By Ng Ai Lin                                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
THANK you for the article "Companies have a social role, too"                                                                               
by Hadi Abdullah (Sunday Star, Nov 17).                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
As a Malaysian, I should be more than thrilled to witness our                                                                                         
country's exciting and accelerated economic growth. In the                                                                                            
education scene, Malaysians should be exhilarated that, with                                                                                          
new and liberal policies, more and more young people are given                                                                                        
opportunities to pursue their dreams of higher education.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
But amid the extraordinary eco nomic boom and the sense of                                                                                            
excitement of our new achievement, we seem to be                                                                                                      
"intoxicated". Many of us do not seem to notice the serious                                                                                 
social decay, the numerous environmental hazards and dire                                                                                             
health problems that have set in.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
We should be grateful that most of our newspapers are making                                                                                          
an effort to highlight some of the ugly sights and                                                                                                    
consequences of the fast pace of development. But how many of                                                                                         
us really see? What can we do about these problems that are                                                                                           
staring us in the face?                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
Why can't we see? Why can't we the people, solve the problems                                                                                         
more effectively? I believe the answer lies in education.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
This country is in a hurry to fulfil our dreams, to achieve                                                                                           
what more progressive nations have attained.  We are in a                                                                                             
hurry for fear of being left behind.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
We need to meet our human resources requirement to boost our                                                                                          
vibrant economic growth. And so, we build more colleges, we                                                                                           
fill more institutions, we make more promises to attract the                                                                                          
young to come forward and fill the places that have been                                                                                              
created.  The result is a boom in our education industry.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Some educationsts may take offence to the term "education                                                                                        
industry" but they should not. It is what it is. Education is                                                                                    
a social process and we live in an industrial society.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
There is no denying that there is money to be made in                                                                                                 
education. Broadly, education has to do with bringing about                                                                                           
ethical and intellectual changes in people, while industrial                                                                                          
processes bring about material changes in things.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
However, in today's context, education can be perceived as a                                                                                          
service that caters to the needs of the people and since                                                                                              
"nothing is free" the needs are met at a price.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
What, then, is the price?                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Education is expensive business. The expenditure involved in                                                                                          
setting up an institution is high, considering equipment,                                                                                             
staffing and other running costs. Further expenditure is                                                                                              
incurred in aggressive advertising that is needed to bring                                                                                            
awareness as well as to bring in customers in this competitive                                                                                        
industry.                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Once education was supported by philanthropists.  Now, big                                                                                            
businessmen are actively involved. While the motives or                                                                                               
intentions of the first group were clear, it would be                                                                                                 
enlightening to know the true motives of the second.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
If the intentions are to "give back to society what one takes                                                                                    
from it" with the aim of making Malaysia a better place for                                                                                      
future generations they should be applauded.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
Whatever the reasons, the consequences of running education as                                                                                        
an industry are far reaching due to the fact that it is                                                                                               
directed at thousands upon thousands of our youths who are our                                                                                        
future.                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
Do the businessmen involved in education realise the magnitude                                                                                        
and weight of their social responsibility to the public, by                                                                                           
virtue of the size and importance of the industry?                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
Are students getting good value for money? Are the students'                                                                                          
potential in completing the courses fully identified before                                                                                           
they are encouraged to enrol?                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
Are the lecturers qualified? Are there sufficient lecturers to                                                                                        
ensure the high quality of teaching that has been claimed                                                                                             
through the advertisements?                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
In short, are the businessmen keeping their promises?                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
To do so, they must aware of what education is. As the forces                                                                                         
behind the drive towards being an industrial nation are                                                                                               
political, economic and social, there is nothing less than an                                                                                         
education explosion in this country.  As aspirations and                                                                                              
expectations rapidly increase, the standards of attainment and                                                                                        
proficiency are becoming more exacting on every aspect of                                                                                             
life. The main problem is to teach as much as possible to as                                                                                          
many as possible with our limited number of qualified                                                                                                 
lecturers.                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
The inevitable is focussing on immediate needs and forgetting                                                                                         
the aims of general education, which have been vague despite                                                                                          
the Government's constant reminders of their importance.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
In many cases, what students are taught are skills specific                                                                                           
responses to identifiable situations. They are taught                                                                                                 
programming in computer classes, how to write reports as                                                                                              
required in their future positions, and they are taught how to                                                                                        
answer questions that will be asked in their professional                                                                                             
examinations.                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
In many cases, the quality of the language used is downplayed                                                                                         
or simply ignored. "We're only looking for the points of                                                                                         
knowledge," quipped a tired lecturer.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
If this be the case, then education is nothing more than                                                                                              
training. And if education is nothing more than training, then                                                                                        
what is being churned out from educational institutions are                                                                                           
merely "human operators."                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
Imagine a nation of human operators. Imagine a nation operated                                                                                        
by human machines. Machines can't see. Operators do not                                                                                               
require to think much.  Machines don't have souls.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
Where then do we place the human values and the ingredient of                                                                                         
the soul while churning out human resources to meet the                                                                                               
nation's immediate physical and materialistic needs?                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
Are our colleges catering to the ethical and moral issues                                                                                             
which are part and parcel of the success of our social                                                                                                
framework?                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
Courses that "sell" are business studies, computer studies,                                                                                 
econom ics, engineering, marketing, archi tecture,                                                                                                    
communications and ad vertising. Where are the courses on                                                                                             
history, literature, geography, phi losophy, psychology,                                                                                              
political sci ence and languages?                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
These are the disciplines that, sad to say, are perceived as                                                                                          
"non lucrative" to individuals, but these are the studies that                                                                              
have real mean ing in the quality of our lives.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
Should we rush through our edu cation at such lightning speed                                                                                         
and forget that we are human beings?                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
With the much publicised short programmes to attain                                                                                                   
"profession alism," will students gain enough from their                                                                                    
studies to be able to claim that they have been educat ed? Can                                                                                        
we really claim that we are heading towards excellence in                                                                                             
education?                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
Our government is aware of the outcome of a soul less nation.                                                                                         
It is constantly pounding on the importance of achieving                                                                                              
"social justice, quality of life and political stability, with                                                                                   
positive social and spiritual values" through the inculcation                                                                                    
of strong moral, ethical, cultural and spiritual                                                                                                      
understanding.                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
Some of these have been taught in schools, but is there                                                                                               
sufficient depth in their understanding to equip our young to                                                                                         
forge ahead and carry the nation into the next century?                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
There is much doubt judging from the avoidable and unfortunate                                                                                        
incidents that are happening around us.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
It would be prudent for all of us of to slow down and take                                                                                            
stock of what's happening, get over our "hang over" and wonder                                                                              
if what we are doing to ourselves and our y future is worth                                                                                           
all the hurry.                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
It would be worthwhile for the s businesses in education to                                                                                           
create the need for studies in the humanities for, after                                                                                              
all, business today is d about creating and marketing prod                                                                                            
ucts, not just meeting the needs as e it was once perceived to                                                                                        
do.                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
This would then enable business es to, directly and                                                                                                   
indirectly, fulfil a good part of their social responsibility,                                                                                        
to educate people who can In see beyond ringgit and sen.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
If more of us realise that the than wealth of living is in the                                                                                        
giving and being the wisdom of life comes from true knowledge,                                                                                        
perhaps then we can see the serious social problems, the                                                                                              
environmental disasters and the imminent threats to our health                                                                                        
and do something before it is too late.