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Sirat Morshidi |
| The Humanities, General Education and the Push Towards Knowledge-based Economy in Malaysia - Complementing or Competing Agenda? |
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모시디 시랏 |
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| Abstract |
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World Bank’s Education for the Knowledge Economy(EKE) programme with developing countries is to cultivate highly skilled, flexible human capital needed to compete in global markets. The World Bank acknowledges that this programme will normally affect a country’s entire education system. Consequently, what is the position of the Humanities and General Education in an EKE-focused higher education system?This paper will discuss Malaysia’s knowledge-based economy initiative, specifically programmes aimed at creating a strong human capital base through an education system that imparts higher-level skills to undergraduates. This system, based on the World Bank’s blueprint, is meant to foster work place skills and specialised education. However, it is argued that the implementation of this education system is at the expense of the Humanities and General Education. An assessment is presented in this paper on the future of the Humanities and General Education in Malaysia, a country that is highly focused on the contribution of specialised education (in science and technology) in its agenda for a developed nation status. |
| Key Words:
Malaysia, general education, humanities, liberal education, employability. |
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