academic background and held posts in the Colombian government as well as the United Nations.

Although Yukon Huang said Kim's selection was not driven by domestic political considerations but by his professional qualifications, Subramanian doubted whether Kim is a better choice in terms of international experience and management.

Domenico Lombardi, a former WB board official said the impressive background of both Ocampo and Okonjo-Iweala signals a big shift and really reflects a game change. He said this is the first time in history for a truly contested election.

However, analysts believe that the United States is very much likely to laugh last as it is the WB's largest donor and has the largest voting share.

Uri Dadush and Moises Naim, senior associates at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, criticized the way that top leaders of the WB and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have been selected.

They said the leaders of both the WB and IMF are selected through "opaque, quota-driven negotiations," which have been defied by the meritocracy.

"No well-run global company selects its senior management this way," they added.

Rogerio Studart, the Brazilian member of the WB's 25-member executive board, said there was a strong sense among developing countries that the selection of Zoellick's successor should involve a broader discussion about the bank's future.