u dont see much difference between UK and malaysian education at tertiary (university/college) level. usually the content is the same (some schools in malaysia even borrowed UK curriculum). the difference is probably the expertise and exposure towards advancing knowledge. everyone in a university have a part in making the world a better place, even if u're a 1st year undergraduate. in the UK, this is not just encouraged, but celebrated.
we dont see a lot of this yet in malaysian universities simply bcoz the mindset of the students coming out of SPM/STPM. to them, degree is a means to get a job, get good salary and live life. sure, it's true. but the university is not just a place to get ur degree. this is what most people fail to understand. i will share u my experience.
when i taught in malaysia, there are times that i get involved in new/groundbreaking research. i'm not the chief researcher or anything, usually just an assistant researcher. i would advertise to the students that we're doing this or that research study, and would like to get them involved or at least participate. youth is ofcourse one of the best resource in a university. but the first question i get when asking the students in malaysia to join is:
"will this come out in the exam?"
tells u alot about the malaysian mentality, isnt it?
why the hell would everything in the university got to do with exams? life is not just about exams or grades. it's the content that u get irregardless of the exam that's make u a better person. so out of 30-40 students i advertise, normally about 2-3 people would join. well, we stopped having higher expectations about 20 years ago, so go figure
.
which is absolutely different when i'm studying in the UK. i'm now doing postgraduate research. i get emails from undergrads asking about my progress. i kinda embarrassed when at times i have to tell them that i've not done anything yet. the students are generally more keen on seeking new knowledge. they wanna get involved. have their names published in journals or magazines or conference papers.
ah, i'm rambling. sorry i had to pick on ur reply. i just saw the opportunity to provide more understanding about the matter.
when people talk about the difference between UK and malaysian education, usually it's not about tertiary education. the biggest difference is primary and secondary education. u might see that they learn about the same things, but u'll be surprised at the attitude towards learning.
yeah..i noticed that when my 15 years old brother enter a school in liverpool.they more do the practical way to understand something,not like in malaysia most student (including me sometime) just try to remember the theory only to past the examination.one more thing,i heard 1 of our student(malaysia student),she got 17 A in spm.but she cannot last longer in one of university(harvard or oxford) because her mentality towards study.its not totally to remember the theory,but u need to see something from diff angle.that is y she failed in her uni life over there.they more ask u "whats your point of view of this......." which need IQ skill and totally not come from the book.so u remember theory in the book,so your mentality and knowledge just inside the book..
Oct 28 2008, 08:42 PM
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