From arts and crafts, Tan Kee Hian then moved on to education. Kee Hian viewed Sibu as having potential to have a "Polytechnic" University. His observations are built on the following bases:1. From records, there have been several failed attempts to set up tertiary educational institution in Sibu.
2. Our approach has typically been Red Ocean, cookie cutter
-"Vanilla" private colleges
-No perceived distinctive values or benefits by parents or students
-Dominated by commercial objectives
3. Gap in employers' satisfaction with local graduates
-Mismatch with job requirements
-Generic, academic knowledge
-Poor soft skills
The picture shows Tan Kee Hian giving a talk at a public forum at MPI in 2008. Photo: Terrence Tan of MPI
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3 comments:
Sibu people who can afford it send their kids to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Taiwan and not forgetting Australia, New Zealand. Those who stay back are not any dumber. How can one say one does not have the money when one's kid can leave the town and go elsewhere to study ? Sadly, those who stay back are the remnants. How can Sibu improve itself if her best is gone ? Going back to your previous posting on the same subject and a commentator was talking about Australia Council of Arts for the Aborigines. White Australians treated the Aborigines badly once upon time ago. Even though time has past, yet strangely the people who now promote Aborigines' arts are the French. Go to Sydney now. Tell the world if you see many Aborigines there in the city. Hardly. Ever wonder why ? Many people would agree. No money, no talk. Got talent but no money, still no talk. Don't have talent but got money, got talk. What a sad situation !
A Polytechnic University is something that Sibu truly needs to make Sibu turn around. Mr. Tan Kee Hian has looked carefully into this possibility.
It would be a dream come true in making Sibu an outstanding place in providing tertiary education.
Do not be misconstrued by the word ‘polytechnic’, which may give the impression that it is something similar to vocational schools like the SM Technics that we know of .
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is an excellent example of a great success story for tertiary education. It started off as a Technical College in the early years. This year, 2009, it has been rated as one of the top 200 universities in the world.
In Singapore, the Polytechnics used to be regarded as sort of “second rate” institutions of higher learning, but recently the image has changed. Many Singapore top scholars and students prefer to go to Ngee Ann Polytechnic or Temasek Polytechnic for degree and professional courses or for diploma and semi- professional courses.
Why Sibu?
1. We all know that Sibu folks are very sacrificial when it comes to Children’s education. We see how people of all walks of life in the past few decades,including hawkers, were able to send children overseas for university education. No doubt up to 15 years ago there were less local public universities and few private universities. But now, potential students have too many to choose from.
2. Sibu has both the capital and human resources.
3. Sibu has philanthropists.
4. Sibu has produced more graduates per capita compared with many other towns in Malaysia, at least in the past. As a result of going away for tertiary education including to KL,
5. Sibu has suffered the repercussions of brain drain and the syndrome of being an “old folks home”.
6. A Polytechnic University will provide opportunities for the young to stay back
for their higher education for both the acdemic-oriented and the more hands-on people. When that happens the “domino effect” will soon take place. More graduates means more enterprises, leading to more job opportunities, better job satisfaction, better productivity, better renumerations,leading to better quality life, which in turn leads to the need for more service industries, and the cycle will go on.
There is something special about Sibu folks, Sibu culture, Sibu hospitality, & Sibuians’ resilience that merit our concerted
effort to keep Sibu growing, not diminishing.
What do we have to do?
Well. Mr. Tan Kee Hian has given many ideas as shared very comprehensively in parts, over the past 30 days by Tony Hii.
Get into “Sibu in The Blue Ocean”[forum.pilley.edu.com] or tonyhiicom for more details and share your views.
Dear All
I fully support Puan Judy Wong and it really matters that all people in Sibu should make a concerted effort to turn Sibu around. We can be hardworking as ever. May be we should forget about political inclination and cliques.
At the end of the day it is the general social and economic development FOR the people.
We must make our home town good again with all our heart and soul.
And I believe Sibu people can do it with all the plus factors.
Way to go...Sibu in Blue Ocean.
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