I’ve been wanting to write this piece for quite a while. But the thought of the extra ‘effort’ I need to put into writing this article has put me off till now. Time is really a luxury for me these days...sigh.
After my SPM years ago - when I was a clueless 17 years old - all I wanted to do was to study abroad. My direction was clear, to go abroad come what may. At that point of my life, the farthest place I had been to on earth was KL, and that was not enough for me. I wanted to see the world, go places I had not been before and learn things I can’t possibly learn here. For once in my life, I wanted to be independent. My parents who were fully aware of my rebellious nature knew me too well to go against my will.
I had my way at last. I had the opportunity of a lifetime to study abroad, and like people say, the rest is history. I am glad that I chose this path. Should I decide otherwise, I will not be the person I am today.
My eldest son Daniel will soon graduate from secondary school and move on to his tertiary studies. In less than 2 years, we will be at a cross road in deciding his study options. The truth is, I wish he could win a full scholarship from Cambridge, then further his Masters in Harvard or MIT and get his doctorate from Al-Azhar. In an ideal world, that would be any mother’s dream.
Unfortunately, we live in a real world. And to expect that from our sons is too ‘cruel’ and unkind, although it’s not impossible.
Just to share a true story, a Taylor’s A Level student secured a full scholarship from Cambridge University to read Law after her graduation at Taylor’s. After she completed her degree at Cambridge, Harvard offered her a full scholarship to do her Masters there. Upon completion of her Masters, Cambridge University once again offered her a fellowship for her PhD. I had tears in my eyes when I learned about her success story, really! I get super emotional when I hear this sort of stories...ahkak sedih campur bangga gittew taww.
In the past, for us (the general Malay population), we had only 2 options - public universities or study abroad. Private education was never an option for us. These days securing a government scholarship is not as easy as it was 15 years ago – the quantum has decreased significantly hence the awarding bodies have become very selective, leaving us with lesser options. I would love to send my children to study abroad but when money is concerned, if they can’t get a full or at least partial scholarship, I can’t afford to spend hundreds of thousands of ringgit to send them abroad. Did you know that to send your child to study medicine for 2.5 years in the UK, you need to fork up almost RM800K (including living expenses)? You may have that much money, but I unfortunately, don’t. I very the poor you know...
Hence, for people like me who are neither millionaires nor hardcore poor (i.e. the group of people that often receive the least attention), we need to have more options. This is where Private Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) comes into play.
20 years ago, private colleges/ universities were perceived as colleges for either rich kids or worse, rejects. But that was 20 years ago. Private colleges have come a long way since then. In fact today, some of these colleges has evolved into full fledge universities offering far better and greater infrastructure and academic quality than those of public universities.
If you asked me, between sending my kids to public universities and private universities, I’d rather send them to private uni and pay a good sum of money for their education. Why? Statistic has shown that employers prefer students from selected private universities than those from public universities - a known fact in the industry. They are in greater demand because they have all the aptitudes that employers look for: well-rounded, soft skill and better prepared for the working world. Graduates from private IHL generally command higher salary than their counterparts from public uni too. On top of that classes are conducted in English. Need I say more?
I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work in Malaysia’s top Private IHL and to be able to experience for myself how the institution strives to provide a wholesome learning experience and the best learning infrastructure for students. Private IHLs like Taylor’s is no longer an exclusive university for rich kids but a university for high achievers. Did you know that JPA, MARA and other sponsoring bodies like Petronas, Felda, Bank Negara, Sime Darby and the likes now send their sponsored students to private IHLs? There are plenty of them at Taylor’s. Did you also know that these days Public IHLs are going after lecturers from Private IHLs, instead of the other way around?
The trend now is more and more Malays (and sponsors too) are sending their children to Private unis, including the top guns in the Ministry of Higher Education itself! You can trust me on this one peeps, I am so not joking. It speaks volumes of the quality of education at Private unis doesn’t it?
But please don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that Public IHL is inferior in anyway but I strongly believe that they could learn a thing or two from Private IHLs. It’s time to shift the paradigm – it’s been long overdue.
I say where our children are concerned, we always want the best for them. However, the subject matter is very subjective. So let’s not be so judgmental.
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