Chinese Schools Essay

Chinese schools have come a long way since the colonial days. Over the years and with the evolution of the national education system, Chinese schools have had to face countless threats to their survival. Despite this, Chinese schools have gained popularity and have enjoyed high enrolments, even among non-Chinese students. It has been reported that at least 10 percent of students studying in Chinese schools come from non-Chinese backgrounds. A number of factors contribute to this growing phenomenon. First, Chinese schoolteachers are well known for their high level of commitment. For this and other reasons, students from Chinese schools often excel in public examinations especially in Science and Mathematics. The other attraction of Chinese schools is that students are required to learn an additional language, Mandarin, which is a highly marketable skill in the job market. Chinese Education: A Historical Perspective The beginnings of Chinese education in Malaysia can be traced to the early nineteenth century. It was recorded that by 1815, there were already three Chinese schools in Malacca. One was founded by the London Missionary Society. With regard to the other two, sociologist Yang Qinghuang suggests that â€Å"at least one would be a school founded by the Hokkien people. † Scholar Zheng Liangshu suggests that some old-type Chinese schools might have existed in the Straits Settlements since the end of the eighteenth century. For a long time, Chinese schools in the Straits Settlements received neither help from the British government nor assistance from the government in China. Despite this, they thrived —funded mainly by clan and dialect associations. When faced with political and financial difficulties at the turn of the twentieth century, the Ching government of China changed its attitude towards overseas Chinese and began to promote Chinese education outside of China. It implemented educational reforms based on a proposal by Zhang Zidong. Following the reforms, the curriculum was revised to include Chinese Classical Literature, History, Geography, Mathematics, Moral Education, Physical Education and other optional subjects like Commerce and Drawing. In Malaya, Chung Hwa Confucian School in Penang not only adopted this new curriculum (it was the first to do so), it went further to include English as a subject. Support from the Ching government, however, was short lived. It ended with the fall of the dynasty. Chinese schools that attempted to run modern educational programmes (with a modern curriculum and incorporating English as a subject) faced enormous challenges. On the one hand, they were constantly in need of more funds. On the other hand, they lacked competent teachers. Furthermore, they had to compete with the more established English schools. Even so, there were five hundred Chinese schools with modern educational programmes established in Malaya and Singapore in 1920. By this time, textbooks for these schools had departed from the classical into the vernacular Chinese language (baihuawen). Because of their impressive growth, the British government decided that it could no longer afford to ignore Chinese schools. On 29 October 1920, it introduced the Regist ration of School Ordinance to restrict the activities of Chinese schools in the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States by way of registration and inspection. In 1935, control was further tightened: textbooks and teachers from China were prohibited. Only local materials and Malaysian-born teachers were allowed, and activities in Chinese schools came under strict scrutiny. Despite these challenges, Chinese education continued to thrive until it was suspended at the time of the Japanese Occupation of Malaya. After the war, Chinese schools resumed operation. By 1946, their number had ballooned to more than one thousand in Malaya. However, following the Barnes and Fenn-Wu Reports (June 1951) and the Education Ordinance 1952, Chinese education was exclude d from the national education system. The Chinese community rallied to form Jiao Zong (United Chinese School Teachers Association of Malaya, UCSTAM) and Dong Zong (United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaya, UCSCAN) to safeguard Chinese education. The Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) joined in. Its president then, Tun Tan Cheng Lock spoke these memorable lines, â€Å"†¦Chinese in Malaya †¦ should be given Chinese education †¦ The dialect or mother tongue can be likened to a person’s shadow, and is inseparable from the person himself/herself†¦ † (translated from Chinese). Efforts to safeguard Chinese education became even more difficult following the Razak Report in 1956 and the Education Ordinance in 1957. Thereafter, Chinese primary education was officially included in the national education system, classified as standard-type primary schools with Chinese language as the medium of instruction. However, Chinese secondary schools were excluded from the system when the Lower Certificate of Education examination (L. C. E) was introduced in English. This was not in accordance with the promise of fairness to other ethnic languages in the country as specified in the Razak Report. Furthermore, the Chinese community were horrified by the terms of reference in Paragraph 12 of the Razak Report: â€Å"†¦the ultimate objective of educational policy in this country must be to bring together the children of all races under a national education system in which the national language is the main medium of instruction. † Paragraph 12 was subsequently omitted following strong opposition from the Chinese community headed by Jiao Zong. Both the Rahman Talib Report (1961) and the Education Act (1961) reaffirmed the education policy as stated in the Education Ordinance 1957. Since government financial aid was vital to the survival of Chinese secondary schools, more than half of the 41 Chinese secondary schools then had little choice but to ‘convert’ itself into English medium national type secondary schools. On hindsight, many Chinese view this decision as a big mistake. The remaining 14 schools refused to give in, and have remained ‘independent’ to this day. The MCA facilitated this ‘conversion’ as it was satisfied with the verbal promises made by the Education Minister that â€Å"the government has no intention to exercise its authority granted under the Act to change Chinese primary schools to national schools† and that â€Å"Chinese schools are allowed to allocate one third of their curriculum for learning Mandarin and Chinese literature. † As a consequence of this concession made at the secondary  school level, development of Chinese education in Malaysia was restricted thereafter to the primary school level. The New Education Act 1996 posed an even bigger threat. It threw into question the status of national-type schools that were not established under Section 28 of the new Act. In fact, prior to this during the initial stage of implementing the ‘3R system’ (Reading, Writing & Arithmetic) in 1980, Chinese schools had already been challenged to forgo their medium of instruction. Materials for learning all subjects except Mandarin were available only in Bahasa Melayu. In response, Dong Jiao Zong and various Chinese guilds and associations submitted a memorandum to voice their opposition to the Ministry of Education in 1981. The schools were given the assurance that the government had no intention of changing the character of Chinese schools. However in the ensuing years, Chinese schools were asked to consider the concept of ‘integrated schools’ (1985) and Vision Schools (proposed in 1995, implemented in 2000), in addition to the latest â€Å"2-4-3† resolution that sought to introduce the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English (proposed in 2002, implemented in 2003). Despite these challenges, Chinese schools seek to maintain emphasis on the â€Å"Five Aspects of Formal Education in Confucianism (Wuyu Jiaoyu)† namely, moral (de), intellectual (zhi), physical (ti), social (qun ) and aesthetic ( ei) education. Until today, Chinese schools m continue to value discipline, respect for the elderly, courtesy, personal character and morality, rather than marketable skills such as computer literacy, Mathematics and Science. Some Reflections How does the development of Chinese education affect the church community i Malaysia?  n Should we stake our claims to citizenry and defend our right to be educated in our own (mother tongue) language? What about racial integration? Is it possible to promote Chinese education without further polarising the different communities? First, we have a moral basis for defending Chinese education. Being given the choice and having the opportunity to be educated in one’s own language is a universal human right according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948. Chinese education ha s existed in this country since the nineteenth century. As such, I believe we ought to defend the right of its existence in the same way as we would for the education of other ethnic communities in their own languages. Second, there is value in the Chinese school culture that is worth speaking up for. Even though outsiders might consider the Chinese community uncompromising in its stand with regard to educational issues, it must be pointed out that it is not just about safeguarding the Chinese language but it is also about retaining the ideals of holistic education. Furthermore, Chinese schools have a tradition of nurturing dedicated schoolteachers, and the Christian community should be at the forefront to encourage this culture of service and excellence. In the past, many of them have had to pay a high price for their conviction and dedication by becoming ‘martyrs’: Zhuang Xiquan, Chen Taomin and others were deported for opposing the Registration of School Ordinance 1920; Lim Lian Geok and Yen Yuan Chang were deprived of citizenship in 1961; Lim Huang Sheng and Sim Mow Yu were jailed under the Internal Security Act in 1987. Chinese education aids evangelistic work among the Chinese community. It provides students with a better understanding of the Chinese culture. Whereas in the past, the content of Chinese education was often influenced by traditional beliefs and practices, the Chinese education system today is more open to intellectual discourse on rethinking and repositioning the Chinese identity. The main grouse against Chinese schools is the lack of racial integration since students come from predominantly one ethnic background. The question we must ask is, is this acceptable or healthy in a multi-ethnic society like Malaysia? Most advocates for Chinese education would argue that it is less than ideal but what choice do they have? If national schools were to adopt a more holistic philosophy, and their teachers showed a more credible record in terms of commitment and disciplining of students, and if they provided students with the opportunity to study their own languages, racial integration would be less of an issue and Chinese students would be more  evenly distributed between national and Chinese schools. Despite this obvious shortcoming related to racial integration, I still advocate Chinese education for what it offers. Clearly, through its holistic philosophy and track record, it has produced many responsible citizens through the years. Chinese education continues to play a significant role in nation-building and church life in Malaysia. Florence Kuek lectures Mandarin at Universiti Teknologi Mara.

Reflection paper Essay

Visiting the Daybreak Family Centre gave me the opportunity to learn more about social services in reality. Albeit not having the chance to interact with their clients because we were untrained, I had a fruitful discussion session with the social workers there. â€Å"Learning in social work isn’t a linear process,† shared one of the social worker. Theories though being taught in school – seems like there is an accurate answer – social work is not a mere transfer of learning. With real clients, it takes time to generate solutions. Some lessons can only be self-discovered through experiences. Since social workers usually deal with case-works, this provided me another insightful take-away of the importance of self-reflection – which allows most practitioners to explore reasons they response in certain ways, helping to create self-awareness of own strength and weaknesses. Social workers too have attitudes, past and prejudices that will affect their resp onses to certain things. Without learning from oneself and acknowledge all these, it will be exceptionally difficult for social workers to assist clients effectively. These social workers shared that critical reflection allows them to form new perspective of the situation, understand themselves better and hence, advance. In social services, the importance of maintaining confidentiality and establishing professional boundaries could not be emphasizes enough. Also, bearing in mind, social workers cannot overpower clients, make assumptions or put own expectations on them. I have learnt that only when appropriate, can then a social worker take more control of clients’ lives. Social services focus on client’s self-determination. Clients ultimately have to be responsible of the decisions they make. Social workers cannot allow a particular incident to affect them so as to continue their profession. It is apparent that females mainly dominate the social work profession. It struck me on how this negatively impacted the manpower issue. In particular, the root cause of delinquency is the distant-father-figure at home. The  general consensus that men are more likely to be receptive towards other men in this issue causes a greater demand for male social workers. Unless the society takes a step forward and change this delusion that social work is a â€Å"voluntary-work†, not a profession, it will be rather difficult to ameliorate this situation. This general misconception has to be addressed meritoriously. On a side note, all the social workers I have meet were like angels, kind-hearted, understanding and never failed to wear on a big-smile!

Clostridium Difficile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Clostridium Difficile - Essay Example The role of CDI in antibiotic-associated diarrhea was recognized in 1970s. In 2000, the emergence of a drug-resistant hypervirulent strain was documented. This strain was associated with severe and recurrent CDI. Between 2000 and 2005, the CDI cases almost doubled, of which majority were older adults (Kee 2011). CDI is characterized by at least three unformed feces, within a 24-hour period, with C. difficile (McCollum and Rodriguez 2012). The presence of infection is examined through histopathologic or endoscopic tests. CDI has been linked to approximately 20% of all cases of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in humans (Carman et al. 2011). From being associated with simple to severe diarrhea, C. difficile is now regarded as the principal cause of various diseases, including sepsis, fulminant colitis, multiorgan failure, toxic megacolon, and even death (Ananthakrishnan and Binion 2010). History and Epidemiology Staphylococcus aureus was commonly linked to antibiotic-associated diarrhea, but in 1974, the cases of clindamycin-associated pseudomembranus colitis were found not caused by S. aureus (Bartlett 2008). These cases were later associated with C. difficile when the link between CDI and antibiotic therapy was elucidated. CDI became more common and severe since the year 2000. From a common cause of nuisance, it evolved into a principal nosocomial cause of mortality and morbidity (McCollum and Rodriguez 2012). ... This percentage increases with age, making the elderly more prone to CDI than the young adults. Older adults may have 10% to 20% colonization rates, depending on the length and frequency of exposure to antibiotic treatments and to C. difficile (Wilcox 2003). Although the vegetative forms of the bacillus die upon exposure to air, its spores may last for months and even years. Hospitals are the major source of C. difficile spores. The bacillus can also be found in farmyards and domestic animals like dogs, cows, cats, horses, and pigs. In developed countries, hospital-acquired diarrhea is likely associated with C. difficile than any other bacteria (Wilcox 2003). In England and Wales, about 18,000 laboratory cases of C. difficile are reported annually (Wilcox 2003). More than 80% of these cases involved patients with ages of over 65 years (Wilcox 2003). The elderly patients tend to acquire severe CDI, though increasing age is not a risk factor for the extent of infection severity. These trends were also observed in the U.S. In fact, the economic cost of CDI cases in the U.S. range from $436 million to $3 billion in a year (Ananthakrishnan and Binion 2010). Clinical and Pathological Features It is often difficult to differentiate the clinical and pathological characteristics of the disease caused by C. difficile from those of other intestinal diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and chronic inflammatory bowel disease (Knoop et al. 1993). The symptoms may manifest as early as one to two days after an antimicrobial therapy and as late as two to ten weeks after the therapy. C. difficile-associated disease could also occur after a single

The Description of an Application Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Description of an Application Letter - Essay Example I also have experience in excelling in use of new technologies in the field of medicine. I have enclosed my certification credentials, resume and two references to enhance your access to additional information about my qualifications. I will be very grateful if considered and promise to deliver my best if granted an opportunity to serve your organization. â€Å"The Community Cancer Center (CCC) is one of the private, bountiful, non-profit, community-owned and operated cancer treatment facilities† (Community Cancer Center) that was formed in early 1980.CCC is very unique. This is evidenced by its lack of affiliation with governmental, political, or religious organizations. It is also independent of any support from any hospital or medical organization. Additionally, it performs its roles without any support from tax dollars. All these contribute to it working entirely towards enhancing the success of the community. â€Å"The CCC is governed by a voluntary, 30-member Board of Trustees† (Community Cancer Center). Its administrative duties are carried out by an executive director who supervises a staff of 22 as well as part-time employees. Physician services are offered by 2 independently employed oncologists. CCC offers support to those who lack the potential to purchase needed medicines. It also offers nutritional as well as psychosocial counseling to those in need of the service. A van owned by the center as well as the driver employed by the center take part in transporting patients who lack the ability to access medical centers. According to Bruce Hanna who was the former president of the Community Cancer Foundation, the philosophy of the CCC is to â€Å"To give hope, when life is challenged by cancer and to care for all who need it in Douglas County† (Community Cancer Center). The job I am applying for is  located in Normal, IL 61761. It is offered by all industries, and it requires a full-time employee. The reference code for the job is 20645485.  

Business communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Business communication - Essay Example I also learned that a poster does not have to be too complicated; in fact, it is quite simple to design. Many people feel that they have to go over the top and design an amazing poster by including many different graphics and pieces of information. However, I kept my poster quite simple and it turned out to be very good. The best way to make a poster is to design if for a young child. If they can understand the layout and the general message that the poster is trying to communicate, then it is perfect for viewers of all ages. In preparation of designing the poster, I found some templates from Genigraphics and chose the one that I though was the most simple yet convincing at the same time. I liked the template that I eventually chose because the layout was very simple to follow and it was not cluttered at all. I included some attention grabbers such as pictures with people holding up protest signs in support of human rights. This is an issue that everyone feels passionately about whet her they admit it or not, so the use of these graphics automatically perks up the interest of the viewer. I decided to go with a poster layout that had a viewing sequence by row. Because most people naturally read left to right before moving down a page, this just seemed the most natural way to design the layout. I had though about a column layout, but that seemed too formal, and I wanted to make sure that my poster was friendly towards the viewer. In term of the colours that I used, I tried to use more light and friendly colours such as blue and green. My reasoning for this is that not only did I want to keep the colour scheme simple, but I did not want to put anyone off from viewing my poster. The use of yellow letters on either a blue or green background does not strain the eyes of the viewer. In my original draft poster, I made the mistake of using too many colours, and this just confused the viewer. If there are too many colours, then a poster can be unappealing because it make s more impact than the actual content. That is why I decided to stick with two main colours that were simple yet effective. For the fonts that I used, I chose to go with one of the more basic fonts because it is very easy to read. For emphasis, I used bold with the content under the Methods & Materials and Conclusion sections in order to make it stand out more. I perhaps made my font size a little bit small, but I think that I also had the trouble with trying to balance just how much information to include. From a distance of one metre away the poster should be able to be fully understood. Upon reflection, I would not change too much to the process for designing the poster and also the actual poster itself. Now that I have successfully designed this poster, I would probably be able to produce one faster if I did this assignment again. That is because I now know what does and doesn’t work when it comes to designing a poster. I could eliminate any mistakes that I experienced th e first time around of doing this assignment. The one thing that I would change though would be to make the font slightly larger so that people could still read the content from a longer distance away. Apart from that, I feel that my poster is very effective in the message that it communicates and it is

Linguistic questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Linguistic questions - Essay Example However, many researchers suggest that when the issue involves non-native speakers, the matter of teaching Standard English (British or American) becomes controversial. With non-native speakers, it is not good to confuse them with phrases like â€Å"Did you take† or â€Å"Have you taken†, so a mix of both standards is commonly used among them. This mix will be called the international English which will be spoken by the non-native speakers. This makes English not a foreign language but an international language where no standard is being followed when the aim of the student is to learn it for instrumental purpose and not to belong to a specific culture. Hence, although it is important to make the students familiar with Standard English because numerous research and publications are written using this dialect, however it is also important not to bound the non-native speakers to learn a specific standard so that they have an open learning horizon in front of them. According to Lenneberg’s Critical Period Hypothesis, an individual’s capability to learn a second language and gain the exact native accent diminishes after a certain age or time period (Moore, 1999). A child after birth and before entering into puberty has marked performance in learning the second language as compared to post-pubescent children or adults. However, the observations related to Genie’s linguistic development, it becomes quite evident that language acquisition can still occur after the critical period has passed. When Genie, the 13.5 year old adolescent who was kept within the confinement of a room until her discovery, was exposed and put under supervision of Susan Curtiss, linguistic development was observed in Genie which proved Lenneberg’s Critical Period Hypothesis as wrong. When for the first eleven months Genie did not respond to the researchers, they thought that she would never be able to learn language because

The Hope Athena Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Hope Athena - Essay Example Although Athena was a Greek goddess, the Romans adopted her as one of their own, renaming her Minerva and adopting many of the legends regarding her and her abilities. Her importance to her new society can be seen in the intricate detail of the copyist to remain true to the Greek original.  Athena was a very powerful Greek goddess who epitomized everything the Greeks admired, intellect, wisdom, strength, courage, strategy and more. â€Å"With a battle cry that resounded through the kingdom of heaven and earth, she springs from the head of Zeus. She is one of the most powerful forces on Mount Olympus, representing war and the immortal spirit of wisdom. Athena embodies the matriarchal goddess, a complex figure of internal strength and reflection. She is a powerful source of interpretation for the idea of the goddess as a balance between nature and humanity† (Ortengren, 1998). As a goddess of military strength and protection, she is often depicted in battle, such as in the scen es featured on the Parthenon, or ready for battle. The statue the Hope Athena is believed to be modeled after is believed to have once held a spear in her one hand and a Nike, â€Å"a winged personification of victory†, in the other (Lansberry, 2005). Experiencing the statue in person does little to solve the mystery of her handheld iconography. The details of what the Hope Athena might have held can only be conjecture as one of the first things noticed about her is the fact that she is missing her arms. The scars marking where they once were do suggest that one hand was held out in front of her, as if holding something in the palm of her hand, and one arm might have been stretched to the side somewhat, as it would have been if holding a long spear. There is another evident damage to the statue as well.

The Development of Barrier to Entry in B2B Markets. The Case of Dissertation

The Development of Barrier to Entry in B2B Markets. The Case of Russian Underground Construction Industry - Dissertation Example Concerning this, a qualitative research was initiated employing personal interviews among management executives from ten tunnelling / underground construction companies, both local and foreign, within Sochi, St Petersburg and Moscow cities. These cities have been chosen as they are the ones experiencing strong growth in underground construction within Russia at the moment and therefore tend to have considerable number of tunnelling businesses. The researcher generally generated participants on the basis of proximity, ease-of-access, and willingness to participate under the principle of non-probability sampling. Environmental sustainability is found to be the most prominent advantage of underground construction. ... ion, and difficulty in starting the mining process, but critical analysis and detailed planning are important to ward off the probable difficulties associated with underground construction. Production management and introduction of new technologies and investment in latest equipment and machines were found crucial on the part of construction companies to ensure competitive edge over their competitors. Barriers to underground construction industry include the need to outsource high capital, employ advanced technologies and secure government licences. These make it harder for new, particularly small entrants to penetrate into the industry knowing that the large companies have wider chance to explore advertising, and acquire equipment, wages, and research and development. Responding to the changes associated with the existence of these barriers was found as important move among companies in underground construction industry. These changes primarily include sophistication of construction techniques, appropriate use of planning, implementation, evaluation and control. Russian government was found not a remarkable barrier to potential entrants, but the set standards by the government authorities could front probable risk factors prior to successful entry. Due to shortage of skilled workers in the underground construction industry, there is a necessity to outsource human resource, and employ foreign partners, but one substantial move to ensure productivity and competitive edge is to allow manpower to undergo refresher courses and advanced trainings to keep them abreast of the new technologies and processes employed in the industry. Underground construction companies also found that innovation and invention are also important considerations to stay at the level of competitive

Contact zone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Contact zone - Essay Example It happened that I befriended a tour guide who promised to take me deep into the communal areas to meet people and learn their culture someday before returning home. The problem was that on arriving in the rural area, I was embarrassed by having many people from the community following us and making some funny jokes about my dressing that was very different from theirs. In summers, am used to wearing light clothing that expose most of the body to enjoy the sun bath and the freshness of the weather in my destinations. However, the community I visited was a conservative one that adorned in clothes that covered almost the entire body. I could clearly tell they were making fun of my clothing. When having lunch, as I liked having new delicacies from native communities, the type of food that was served was very different to what I was used to. From that time, I could read some negative reactions from the people I had visited and even the person I head befriended was involved in some jokes that made fun of me. Considering am not used to working in the garden, I made an ugly scene trying to learn farming using animals to plough. The reaction in the entire contact with the community was that I was a fool who did not know the best things to eat and one that could not work. From the interpretations that I got, I learned that the locals were remarking that people of my type were a lazy lot who could not do any physical activity or wear decent clothing to cover the body. From the experience, a contact zone is influenced by the extent of adherence to beliefs and values in a community and the degree to which such a community recognizes and embraces defying cultures. The community in question was a conservative one that followed strict codes of behaviour and values. Anyone who failed to abide by these values was a laughing stock and an outcast not welcome in the community. Pratt (37) suggested that a person surrounded and living in a particular culture will develop a strong be lief that their culture is much better than other cultures out there, and will look down upon anyone practicing a different culture. This influence was manifested in the community above. Most of the indigenous people do not travel but live in strong communal ties separated into several clans, with each clan having a strict code of values and behaviours to follow. As a result, anyone with different behaviours or values was an intruder whose behaviour had to be ignored with a â€Å"disgusting† attitude. Concerning the dressing code, the community had a strong belief that wearing exposing clothing was a taboo that an adult was not supposed to be indulged in. A pair of summer shorts and a small vest was not considered decent clothing, and from the observation, there was a sense of disgust especially from the elders. Communities are differentiated not by their genuineness, nevertheless by the stylishness in which such communities are imagined (Pratt 37). Judging from the entire re ception and treatment while in the community, it was evident that the community had a perception and belief that I lacked values and discipline. The fact that I could not participate in farm activities effectively or other strenuous physical activities such as using animals in the farm suggested I was lazy compared to their fellow communal members. The main problem was that the community lacked any insight regarding western communities or life and cultures in the western world,