SECONDARY EDUCATION 2: MALAYSIA

Issues and Challenges

3.3 The current secondary education structure has raised several issues including the different number of schooling years as compared to most other countries, a curriculum that is too broad in scope, the choice of exiting from formal schooling after the Malaysia Certificate of Education (SPM), and the unstandardised entrance qualifications into institutions of higher learning. To overcome these issues, it is pertinent for the MOE to restructure the current secondary education structure from a 3+2+2 system to a 4+2 system.

3.4 With regards to increasing access to secondary education, the MOE faces the issue of significant attrition rate of students from Form 1 to Form 5 (20% for the 1996-2000 cohort). The MOE also faces the issues of low participation rate in the science stream (27.7% for the year 2000) which is far from the targeted ratio of 60 percent in science and technology compared to 40 percent in arts; the issue of decreasing enrolment rate for the Form 6 programme; and the challenge of increasing opportunities for secondary education for students who are poor and with long-term health problems.

3.5 To increase equity in secondary education, the MOE faces the challenge of fulfilling the increasing demands for residential, religious, and technical/vocational schools. The MOE needs to focus on rural secondary schools that are facing more infrastructure development problems and are more dependant on government allocation as compared to urban secondary schools; and problems of teacher deployment according to option and location; and the need to ensure all secondary school teachers are university graduates by 2010.

3.6 To improve the quality of secondary education, the MOE faces the challenge of improving and strengthening the present secondary education programmes as well as introducing new ones. The improvement of quality in secondary education covers aspects such as curricular and co-curricular activities, science and technology education, English language, infrastructure, teaching aids, student assessment, student welfare, quantity and quality of teachers, and pecial education.

ICT IN EDUCATION 2: MALAYSIA

Issues and Challenges

8.2 One of the challenges faced by the MOE is to provide sufficient and the latest ICT facilities with internet to all levels of the education organization in order to expand the usage of ICT in teaching and learning as well as in education management. To meet this challenge, the MOE has to provide sufficient and the latest facilities

to all levels of management in order to strengthen the ICT infrastructure in education. The MOE has to continuously provide more effective training programmes to the teaching staff and personnel concerned.

8.3 The need to integrate ICT in teaching and learning at all levels has become greater. In this regard, computer literacy elements need to be included in the National Preschool Curriculum, which will be implemented in the year 2002. At the primary level, ICT has increasingly become a necessity in order to gain students interest in learning subjects such as Malay and English languages, mathematics, and Science. At the secondary level, the integration of ICT in teaching and learning is aimed at developing students with knowledge and skills in ICT and the ability to use information critically and creatively to improve their academic understanding and performance. At the tertiary level, ICT must be expanded to all fields of knowledge. For special education, the integration of ICT in teaching and learning should bring about greater interest towards learning among students with hearing, sight, and learning disabilities.

Health Care and Education 2

Health Care's Upward Spiral

Concerns over health-care costs have mounted rapidly in recent years inside the corporate world, and that concern is based on numbers, big ones. For example, $660 billion will be spent in the U.S. this year on health care, with corporations picking up a sizable chunk of that tab for their employees.That comes out to $2,600 for every man, woman and child in the country. And, despite the promise of a number of cost-containment mechanisms put in place in recent years, the upward spiral in health-care costs is gettingworse. After single-digit increases from 1985 to 1987, health-care inflation has again rocketed into the stratosphere.Benefits consultant Foster Higgins predicts that health-care costs will increase an average of 16.5 percent this year.

All the while, published comparisons of health-care costs reveal wide geographicvariations (see developmentside health- care feature elsewhere in this issue). Yet only a scant 13 percent of survey respondents say their corporations are able to accurately measure health-care costs when considering various locations for a facility. "I’m absolutely amazed that people aren’t looking at health- care costs [when considering various locations]," says Wayne Mills, vice president, corporate facilities and service division for The Travelers Cos. "If you asked 50 CEOs what their top five concerns are, I think at least 90 percent would put health care in there.""Maybe my response has something to do with my working for a health-care provider," Mills adds. "[But] healthcare costs impact directly on both the employee cost of living and the cost of doing business."

The Travelers is one firm able to accurately measure health- care costs among different locations, says Mills.

"It (health care) is a tie-breaker for us in some location decisions." Mills says information on what insurance

companies call "usual and customary" reimbursed charges "are readily accessible. You can easily get information on the customary charges for things like a day in the hospital, a bone graft, etc."John Dues, director, corporate real estate for Mead Corp., says his firm can also accurately measure health-care costs as part of the site-selection process.

And he, too, says much data needed to fashion those cost comparisons are readily accessible: "If you look at Dayton or New York, for example," says Dues, "you can ascertain what the acceptable reimbursement level for an insurance provider in that area is. We can then accurately measure our costs, because our medical insurance is set up to reimburse at that level. We delegate that to our HR (human resources) department, and

they do the benefits analysis."

Those companies which say they are able to accurately gauge health-care costs in their location decisions are also successfully constructing geographically specific cost comparisons. For example, 75 percent of the companies which say they can accurately measure health-care costs are able to focus those comparisons down to the percentage of operating costs for each metro area under consideration. The other 25 percent of those companies are able to construct cost comparisons down to the individual county level. "If you get [health-care cost] comparisons that are as [geographically] broad as the state or regional level," responded one executive, "they really don’t help you that much."

Health Care and Education 4

2Health-Care Location Factors

In looking at the health-care systems among potential locations, survey respondents gave highest priority to data delineating the availability of health care in an area: numbers of publicly and privately run hospitals, the number of doctors per 1,000 people, etc. (see accompanying chart of toprated health-care location factors).

But in addition to the matter of healthcare quantity, there’s also the issue of health-care quality, says Wayne Mills: "We ask about the quality of the healthcare facilities [among potential locations].

We do have a lot of doctors who work for The Travelers, but almost every corporation has a chief medical director they can ask." In something of a surprise, the incidence of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) in an area under consideration for a facility location has not emerged as a top-level health-care concern. (See News Highlights elsewhere in this issue for study results predicting future AIDS-related healthcare costs.) Responding corporate real estate executives only rated the incidence of AIDS as the 10th most important health-care location factor.

Health Care More a Concern with ‘Brainpower’ Locations Paralleling previous Site Selection quality-of-life surveys, nterviewed corporate real estate professionals say the health-care QOL factor is a higher consideration in those facilities fueled by a key core of"brainpower" -- highly skilled, highly mobile professionals. At the same time, the age of the work force in a particular facility is also a factor to be reckoned with in looking at health care, since older workers tend to record a higher percentage of health-care claims.

"How important health care is in the location decision depends on the type of operation," says Wayne Mills. "For example, if you’re looking at a shortterm location using a young work force, it’s not as important. But if

you’ve got a facility that’s going to be staffed by older professionals, it’s more of a big deal." Shervin Freed, vice president for siteselection consultant A.T. Kearney, Inc., handled a corporate relocation which graphically points out the different weight given to QOL issues like health care in siting different types of facilities.

"The company was relocating from Michigan to North Carolina," says Freed, "and it had a dual purpose. We

ended up locating the technical and professional people in Raleigh-Durham, where they had more ready access to amenities like health care. We ended up putting the company’s manufacturing operation in Goldsboro, about an hour’s drive from Raleigh-Durham." As for health care’s role in future location decisions, there’s another development unfolding in Pennsylvania which may make health care both a bigger and much more measurable QOL location factor.

Many states have health-care cost-containment boards, which regularly publish reports on hospital death rates or costs. But the Pennsylvania Health- Care Cost-Containment Council has gone much further. In an unprecedented move, it has compiled statewide comprehensive data on costs, death rates and complication rates by region and by hospital. Moreover, it specifically identifies hospitals by name.

The resulting data is both revelatory and controversial. For example, one hospital in Pittsburgh is reportedly charging almost twice as much to repair or replace a heart valve ($95,185) as another hospital across town. If such specific data become available on a widespread basis around the U.S. and the globe, corporate real estate executives would have access to a very valuable tool to use in fashioning health-care costs comparisons. "People are really waiting to see what happens in Pennsylvania," says Lisa Iezzoni, a Harvard Medical School physician and health-care researcher.

Health Care and Education 3

Avoiding High-Cost Health-Care

Locations Despite the fact that few companies say they are utilizing accurate measurements of health-care costs in comparing locations, 13 percent of responding corporate real estate executives do say their firms are avoiding certain areas in the U.S. because of what they perceive as "excessive health-care costs."

New York City and Chicago were two cities mentioned by respondents as areas their companies tend to avoid because of high health-care costs. States similarly singled out included California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.

"If you’re looking at a high-cost area," says Wayne Mills, "generally you’re going to find high-cost medical health care." The areas corporate real estate professionals say their companies are "favoring as corporate locations because of...reasonable health-care costs" are heavily weighted toward the Southeast, Southwest and Midwest U.S. States frequently named by respondents as low-cost areas included Alabama, Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas, South Dakota and Utah. Companies with international operations are also avoiding some countries in their non-U.S. locations. "We generally avoid underdeveloped countries without sufficient health-care facilities to provide a good level of care for our employees," says Wayne Mills. "[Those places] "end up being high-cost healthcare areas because the care is just not available."

On the other hand, some countries outside the U.S. do offer a health-care system that takes less of a bite out of the corporate coffer. "America’s healthcare system is the world’s most expensive to administer," says former Health, Education and Welfare Secretary Joseph Califano. "We spend $100 per person in administrative costs, compared to $21 in Canada." Figures reveal that the $2,600 spent in the U.S. this year for every person in the U.S. is 50 percent more than that spent in Canada. Likewise, U.S. spending on health care is twice that spent per person in Japan and almost triple that in Great Britain.

And those lower health-care costs apparently don’t translate into lower health-care quality: Canada, Japan and Great Britain all have lower infant mortality rates than in the U.S. and enjoy similar longevity.

SECONDARY EDUCATION 1: MALAYSIA

Aims for Development

3.1 The development plan for secondary education aims to restructure secondary education from the present structure of 3+2+2 (7 years) to 4+2 (6 years) and revise the integrated Secondary School Curriculum (KBSM) to fit the new structure. The plan also aims to enhance students critical and creative thinking skills; improve acquisition and application of ICT skills; emphasise science and technology; improve mastery of Malays and English language; strengthen the infusion positive values and attitudes in teaching and learning; provide adequate numbers of trained, knowledgeable,and skilled teachers; equip secondary schools with appropriate infrastructure; and provide adequate and quality teaching and learning facilities in line with current developments in ICT.

3.2 The purpose of these aims is to produce students who are knowledgeable and skilful in various fields especially in science, technology and ICT; are proficient in Malay and English languages; have positive attitudes; practise good moral values; are critical and creative possess employability skills; and are prepared for higher learning.

TERTIARY EDUCATION 3 : MALAYSIA

Implementing Strategies

4.11 The plan to increase access and participation rates in tertiary education will be implemented in stages by increasing student intake at tertiary level from 25 percent (17+-23+cohort) in 2000 to 30 percent by 2005 and 40 percent (16+-22+ cohort) b 2010, and to realize lifelong learning.

4.12 To increase opportunities to tertiary education, the Blueprint plans to further encourage the private sector to expand their involvement in the provision of tertiary education and to transform Malaysia into a center of academic excellence.

4.13 To fulfill the national needs in science and technology, a planned and comprehensive effort will be made to increase enrolment at the tertiary level to 60 percent in these fields as compared to other fields. The strategy also aims to increase the ratio of scientists and technologist to the population in order to be at par with developed countries.

4.14 To achieve a balance in producing skilled and semi-skilled workers, the Blueprint plans to widen opportunities for tertiary education based on the enrolment ratio of 1:2 for undergraduate programmes as compared to diploma/certificate programmes. This strategy will be implemented in concurrent with the establishment of Technical University and technical private institutions of higher learning, aimed at increasing the number of hands on professionals. Programmes offered at the tertiary level will be improved to ensure their quality, relevance, and ability to fulfill the manpower needs of the nation and competitiveness at the global level.

4.15 The Blueprint aims to provide adequate and quality teaching staff by increasing training programmes locally and abroad as well as expanding training programmes with industries, providing a more competitive salary scheme, and increasing the number of qualified teaching staff. 4.16 The strengthening and expansion of R&D activities at institutions of higher learning will be achieved through inculcating R&D culture among lecturers and students, increasing the number of R&D experts and personnel, establishing existing premier public university as research universities, establishing more research centers of international standard by increasing research facilities, and increasing smart partnerships between public and private higher education institutions with local and international industries. These strategies will be complemented with an increase in the use and mastery of ICT by providing appropriate infrastructure and increasing the use of ICT in tertiary education as well as creating an environment conducive to e-university.

4.17 Strategies to establish Malaysia as a center of academic excellence include increasing the number of foreign students at undergraduate and post-graduate levels by the year 2010 at the rate of 5 percent (except for International Islamic University Malaysia which will be at 20 percent) and 25 percent respectively, establishing R&D centers at local universities that are of international standards, and accounting for the internationalization of local universities.

4.18 Strategies to expand financial aid for students encompass increasing allocation and seeking various sources of fund for tertiary education institutions, especially universities, in addition, student welfare programmes and facilities will be upgraded to complement the management of tertiary education institutions.

SECONDARY EDUCATION 3: MALAYSIA

Implementation Strategies

3.7 The first strategy in the development plan is to restructure secondary using the 4+2 system, followed by efforts to review and strengthen the secondary education curriculum as well as

assessment and evaluation system according to the new structure.

3.8 To increase access and equity, the MOE will improve and expand the provision of infrastructure and build new secondary schools using new building approaches which saves space and land, maximise usage of education resources, reduce attrition rate, upgrade student safety programmes, and improve welfare of students who are poor and/or with chronic and long-term health problems.

3.9 To improve the quality of secondary education, the Blueprint plans to review and strengthen the secondary school curriculum. Emphasis will be given to the development of academic skills,

especially in mastering skills of learning, communication, critical and creative thinking, and self-management; acquiring basic industrial skills; and possessing positive values. The secondary

education curriculum will strengthen intervention programmes for students with learning problems, integrate ICT in the curriculum and strengthens co-curriculum programmes.

3.10 The Blueprint plans to increase the participation of students in science and technology by building new residential schools and technical/vocational schools, expand provision of technical and vocational education in normal schools, and award scholarships to outstanding students in science. Other strategies include improving teaching and learning of science by providing more science teachers, laboratories, and science materials; implementing contextual teaching and learning methods and inclusion of new educational elements such as biotechnology and microelectronics to make learning of science more interesting and relevant; and intensifying the integration of ICT in teaching and learning of science.

3.11 The MOE will implement strategies to improve the mastery of Malay and English languages; introduce changes to the assessment and evaluation system by emphasizing of formative evaluation and further developing effective measurement of students intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and physical development; and strengthen career guidance and counseling programmes.

3.12 The MOE plans to increase the number of graduate teachers in secondary schools to achieve 100 percent by 2010, increase the number of teachers for critical subjects such as English Language, Science, and Technology; fulfill professional development needs of teachers especially in rural areas; improve incentives, and provide conducive working environment. Efforts will be made to encourage the use of teaching aids and technology in teaching and learning.

3.13 To expand opportunity and improve the quality of special education, the Blueprint outlines programmes for expanding technical/vocational education for visually impaired students, equipping special education schools with appropriate teaching aids and with the latest and user friendly infrastructure, and strengthening the monitoring of special education programmes.

3.14 The MOE will improve community involvement in the development of secondary schools by extending Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) membership to community members and widening the scope of PTA activities in curricular and co-curricular activities.

TERTIARY EDUCATION 2 : MALAYSIA

Issues and Challenges

4.5 At present, only 11 percent of the population aged 18-21 years have the opportunity to enroll in non-degree programmes and only 5 percent of the age cohort enrolled in degree programmes. The challenge to the MOE is to further increase accessibility to tertiary education in line with the democratisation concept, meet the growing demand of society for higher education, and fulfill the increasing need for knowledgeable and skilled manpower.

4.6 To promote lifelong learning, the challenge to the MOE is to ensure tertiary education institutions are able to provide opportunities to those who want to acquire knowledge, skills, training, and retraining as well as to enable those who had dropped out of school an opportunity to resume their education. To provide access to tertiary education for Bumiputera students in the rural areas, the MOE faces the challenge to encourage the establishment of private higher education institutions in these areas.

4.7 To meet the target of 60 percent students in science and technology, the MOE faces the challenge to increase science and technology-based programmes at local higher education institutions; ensure the enrolment ratio in certificate, diploma, and Education Development Plan for Malaysia 2001 - 2010 undergraduate programmes at both the public and private higher educational institution matches the demands for skilled and semiskilled workers; and improve communication skills in international languanges, especially the English Language.

4.8 The MOE also faces the challenge to acquire qualified teaching staff; overcome the shortage of experienced teaching staff in various fields of industry; retain qualified teaching staff at polytechnics and other public tertiary institutions; and reduce the ratio of student to teaching staff.

4.9 In addition, the MOE has to ensure higher education institutions has the capability to produce more R&D activities which are of quality and commercial value; generate new knowledge; intensify the learning and usage of ICT; and to further increase the role of higher education institutions in transforming Malaysia into a center of academic excellence by providing courses that are relevant to the needs of the local workforce, innovative, and internationally competitive.

4.10 Other issues and problems that need to be addressed are higher students costs especially at private higher institutions and the escalating development and management costs at public higher education institutions.

EDUCATION SUPPORT SERVICES 1: MALAYSIA

Aims for Development

5.1 The development plan for support service aims to provide quality support services which will enable students to be better for schooling; minimize school drop-out rates, promote greater academic excellence among students from low-income families; ensure students of low-income families receive the same educational opportunities afforded to other students, and ensure a more efficient and effective management of support services programmes.

PRESCHOOL AND PRIMARY EDUCATION 3: MALAYSIA

Implementation Strategies

2.6 Preschool education will be further developed by institutionalising preschool education and making compulsory the use of the National Preschool Curriculum at all preschool institutions, providing training facilities for preschool teachers, and strengthening the monitoring of preschool teachers, and strengthening the monitoring of preschool programmes conducted by public and private agencies.

2.7 Strategies to further promote access to and equity in primary education include increasing the participation rate particularly among the children of indigenous groups such as the Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia and the ethnic groups in rural and remote areas of Sabah and Sarawak. The Blueprint plans to make primary education compulsory and this entails the building of more schools, providing more trained teachers, and increasing monitoring activities.

2.8 The Blueprint plans to strengthen special education programmes and expand opportunities for special education by providing more trained teachers in special education schools and schools with inclusive programmes. Efforts will be made to encourage public participation and contribution in the development of special education.

2.9 Strategies to improve the quality of primary education include increasing basic education infrastructure, revising the norms for teacher allocation, and ensuring 50 percent of primary school teachers are university graduates by 2010. Other strategies include strengthening the Integrated Primary School Curriculum (Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Rendah, KBSR) to further improve the 3R skills among pupils, making the curriculum more relevant to current and emerging needs of the country, and strengthening all co-curriculum programmes to reinforce the development of intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and physically balanced individuals. In addition, the strategies include revising school textbooks, improving integration of ICT in teaching and learning, expanding the Smart School concept nation wide, increasing the role of school administrators as curriculum leaders, strengthening monitoring and evaluation activities on teaching and learning, strengthening evaluation mechanism of student performance, increasing school and community collaborations, and reviewing the rate of per capita grant to schools.

PRESCHOOL AND PRIMARY EDUCATION 2: MALAYSIA

Issues and Challenges

2.3 One of the pertinent issues for preschool is the low enrolment rate of preschool among children aged 5+ years. At the primary level, the MOE has not met its goal to ensure all Year One school children complete 6 years of primary education.

2.4 The challenge to MOE is to increase accessibility to preschool and primary education to ensure all children aged 5+ years obtain education and all children aged 6+ to 11+ years complete primary education. The MOE faces the challenge to provide all schools with computers and increase the use of ICT in teaching and learning. The MOE also needs to increase equity in preschool and primary education, especially to provide equal access to quality educational facilities for all children; increase provision of special  education opportunities; encourage greater participation of the private sector, NGO’s, community, and individuals in education funding; and ensure sharing of school facilities in the implementation of Vision Schools.

2.5 Other issues at the primary level include the wide differences in  academic and co-curricular achievements according to school types and location as well as low proficiency of Malay and English languages as preparation for secondary education among primary school children. The challenge to the MOE is to increase the quality of preschool and primary education including the provision of adequate numbers of trained teachers and increasing basic education facilities.