The Gap Inside Idris Jusoh's Head

Again without making any proper study or getting any real feedback from students and parents, Idris Jusoh the Minister of Higher Education announced the "Gap Year" program. University students are being told to leave the campus for one year to go and become warong entrepreneurs (because that is what will happen). Here is some news :

Gap year option: Varsity students to get a year off from study

Higher Education Ministry will implement Gap Year 2017 starting September 

undergraduates take a year off from studying "to pursue their interests"

Idris Jusoh said "the practice" would affect eight universities

students take year off to gain industrial experience or pursue arts

can be part of National Service Training Programme he said 

ministry looking into working with police, army or Immigration Department 

universities taking part : UUM, UKM, UPM, UITM, UTHO, UMS

My comments : So they have no concrete program. They are "looking" only into working with Police, Army, Immigration ! !  Engineering students  become soldiers? Accounting students become immigration enforcers? Architecture students can become traffic policemen? 

I have also received an email from an angry parent about this program. 

Dear Syed,

I'm pretty sure you have heard menteri pengajian tinggi Idris Jusoh's announcement this week on their latest program for our university students - the 'gap year' which will commence this September 2017, with guinea pigs UiTM and UKM students to try it out first.

It so happens that my youngest child is currently doing her diploma in the UiTM and hence would be affected by this new program whereby they not only will have to miss 1 semester this year (supposedly to start in June but now postponed to September) but that they will be compelled 'wajib' to take study leave for one year to join the army, police force, Jpam or to do business as young entrepreneurs - for 1 one year before their final semester - then only they can continue and complete their university course!  

What the hell is this?  I can compromise with other news in this bolehland but I definitely cannot hold myself from feeling angry with this yet another stupid, rubbish, mad idea of the BN government.  

Apa ni suruh pelajar tangguh pengajian?  Are the government's coffers so barren now that they must ask students to take study leave?  

If it is to compell these university students to become patriotic then what happened to PLKN?  But PLKN was abolished in 2015. Why did they abolish PLKN?  Now they are bullying our university students just so that the BN govt can cover up their state of no money!

My child should be able to graduate by next year but because of this stupid thing she and so many of her peers  would have to wait one whole year to finish and start their degree courses.  For Idris Jusoh's info the students' momentum to study will definitely decline and their morale crash.  Lagi baik cuti satu tahun terus kahwin!

I am very angry with this latest idea of this moron govt.  

My ears are fuming fire.  

And my blood pressure has risen this couple of days.  

Not good.  

If we all still vote for BN this coming election 14GE then blame it on ourselves this time for not even God can help us!

Thank you for reading this dear Syed.  This time it's not about religion but the fate of our children - especially the malay bumiputera children whom this govt thinks it can bully at its disposal!

Regards,

My comments: Thank you Ms A. for taking time to share this with us.    I have known Idris Jusoh since 2000 - 17 years ago. He always looked blur.  

I found out from someone in Terengganu that when he was Menteri Besar of Terengganu Idris Jusoh did ask all his EXCO members to read my book, 'Malaysia and the Club of Doom - The Collapse of the Islamic Countries'. Sadly, they did not read it closely enough. 

This GAP program is another asinine idea. Before this, the PLKN (National Service program) was just an excuse to dish out money to cronies running the program. When the money ran out, they abolished National Service (PLKN). 

I agree that now they are doing this GAP year for students at these eight gomen universities because the gomen has run out of money. They are basically kicking the students out. There is no money.

Idris says similar programs have been carried out in other countries. This shows his total ignorance. No need to go overseas lah brader. Our local universities have had apprenticeship programs and training programs for a long time. 

My son (architect) apprenticed for one semester. So did my nephew (engineer).

But these are training programs carefully thought out and well implemented. My nephew (an engineer) apprenticed for a semester with an engineering company. And they have hired him to work with them. 

My son apprenticed with an architect's firm for a semester. He is an architect.

Their universities did not send them to become soldiers in the Army, traffic policemen or immigration enforcers. What is the connection or relevance to their areas of study? 

What Idris is doing is "shifting Budgets". The Ministry of Higher Education has no money to house the students. So send them to the Army, Police and Immigration for one year where the Mindef and Home Affairs ministries can spend their Budgets (to pay and house these students). Banyak cantik.

And how many students are involved here? 10,000? 20,000? 

The gomen says that youth unemployment (below 25 years old ??) has already exceeded 10%.  This is THREE TIMES the national average of about 3.5%.

I dont believe BOTH these figures. I think the gomen is lying. I believe the unemployment rates among Malaysians are higher. Especially among Malays and bumiputras.  

But in this scenario how are another 10,000 or 20,000 "unqualified" university students going to get 'employment' for one whole year?  By the time they even find a job, six months would have gone by.

I have another niece who was a top student (9As in SPM). She later graduated in the top percentile as an engineer. Yet it took her almost a year to get a job.  So how are unqualified students going to get a job for just one year? Even McDonald's will not hire them.

So here is what will happen. The Malay students will go back to their houses and kampongs and lepak for one year. Some (not many) will become warong entrepreneurs.  Most will just hang around, not knowing what to do. That  is what will happen.  

And after ONE YEAR of lepak they would have forgotten their studies, especially those who are doing follow through courses like Finance 1 followed by Finance 2. Or Management Accounting 1 followed by Management Accounting 2. They would have forgotten all the formulas and the concepts. They can catch up but it will take more reading, more time on the students.

Idris Jusoh was also the architect of that disastrous RM1 Billion Besut education hub. Here are some pictures from the Malay Mail :

If you want to spoil your Saturday, you can read about the gap inside Idris Jusoh's head here.