Please pay for my Masters .....

Please pay for my Masters ……

At a time when the we’ve been warned that the economy can only get worse, the RM60 billion stimulus package provides “aid for 10,000 students to pursue their Masters and 500 others to do their PhD” (see theSun, page 2).

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

There will be people who will get up in the mornings, worried to death about their jobs, about the shrinking value of their RM, about how they are going to feed their children, much less ensure they get a proper basic education.

It looks like it’s just more important for others to get a Masters degree. Whatever happened to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? Is it time to revisit what Abraham Maslow had to say?

Sigh! I just don’t get it.

Years ago, it must have been in the early 1990’s, there were some fresh graduates who appealed to the public via national newspapers to sponsor their studies. It made my skin crawl. They had basic degrees which should have procured them a decent job. Surely they could pursue graduate studies at a later date? They could have emulated the million other working adults who scrimp, save and take out student loans to do so.

If the basic degree wasn’t good enough to even get you a job, something is terribly wrong. What guarantee is there that a Masters (local or foreign) is going to help you? I did my Masters locally at UPM. Did it guarantee that I could perform my job better? In all honesty – NO.

I gained a whole lot of interesting information. Plus there was a certain amount of emphasis on research – something that is more suited for the academic world than the dog eat dog business world. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy it. Then and again, I’m one of those persons who enjoy reading, conducting research and picking up new knowledge.

Now, did it really contribute to my working output? At that point of time (2001) - no.

So, should this be one of our priorities at this point of time? Perhaps we should change gears to focus on providing financial aid for primary schoolchildren or secondary schoolchildren.

Doesn’t your heart ache when you read of kids who have had to drop out of school due to lack of money? Think about it.