TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING ISSUES IN MALAYSIA AND ASIAN REGION: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Kamal Jasman, Khalim Yatim Husin Dr. Hasyamuddin Othman Faculty of Technical and Vocational Education Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Abstract Generally most of the countries in the Asian region are developing nations. The prosperity and development of socio-economic of countries in Asian region such as Malaysia can be enhanced and enriched by making education more technical, vocational and democratic. Technical and Vocational Education and Training is seen as a solution to the problem of education Malaysia and the Asian region. Various challenges and issues have emerged and produced impacts in the process of developing Technical and Vocational Education and Training. Issues and challenges are explored and certain measures are outlined. Exploration is made based on reading and observation on the current and ongoing issues on Technical and Vocational Education and Training. Issues and Challenges are seen coming from the aspects of social, cultural, economic, technical and political. Measures outlined are associated with the aspects of issues and challenges in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Malaysia and the Asian region. 1.0 INTRODUCTION Malaysia and countries in Asian region have put on variety of emphasis on general education and technical and vocational education according to their historical, social, economic, and political influences. Although the general secondary education is relatively homogeneous in nature and emphasize academics more than skills, there have been various patterns of emphasis on technical and vocational education in many countries. Generally, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is at least classified into two major forms: The first form is TVET in the formal education system (primary and senior secondary schools, post-secondary education, but less than college level institutions such as polytechnics). The second form is training outside the formal education system such as pre-employment training
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and job training. Apart from that there is also a system of apprenticeship training, informal training centers and enterprise-based training. According to Tilak (2002), in Asia, the polytechnics have been established in many countries. TVET has become important part of secondary education. Most countries have both exclusive vocational schools and secondary schools with a variety of general academic and vocational and technical courses. In some East Asian countries, the emphasis is not on high school vocational / technical formal, but at training institutions and job training. In many countries in the region, employers are responsible for training and skills. In the perspective of Malaysia, since the country is working to improve the economic and industrial growth, it is important for us to maintain our competitiveness and productivity by creating a skilled, motivated and consistently educated citizen. Therefore, the expectations and aspirations of the nation for education and training in the field of TVET are very high. Any weaknesses in the education system particularly in TVET will result in lack of skilled workers and thus affect the growth rate of national industry and production. Rapid transformation of society in the social, political, economic, and educational technology in Malaysia and the world at large, have led to a change in the perspective of the needs and nature of the TVET. Various challenges and new issues had emerged and also old ones to reappear. 2.0 PURPOSE AND METHOD OF STUDY In the confine of this paper, issues of local and regional arising in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) will be determine and explored in relation with Malaysian perspective. In addition, measures as may be necessary, and should be taken continuously and vigorously, to address or at least reduce the impact on TVET in Malaysia will also be discussed. This is an exploratory paper and all materials documented obtained from review on various related reading materials such as journals articles, books, concept papers and reviewed papers and also according to observations on local current issues of TVET in Malaysia.

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LOCAL ISSUES ON TVET

The Perception of Society towards TVET Yahya (1993) stated that, negative attitude to vocational school students as they are who have failed in the academic still thickened in the community. Many parents especially professionals and high ranked people do not encourage their children who are interested in skills related education to continue their studies in the field of TVET. This situation arises because students who enter vocational school in the past are those who graduated low in SRP or now PMR examination and failed to proceed to form four regular academic schools. Moreover, TVET is associated with blue-collar jobs for those who failed to pursue academic studies in order to achieve the ambition of getting white collar jobs. TVET System Stresses More on Theory Azizah and Sharifah (1993) stated that, educational institutions involved in vocational and technical only emphasize on theoretical courses and very less in practical work in a factory or industrial sector. This situation happened especially on students in vocational and technical schools. From this statement, it can be seen that there is still lack of proper technical and vocational education to equip students with adequate and right skills for the job because there is no contact with the working environment. The situation is different in industrialized countries such as Germany, Japan, South Korea and so on. National Education System which Emphasizes more on Academic or General Education According to Azizah and Sharifah (1993), a concerning problem that should be paid more attention is the Malaysias educational practice that seems having too much emphasis on academic or general education. This will affect the country's ability to produce skilled manpower in line with the current needs of the country. Less emphasis on science and technology education and lack of technical and vocational education facilities have a great impact on the ability of local educational institutions in providing human capital and skilled enough for the job market.

Uneven Funding Allocation for TVET As a result on more emphasizes on the Academic or general education in Malaysia and the nature of TVET itself that is costly, there have been quite less financing allocated to TVET compared to the general education. As implied, TVET will be more effective when dealing with practical works and this is supported by Rohana (1996) that stated, in order to meet the needs of the teaching and learning of Living Skills subject, the school must provide sufficient equipment so that students can learn in a good condition without any obstacles that may interfere with the learning process. Furthermore, in terms facilities such as workshops, farm and etc. are necessary to be provided to facilitate the implementation of the curriculum of Living Skills subject. Insufficient financing will definitely contributes towards negative impact on the success of TVET objectives since it is highly depends on high investment of money in order to achieve the desired outcomes. TVET Expert Teachers or Instructors in Short Supply The role of TVET teachers or instructors is undeniably vital as they are the implementer of TVET policies in the country. Therefore, teacher or instructors in TVET should be highly competent for their job. As stated by Abdul Raof Dalip (1989) indeed new syllabus success depends largely on teachers ability to perform with enthusiasm and dedication. Therefore, teachers should in advance understand and master the curriculum in terms of its purpose and should be given adequate training. Moreover, teachers and instructors of Technical and Vocational Education are those who have the latest knowledge, industry-oriented and possessing experiences in industrial work (Yahya, 1993). Thus, highly skilled TVET teachers or instructors would assure TVET developed positively and lack of them will drive TVET otherwise. 4.0 ASIAN REGION ISSUES ON TVET

Successes and Failures of TVET in Asia On the whole, there is imbalance in the success of development of TVET in countries in Asia. Based on the statement of the Asian Development Bank (1991), South Korea is the best example of successful in technical and vocational education in schools. Singapore successfully developed infrastructure and vocational training technique in which a combination of educational institutions and training agencies are
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well established. Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Sri Lanka are in the fairly developing category. Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar are having a weak and uneven technical and vocational education system. Two of the largest countries in the world, China and India are facing a problem of prejudice against the practical work and causes disturbance to the development of technical and vocational education system. On the other hand, Japan is the most advanced and successful in providing infrastructure and technical and vocational education system, school-based and industry-based. However, the imbalance that occurs not from the angle that makes the TVET skids in developing countries in Asia. Byeong-Seok Jang (2010) stated that TVET has been a priority in Southeast Asia. The developing countries in Southeast Asia such as Indonesia targeting a ratio of 60:40 between TVET and general education, while Thailand is 50:50. Malaysia and the Philippines are developing technical and vocational education for high school and post-secondary rapidly in the last two years. There are 65% of Singapore students in TVET institutions. There are also a lot of steps and initiatives taken by the developing countries in Asia such as developing the Technical and Vocational Education system in terms of the quality and appropriateness of the program. The re-branding, improve the quality of infrastructure, combined with the industry, creating uniqueness and flexibility with increase in enforcement by the government in charged. Contributing Factors to the Non-Uniform Development of TVET in Asia If the country of Japan, South Korea and Singapore has succeeded though not as far as the success of developing countries in Europe, Coombs (1985) states that there are still many developing countries in Asia who fail to register robust growth in TVET in spite of their respective targets high expectations at first. Why some countries able to register good growth and also many others failed? Tilak (2002) stated that the development of TVET are not comparable between countries in Asia are caused by social factors and political economy in which all three interacted connectively with each other. The first factor is social. Social attitudes and views of the community to TVET are not encouraging in many Asian countries. Negative attitude to manual works that is considered dirty and rough affect the demand for TVET. In addition, the TVET is understood as a system of education for the poor and underdeveloped education that
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leads to ineligibility for admission to higher education. For example, according to Wijemanne (1978) experiment on the curriculum of rural Tamil Nadu in India, which is also known as Rajaji experiment and Handessa Scheme for Rural Education in 1930 in Sri Lanka, was doomed to failure not only because there is no demand for such education, but also because it was seen as a conspiracy or tricks that are designed to prevent disadvantaged people from getting a prestigious academic education. Furthermore, in rural areas TVET is mostly regarded by pupils and parents as second-class education. Incorrect rating of TVET by considering it to be low prestige education as well as inequalities is a common phenomenon in many countries including India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka and some in Korea and Taiwan. Assumptions that the TVET curriculum provides a "second-class education and prevent some underclass individuals, minorities and women from academic education and access to employment and the status of the highest salaries" (Grubb, 1985) to be quite strong over the years and some discouraging public policies of TVET in educational planning and resource allocation contribute to strengthen this belief. As a result, TVET in countries like India do not grow on the right track. The second factor is related to the relationship between enrollment in TVET and economic development. Demand for TVET seems to exist in the developing industrial society with the growth and diversification of the industrial structure. Psacharopoulos and Loxley (1985) stated that the lower the overall level of development of a country, the weaker the effectiveness of introducing and diversifying TVET. However, in such countries, the need to TVET is still felt. Emphasis on various industrial productions led to the need for labor force with vocational skills. For example a lot of growth in TVET happens in countries like Korea during the early industrialization process where job opportunities are rising sharply. This indicates that technical and vocational education is becoming more popular in areas where jobs can be guaranteed. The third factor is the role of government and the private sector. Growth in TVET in Asian countries is also influenced by the role of government and the private sector. The government has a dominant role for the provision of TVET schools based in many Asian economies. Even in Korea, most enterprises rely on the government for a trained workforce. In South Asian countries, the government is the main provider of TVET both at school and outside the school system. In Japan the enterprise-based training is the dominant mode of training. In many countries public
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education institutions have become a leader. Although the private sector does not play some role in TVET in the countries of East Asia and some countries in South Asia, the quality of private institutions in providing TVET has been found to be generally less quality than public institutions in many countries, except in Japan (Bennell and Segerstrom, 1998). Fourth factor is funding. According to Tilak (2002), TVET by its definition is more expensive than general education. One of the most important aspects of TVET refers to its financing. For example, according to Middleton and Demsky (1989), ithas been estimated that in South Korea the cost of TVET of secondary education is more than ten times the general secondary education for every student. In China, the cost of each unit is 50 to 100 percent higher for secondary school TVET than general secondary schools (Dougherty, 1990). Technical and Vocational Education in the countries of South Asia have been found to be 2 to 60 times higher than general education (Tilak, 1988). However, the mechanism of resource allocation in education seems to be in favor of TVET in many countries. Public expenditure on TVET has been very low, compared to general secondary education. 5.0 WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? TVET is essential for economic growth. Therefore, a particular country such as Malaysia must determine the rate of TVET to be developed, depending on the level of countrys development and the demand for skills. Foster (1965) states that, the provisions of the TVET must be directly related to the clearly existed development in the country and where the demand for skills begins to manifest. Planning for TVET should be preceded by an analysis of manpower through detailed forecasts. Moreover, the number of vocational and technical schools needs to be increased in order to train more manpower. Conducted Trainings may be done in collaboration with the private sector (Shahril Marzuki, 1993).Through this cooperation Technical and Vocational Education will be able to produce a workforce that meets the criteria of industrial needs. This is also in accordance with the recommendations of the Prime Minister who wanted TVET in line with current industrial technology (Berita Harian, Feb. 17, 1993). TVET should not promote inequality in the education system. This can be avoided by providing TVET with a good quality, comparable, if not better than general secondary education that will avoid bad impression and suspicion on some people to
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the intention of the government to provide TVET. It also requires effective relationship between TVET with higher education, so that is not regarded as a dead end with no chance to go to higher education. Yahya (1993), suggest that efforts should be intensified change the perception of society in Malaysia on TVET through various campaigns. It can be implemented in schools and in public places. At the same time the Ministry of Education, Malaysia can also expose the success TVET graduates. General human capital and specific human capital contributes to economic growth. Hence a balance must be achieved between the size of the general education and technical and vocational education. In addition, the Technical and Vocational Education is not necessarily purely vocational and technical. As in Japan and Korea where it includes the skills and general features are useful in a variety of jobs. This is particularly important in an economic system that is rapidly developing and constantly changing. As suggested by Yahya (1993), TVET should improve the quality of training skills and courses offered. In order to improve the quality, trainers and educators of TVET are essentially those who have the latest knowledge, industry-oriented and possessed working experiences in the industry. Based on the experiences of many countries in Asia, excluding Japan, the government has taken a dominant role in the promotion of TVET (Balogh, 1969). As the TVET is expensive, the government should make suitable funding allocation. Little investment cannot yield interesting outcomes. Therefore, funding allocated by the government should indeed significant and adequate. For instance in Malaysia, funding could be used to upgrade TVET institutions such as Polytechnic Colleges to Universities. Mission and vision of such institutions also have to be shifted from recruiting semi skilled manpower to professional manpower. Furthermore, cooperation from industrial sectors in terms of funding or knowledge is also paramount in the process of improving the standard of manpower produced my TVET institutions in Malaysia particularly.

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CONCLUSION On the whole, issues of TVET in Malaysia and Asian region perspectives is

fairly similar. The common issues arising are negative perception of society toward TVET, national education system that emphasis more on general academic education, TVET system that too theoretical, uneven funding and shortage of TVET teachers and insructors. There are certain measures could be neccessarily done to address or at least reduce the impact of issues in TVET. The first measure is, the rate of TVET development must be made directly propotional with countrys development level and the demand for skills. The second measures is, TVET provided should be of the same quality as the general academic education to avoid inequality in education system. The third measure is, the size of TVET should be made equal with general education. Besides that, TVET nature should not nessarily pure vocational and technic but it has to be included with skills and general features that are useful in a variety of jobs in an economic system that is quickly developing and constantly changing. The fourth mesures is the government should plays dominant role in the development of TVET by providing suitable funding that satisfy the expensive nature of TVET. Finally, issues related to Technical and Vocational Education is not only the question of the curriculum or not just a question about the economy. It is related to social, cultural, historical, economic, technical and political. Thus, the formulation of a sound and effective policies require planning through diversify approaches of development by taking into account TVET as part of the overall educational planning.

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Middleton, J., and Demsky T. (1989) Vocational Education and Training: A Review of World Bank Invesment. Discussion Paper 51. Washington DC: World Bank. Psacharopoulos, G. and Loxley, W. (1985) Diversified Secondary Education and Development. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins/ World Bank. Tilak, J.B.G. (2002) The Handbook on Educational Research in the Asia Pacific Region (eds. John P Keeves and Rye Watanabe, Kluwer Academic Publishers 2002) Tilak, J.B.G. (1988) Vocational Education in South Asia: Problems and Prospects. International Review of Education 34 (2): 244-57 Wijemanne, E.L. (1978) Educational Reforms in Sri Lanka. Report Studies C. 70. Paris: Unesco. Yahaya Emat (1993) Cabaran Dan Strategi Pendidikan Teknik Dan Vokasional Ke Arah Mencapai Wawasan 2020. Jurnal Pendidikan, Jilid 37 Keluaran 8 Jun 1993. Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur

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