Take it Slow

I am just getting on blogger.com to test myself on some stuff i know with regard to my current courses. Exams are in less than a week. It is okay to show off that I am partially ready for it provided that I really am. I am just going to face it, nothing will be enough! I have come to the conclusion that it is IMPOSSIBLE to achieve 100%, but it should not stop me from giving 110% worth of effort. Here we go~..

The SPN21 21st century remedy~?

The importance of Government role in making sure the well being of the public is very vital. One may choose to acknowledge the governmental efforts being put into it for the sake of knowing but at the same time has very little knowledge on how much effort and cost has been given up by the system in order to achieve sustainable living conditions for its public. A government should hold the interests of the public domain for particular reasons. These reasons are made as public as possible for the acknowledgement of the governmental systems effort.

It is important for student to understand the various institutions involved in the policy making. The policy making process is made up of a number of steps. This set of procedures are vital in the policy making process. And in this various institutions with respect to the interest they hold in these policy execution arenas execute procedures. Hence, we can see that these institutions need to be in synergy in order for the smooth process of the execution of policy.

In the 21st century, the globalized world has brought about new challenges to policy configuration. Certainly globalization provides a whole new diverse chain of problems towards to policy-making arena. In policy-making, the appropriateness of approach is vital for the success in policy making. Policy-making bodies have to recognize the arena, nature of the problems and whom these problems affect.

Hill (1993) recommended that the basic orientation should be compatible with different implicit models of a policy process, leading to different strategies for analysis and its application. Another issue that has to be identified is the pros and cons of a policy. The relevance of a rational system problem is no longer that simple. The variety of problems is more complicated than previous centuries. In the context of globalization, states unite in many ways.

Even the problems faced have taken a new direction and this somehow affects the area of policy making subjected to different concerns. Generally speaking, globalization has altered the nature of problems addressed by policies. The 21st century has brought to us new areas of concerns. Three of the most dominant areas are in the areas of economic, technological advancements and environment. This paper will identify the global economic challenges and how Brunei has altered the local education system with respects to the challenges brought about to diversify the economy.

In attempting to tackle this 21st century challenge, Brunei Darussalam has decided to approach the aim by tackling the root of the development. Brunei Darussalam is a small country in Southeast Asia whose income is highly reliant on the export of oil. His majesty’s Titah has been repetitively concerning the direction of the country underlining with full transparency the importance of economic diversification.

“…as outlined in His Majesty’s Titah, means high thinking culture, in the sense that quality human resources are not only designed to produce knowledgeable individuals but also those who possess pure morality and are ever ready and capable of facing the challenges of life in the wake of globalization. “(LEGCO meeting 2007)

Human Resource development has been one of the important aspects in development of the state. Brunei Darussalam sees education playing a vital role in the development of human resource. His Excellency the Sultan has highlighted education having an important role that can lead to prosperity to the Brunei economy. Hence has lead to drastic policy changes within the local education system.

The education system policy direction has always been to generate future employment for the current youth. Brunei Darussalam has come to an understanding that the problem is not merely producing employment opportunities but to also address the 21st century demand for a diverse range of skills. The ever-improving range of technological advancements is in need of specialists in order for Brunei to develop in this.

From January 2009, the SPN 21 has been introduced. It is the new education policy that will bring about drastic changes to the previous education policy. It is driven towards developing the human resource in Brunei to meet the 21st century needs. The SPN 21 is the national education system for the 21st century is seen as a revolution towards the previous education system. This policy has brought about three changes towards the education system in the form of structuring, curriculum and technical education.

The main aim of the new education policy is to meet the needs and the challenges in the economic and social to in the 21st century. It has been idealized to realize the vision and mission of the Ministry of Education. It is geared towards the essential skills in this era and fulfils the Strategic Plan in Education (2007-2011).

In terms of structural change, it recognizes the importance of vocational education. Despite it being the information and technology age, the state should not ignore the development of vocational education. In the 21st century, technical skills are vital for development in other sectors of the economy. Specialization in these areas should not be taken lightly as not all of the population is interested in furthering their academic studies. It gives a chance for technically skilled future workforce to mobilize in their respective fields. The diversity in the labour market should be targeted and in this respect the Ministry has been driving towards it. The introduction of more vocational institutes creates a more conducive environment in order for this reform to be supported.

The SPN 21 also alters the curriculum by adding in a number of subjects in the learning of the students. It comprises of 8 fields of learning, namely Language development, Mathematics, Science, Social Sciences, Traditional Arts, Technology, Religious Knowledge and MIB and Physical education. The introduction of new subjects function to implement essential skills such as communication, Science and Information technology knowledge, work skills and also aesthetic skills. The introduction of such areas of skill development is to assert values that have been identified as necessary in the 21st century. Such values are self-confidence, to develop a sense of courtesy, individual independence, Integrity, patriotism, competitiveness and to inculcate a sense of awareness towards the dynamic economic environment.

One of the main targets of SPN 21 is to develop its human resource to be knowledgeable in the areas of Information, Communications and Technology. The Ministry of Education emphasizes on the important of Technology based knowledge to be internalized by the students. The involvement of technology in the current nature of work tasks is ever increasing. Technological advancement is continuously progressing and to have substance in this field would definitely be an asset to the nation. Technology based skills are getting more and more important in today’s workforce. It is no more a specialized area but in terms of technology diffusion, its involvement is very much wide.

The new education policy is however only at its infant stages. However the government and the ministry of education should identify the challenges in implementing the SPN21. The drastic alter to the current education system will need readjustments. These readjustments are in the wider forms and involves both parties either from the receiving end and the party that will be carrying out this policy. The educational institutions need to be in synch with the ministry itself for the execution of the SPN 21.

The SPN 21 is viewed to be ‘one size that fits all’ in the areas of enriching human resource development and in terms of budgetary allocation, it would have to be increased as implementing the SPN 21 would bring about more technological improvements for the equipment in the educational institutions. Retraining the teachers would also be an issue of budget, as the teachers would have to change their approach of teaching. Sending them to higher institutions would be costly.
So the question of sustainability of the policy still remains, and that is where readjustments will be made according to the affordability of the government to promote human resource development.



Reference:

Hill M,(1997)The Policy Process:’A reader’ Pearson Prentice Hall, UK.

LEGCO Meeting 2007
http://www.brunei.gov.bn/hotnews/year%202007/0307/07/LEGCO_Meeting.html

New University in Brunei, Borneo Bulletin
http://www.sultanate.com/news_server/2008/19_oct_1.html