SEPTEMBER 28 — It was definitely one of my better decisions to join the jury panel of the Pertandingan Inovasi Pensyarah Kolej Komuniti Peringkat Kebangsaan 2016 (Perisa), held on Sept 21 and 22. The innovation competition for lecturers of community colleges in its second year.

Kolej Komuniti Temerloh (KKT) in Mentakab, Pahang, was the host college. The community colleges (KK) are named after parliamentary electoral constituencies hence, it is identified as KK Temerloh although it is actually in Mentakab.

Opened for intake in 2001, KKs are a network of educational institutions dedicated to providing Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) courses for school-leavers and those with learning difficulties. They present an opportunity for those who are not academically inclined to receive training in a multitude of careers, ranging from accounting and entrepreneurship to hospitality, visual arts and more. There are 94 of such institutions throughout the country, housed in shop lots and purposed built complexes.

There are four types of programmes offered — KK certificates (four to six months’ industrial training), Special Skills certificates (for those with learning disabilities/difficulties) Work Based Learning diploma, and Lifelong Learning (short courses for local communities designed to increase their standard of living). Tuition fees for certificate level is RM200 per semester for all courses and it is open to all Malaysian citizens with a minimum pass in the SPM.

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It comes under the direct purview of the Department of Community Colleges Education in the Higher Education Ministry.

Day one

It was a nearly two-hour trip from the KL exiting toll to the doorstep of KKT. Beny Yusmar, the liaison officer assigned to assist me during my stay greeted me upon my arrival at 8.02am.

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There are 11 people on the jury panel and I was appointed head jury. We were to select the best innovation ideas from 145 entries in six product/service categories, namely Management & Administration, Food & Beverage, Fashion & Apparels, Engineering, ICT, and Educational & Learning Tools.

After a simple meehoon breakfast, joint chairman Dr Ishak Mohamad, head of the Research and Innovation Unit under the Academic and Continuing Education Division provided an overview of Perisa. He stressed they were working within a limited budget model as the organising committee only received a small grant, which had to be supplemented by other revenue sources. Affable Ng Kam Meng from KK Kepala Batas, in the technical sub-committee, then continued the briefing in detail.

I was assigned the Management & Administration category, together with Associate Professor Arfah Kassim from the Management and Science University (MSU). There were 23 booths (entries) in this category and our nine other panel members dealt with the remaining 122 booths. All of us did our assessments separately.

We continued after a brief lunch and reassembled at 4.30pm to submit our assessment findings. The next two hours are spent in the collation of results by the liaison officers. As the chief judge, it was my duty to vet/confirm/announce the results, i.e. gold, silver, bronze or participation certificates.

The innovation ideas were a good combination of the use of technology and sheer common sense, but it was clearly in pursuit of seeking solutions and improving the ecosystem. The wealth creation agenda though was not particularly obvious.

The entries comprised 199 women and 119 men from 50 KKs. A few participated in two entries. There were only 143 booths, since two were absent. They had all gathered a day earlier for registration, briefing and booth preparation.

Day two

The guest of honour on the awards ceremony day the Higher Education Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Noorul Ainur, who was accompanied by JPKK deputy director-general Mohd Nasir Abdul Ghani.

This is Noorul’s third posting as secretary-general. Prior to this she was with the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry and Women, Family and Community Development Ministry from 2010. She also has an extensive resume in regional and international campaigns for Malaysia. It was evident the Higher Education Ministry has a “take-charge” secretary-general.

My 10 colleagues all agree the entries were commendable and with a high degree of thought process behind them.

JPKK’s effort to promote innovative thinking among their lecturers is a laudable endeavour. The lecturers are not just connected with the local communities, but more importantly with people who have the motivation to better their lives, notwithstanding their various circumstances. The TVET programmes offer vast opportunities to promote innovation of any style and substance.

I wish JPKK would reevaluate the Perisa agenda and organisational aspirations to place this event up several notches in priority. The rules on innovation are never done — make it pervasive through the KK channel. It would be in keeping with ministry’s “Soaring Upwards” tagline.

How about it, Noorul?

Postscript

Wondering into a night market in the Mentakab town centre, I was awestruck watching a stall run by a Malay family selling yau char kuai (fried cruellers), vadei (deep-fried lentils) and other traditional Chinese/Indian street fare. It seems they have been doing this well past 30 years. Thinking back, I may have been the one who looked strange staring at them than they are in performing their tasks.

There were other Malay stalls that sold Chinese pancakes and fried noodles.

In the bigger towns, foreigners must have been equally fascinated with how Malaysians do things, cross-culturally, together and separately, that we have all accepted as normal.

Shame on those who continue to mock the Malaysian way with their bigotry.

* Datuk Lee Yew Meng is the CEO of Genovasi Malaysia.

** This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.