Building on the advantages of the country’s fortuitous historical and geographical position is one of the eleven resolutions the Minister of Higher Education recently announced will guide his ministry during his tenure.
Higher education and indeed at all levels of education in this country have generally spurned the one wealth that this country is endowed with which few other countries can claim to possess. That wealth consists of the many cultures, religions, arts, and languages that still converge on the different states that make up the country.
History itself has converged in this country changing its direction and shape. Civilizations, as varied as the Chinese, the Indian, the Malay, and the European too, have converged on our shores, indelibly marking us, and making us what we are today. Civilizations meeting here influenced and were in turn influenced by the others at the meeting. This country was forged in the diversity that history produced. Few countries in the world can boast of schools, newspapers, radio stations, and communities speaking four languages and celebrating up to eight different cultures.
That is not all. Our mix includes the rich indigenous cultures of the native people who are part of the population as well as new cultures that have evolved from the convergence. All of this should have created a unique system of education built on the wealth of the country’s history. That alas, did not transpire. Instead, we only succeeded in developing policies and agencies of division. We paid no heed to our unique legacy.
The Minister’s sixth resolution is therefore an awakening to our historical lineage which we have so far ignored and suppressed. The Minister recognizes that ‘the Malay Peninsula has long been a global meeting point where civilizations have converged. For hundreds of years, merchants, preachers, and travellers from various countries visited and met in Malaya and made Malacca a major trading centre in Southeast Asia. Various religions and beliefs are also based in Malaya. Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims. It all started because of the strategic role of Malacca and Malaya. Malaysia to me is the meeting point or the lynchpin between two oceanic regions.’
The Minister’s emphasis on the country’s history and its position between two oceans only discusses the possibility of strengthening the country as an educational hub and an advantage to attract talent from other countries to work here. What follows from the recognition of the country’s unique position is all directed at improving student recruitment and developing new markets. There is hardly any discussion on developing those munificent inheritances from our past, of languages and cultures, by adding them to our higher education curriculum.
Perhaps the way forward is to take the same path the Minister has proposed with respect to technology and education. The Minister has promised a white paper on "A New Horizon for Science, Technology, and Innovation. A Strategy for Malaysia". A similar approach might give real meaning to translating our history and geographical position to the advantage of higher education.
These factors are no less important than technology which is also at a stage of convergence in many of its utilities. Recognizing their importance is probably the most important of the resolutions coming at a time when the barbarians are within our walls insisting on entrenching the divisions in our society. Emphasizing national cohesion and our rich multifarious past must occupy an important part of any new directions that are proposed for higher education.
Kinnu Nonem is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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