According to the Dictionary of British Education HERE:
Meritocratic education is that kind of education that concentrates on the identification of talent, preferably by means of intelligence tests, and then on separating the talented from the less talented into different schools and curricula. Meritocratic education is different from elitist education inasmuch as elitist education depends upon social selection, whereas meritocratic education depends on selection by ability.
Frankly, I agree with CIMB Investment Bank chief economist Lee Heng Guie who said Talent Corp, set up by the government earlier this year to lure and retain skilled workers, should conduct a thorough study to determine the best way to stem the outflow before serving up incentives. Without that, money might just go down the drain without achieving its objective.
The World Bank which has defined the brain drain as the migration of talent across borders.The brain drain is a serious problem (even if some choose NOT to view it seriously - READ THIS ARTICLE) that has in many ways, retarded the development of our land and helped other nations to move forward. I blogged about it in 2009 in my post called "The Brain Drain" and am most disheartened that even in the span of two years, the problem still persists with signs that it has been and will worsen in the future.
According to a Bernama press release HERE:
Malaysians residing overseas have likely reached one million in 2010, indicating a serious brain drain from the country, a World Bank official says.
Philip Schellekens, the bank's senior economist for Malaysia, said the brain drain was estimated at a third or equivalent to 335,000 people of the total diaspora estimated.
He said over half of the diaspora and brain drain were hosted in Singapore, followed by Australia, Brunei, United Kingdom, United States, Canada and New Zealand.
"Malaysia can address the brain drain comprehensively by boosting productivity and strengthening inclusiveness," he said at the launch of the World Bank's Malaysia Economic Monitor-Brain Drain report here Thursday.
"Malaysia's journey to high income will be depend on how it handles brain drain," he added.
Would some still live in denial now that there are official statistics from a reputable international organization?
In response to that report, Tony Pua said that the latest World Bank report on Malaysia showed that the building blocks Najib needs for his grand project are the million-plus home grown talents currently working or living abroad. He also argued HERE that the report indicated that the target could still be reached if Najib could convince highly-skilled Malaysians overseas that the grass was greener at home.
“The World Bank model also found that Malaysia would have attracted more than five times our foreign direct investment (FDI) at US$15 billion instead of only US$3.8 billion in the three years 2007-2009 had we retained our skills base and adopted a more open investment policy regime,” Pua said.
“The report has called for a comprehensive policy on ‘inclusiveness’ to bring back talent into the country and stem the acute outflow of skilled workers as a critical measure to fulfil our goals of becoming a high income nation by 2020,” he added.
Of course some people argue against meritocracy. You can read some very convincing arguments HERE, HERE and HERE.
Managing Editor of The Star, P Gunasegaram, wrote a very good article HERE and I support his views wholeheartedly.
Of course the situation is serious and it is most depressing to see how in a feeble attempt to lure lost talent to return to our land, some have resorted to superficial measures such as tax rebate.
I have yet to see an official acknowledgement that educational standards are declining and how those who are responsible have not achieved much success in restructuring our society socially. Is there an ineffective system of rewards coupled with a stubborn reluctance to move with the times to incorporate high value-added manufacturing methods in the production line?
Obviously, we have to get down to the brass tags of elevating our educational standards thereby improving the quality of our labour. Ask any teacher/lecturer and you can be sure that they will begin a dour, dreary lament on the declining education standards and the death of the thinking mind.
P Gunasegaram highlighted how "South Korea had one third Malaysia’s per capita income in 1970 but now it is three times Malaysia’s. Such change would not have been possible without a super educational system at every level.
Developing talent at every level simply has to start with education and we have to put the best talents, facilities and other resources into this. Right now only the most dedicated or those who don’t have other choices go into teaching because it is neither rewarding nor respected as a profession."
When meritocracy is lacking at tertiary level, it is akin to a silent poison that weakens the work force because regardless of how many millions the government may spend to lure talent back to the country or to increase FDI or to improve the public/social goods/facilities, the fact remains that when no sincere move is being made to retain, nurture and grow local talent, mediocrity is the order of the day. We will not have the technological edge to spur the country forward in its endeavor to attain high-income status.
The reality is that much has to be done BEYOND raising education standards. The World Bank Report said that Malaysians abroad have cited social injustice in Malaysia as well as better career prospects and higher wages overseas as the main reasons for leaving. Are those in power prepared to carry out social re-structuring for the betterment of the nation?
THIS ARTICLE offers three steps for genuine meritocracy in the Malaysian education system.
In THIS ARTICLE, Tony Pua said Malaysia’s bid to reverse its talent loss and become globally competitive will fail if authorities continue to dismiss warnings such as the World Bank (WB) report on the issue. The DAP publicity chief noted Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s swift rebuttal of the international organisation’s study, despite it drawing the same conclusion as the PM’s own Government Transformation Programme’s (GTP) report months earlier. The opposition man said this was contrary to Putrajaya’s reason for setting up the Talent Corporation to claw back some of the one million Malaysians working abroad to help turn the country into a high-income nation.
I do not know about you but I am seriously worried about my future and also that of my sons. Let Malaysians all have more opportunities and hopefully more equal opportunities but I know, I am such a dreamer and idealist who has to face disappointments and shattered dreams...
The cure for the brain drain certainly goes beyond idealistic meritocracy. As long as issues and problems are swept under the carpet and head nodding continues in compliance, where will our nation be heading?
Do they realize that the best investment that our nation can make is in the next generation via education and employment opportunities? Companies may come and go but no one can take our human resource away unless there are underlying currents that drive them away.
Cat-from-Sydney Yeah...would anyone please employ my Mama? She's back after 6 years Down Under. Ooops...sorry...she said she wants to remain a stay at home mum now. purrr....meow!