Lessons Learnt from 128 Students

Lessons Learnt?

November 1, 2004, NST, page 12

NST Report: There were several lessons the authorities had learnt in handling the cases of 128 top students who did not obtain places to study medicine.

Lesson 1: Many students are ambivalent about their career choice.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Shafie Salleh noted that only 30 students accepted the Govt’s offer to study medicine in private universities. The rest of the 98 students were happy to accept second choices and remain in public university. The fees for medical students in private colleges were ONLY about RM300,000 and all those students were offered convertible loans.

Remarks: The only problem was that, the student wanted scholarship, not loans, or as an alternative, the fees should be same as those of public universities, the difference of which, should had been sponsored by the government. The reason were that 960 students who had lesser qualification or at most similar, were given places in public universities and are only required to pay a nominal sum – why should they (as Malaysians too) pay more than the others? Is it that they are UNEQUAL or their parents had elected the wrong government?

Lesson 2: It is unhealthy to admit students into medical faculty based solely on academic performance. It should include other attributes such as critical thinking, problem-solving and interpersonal skills.

Remarks: What about the doctors who uses pen, or pencil or chopstick to diagnose patients? Well, is it that the government don’t think there is anything wrong as pen and pencil has magnetic fields that assist the doctors to do their job better?

Lesson no 3: more and more students are getting the full score of 4.0 CGPA.

If every 4.0 student are going to apply for just medicine, then we can never be able to accommodate all of them, said Datuk Shafie.

Remarks: But, Malaysia has a shortage of more than 3,000 doctors as of today and expected to be worse in 5 years time as reported by Datuk Chua Soi Lek, the Health Minister? Oh, that’s the Health Ministry problem and not Higher Education Ministry. Afterall, most ministers children won’t get 4.0 CGPA (no disrespect to anyone in particular), and as can be seen and witness, Ministers children are clearly distinguished with the others and they only will study overseas, and in Ivy league, and some with scholarships. So, they won’t fight for local U places with those unparallel children. And, it seemed clear that the actions depicts that the Government discourage students to achieve 4.0. Maybe, they prefer stupidity so that they can have better control.

Lesson no 4: Students are not getting enough information on other courses related to medicine. These include dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, radiography, physiotherapy, occupational theraphy, laboratory technology and bio-medical engineering.

Remarks: Well, the problem is not those mentioned above but many students are put into courses that they never wanted such as Japanese studies, Serat Kayu, bubur chacha, longan, etc. You may say, Serat Kayu is important; why not the political masters set an example by putting their children and grandchildren in those courses so that others will follow. Are all the ministers in UMNO, MCA and MIC willing to publish all their children’s record on which University they are in or had graduated from, so as to let the Malaysian view their patriotism (term by some in UMNO as a show of patriotism)?