Questions on our Institute of Higher Education Performance in challenging the mind-sets of our academicians

Yesterday I attended a Professorial Lecture by Prof Rosna Awang Hashim, former UUM TNC (A & A) entitled Reimagining 21st Century Higher Education in Malaysia: A Modest Proposal. I was impressed with her lecture and for the first time I attended this session till end. I was flabbergasted over her comments and proposal on how and what our own education system at universities should do but there are many questions too that lingered over our minds as this could be carried out effectively or not or just another rhetoric for academic purpose to fulfill her obligation in her professorship. So I posted an email to her an hour after the lecture. Please read.....

Salam Prof….

My apology for writing this email as my first reaction of ur professorial lecture today which I found it to be very educational, dynamic and realistic. This is also for the first time that I attended the professorial lecture that I stayed till the end of the session. A sign of significance lecture that I wish to commend of ur excellent insight of what is happening in our higher education system.

As part of finding ur lectures to be very interesting and practical, there are some major challenges that await the comments and suggestions proceeding to questions of how reliable that this could be? As ur conclusion stated that the 2014 should challenge the liberation of the educational institution from the 20^th century chain of traditional and teaching practices, more questions and perceptions of how this could be carried out being poured into the main stream of our education system, and particular to u personally as this issue directly come from u.

Most probably the most basic but simple question being asked is about the quality of our students to embark on ur comments and suggestions as whether they are up to the standard and quality as being suggested? This could very much relate to our school education system up to university level. We need to change desperately but are they ready for that? That comes to the next question as whether the lecturers too are ready for such challenge in campus, especially in changing their mind-sets and styles of lectures. Are they being trained for that?

Based on these simple-basic and reflective questions, there could be a strong arguments about the mentality of our campus community as whether they too can change the culture of change? U did mention about UIA on how good even till the janitor or food stall sellers are well converse English, but that took them years to cultivate to accept as part of UIA diversify community. How long could UUM take that as challenge and change to how the UIA is now?

As the challenges are taking long queue from other issues and to accept the challenge as u wish for, what are the supports that the universities are to receive from the campus community themselves? Judging from the long awaited agendas that happened to transform our own education system nationwide, again political agendas will always supersede the best interests of what being perceived in your lecture today. That’s what I can foresee now. As much I adore of what u prescribe, I feel pity of the pitfall that may happen to see the reality of its success. Sorry to say that.

My personal conclusion is all converged into one perspective that is the acceptance of the campus community of what u delivered and later be executed by us. I profoundly totally agreed with every word and sentence that u stressed as I did that since coming to UUM. I understand the difficulties of what to make our products (the students) quality to be acceptable in our market demands by industries. But judging from the insight, I also foresee the major obstacles on the mind-sets of our friends and the difficulties of gearing them to be what as u wish for. I don’t see luthe hindrance of this to be fully successful as this could be done with fully determination and discipline. But I foresee the negative mind-sets that need to be polished and re-educate by all levels of our beloved campus community. Can this be done? Goodluck and cheers.

Salam.