It's been almost 4 months I did not put any words into this blog. Many have asked of whether I have posted any new posts on the blog. Truthfully, at this moment of time my hands are pretty full. Time flies when I still long for more. It's a total capsize of what I had when I was in Sandakan. From whooshing to clinic to the application deadlines and back on the road for one hour, it is a tonic life. Not that I abhor it but as a matter of fact I love this kind of pace. It is good when you wake up in the morning and you have a cogent reason to put aside the Monday blues. Yeah, I used to suffer from this condition. Only that mine was more chronic where the blues were not just confining on Mondays but it includes every other day as well. And it made worse when at the end of the term of my service in Sabah, the condition (or should I call the syndrome) had been metastasized and found its way to the weekends. So, if I was about to be in Medical Miracle for the syndrome that I had, perhaps, they should also had to rename it. I would suggest Modified Monday Blues Syndrome or Everyday's Blues Syndrome. More dramatic, don't you think?
As I am in the midst of adapting to the vibrant academia life (adapting fast!), I'm grateful to have such cool and friendly colleagues to accompany me/us every luncheon. Pardon me, not just every luncheon but every academic aspects as well. Discussing about the university applications are the all-time favourite, the topic that would never come out during any lunch time break of the ministry dental officer.
I attracted to write on my recent Facebook discussion with few colleagues of mine from various walk of background. The theme was nothing more about the engaging promulgation announced by the Prime Minister in the Budget 2011. So many issues popped out. Some were arrestingly expressed that made the doer stripped to his foolishness and some who had points that worth debating on. One fellow lady claimed that the 600 million Ringgit allocated to fund PhD candidates to further their study was nothing but a mere sweet talk. She made a remark that the government may had a miss on a good candidate and undermined the 'truly deserved one' in achieving the goal. Yes, that is true that government or the responsible body may have a miss in term of selection or anything but the question here is who is at fault?
Is it government's fault for not going to the rural and village asking everyone they bumped into on the road of whether they want to do PhD or is it the candidate's fault for not revealing themselves to be recognized?
As most Malaysian universities have taken steps to becoming the utter most premier and being the one who stands out from their peer, the question like this must not be left hanging. In my part, I always believe that in order to get the best model the mould has to be pristine. The students should strive for betterment. No more spoon feeding and more importantly the Malays and the Bumiputras should start to learn to not being timid when it comes to academic revelation. Don't just standing at the corner and hope somebody will notice you. For instance, in dentistry if one would ever desire to do postgraduate study in competitive fields namely Orthodontic and Oral Surgery he should endeavour to get an extra qualification such as M Orth and MJDF respectively (even though in many cases it is not necessary). And don't accuse anybody who had the opportunity by having a back pass entry or sensationally make known as 'cable'.
Of course the government cannot just simply give a leeway in term of candidate selection. Selection-wise, it has to be thorough and merit-based. PhD is not an easy task. I happened to have known many candidates and figures telling how pain it is to complete a PhD. It is surely not for a faint of heart!
So, the issue of the 'truly deserved one' to be left out is totally out of question. And another reinforcing point of why the government spends a major sum of money to the development of the PhD holders is that we need more people who are able to give opinions and researches towards national development. In fact, we still lack of PhD holders as relatively compared to our southern neighbour, Singapore. And yes, the idea of sending more of these candidates to do PhD abroad is such a welcoming verdict. Not just we can learn a new system of education but also to be able to mingle with international community, the latter which can be beneficial to establish a slap-up human capital.
Again, the national development is an obligation to every citizen of the nation. No matter which parties you voted to, you have the right to take part of this opportunity. The only mark that left is are you willing to work hard or just standing at the corner waiting for the prince charming to come and spoon feed you?
