Malaysiakini - Dr M: Shameful for graduates to end up selling nasi lemak (extracts):
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It is shameful for graduates to resort to selling nasi lemak, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said in a talk.
"We cannot be proud if graduates become Uber drivers or sell nasi lemak. They do this to support their income.
"They are trained (in universities), so they should make use of their knowledge and competency. They resort to selling nasi lemak because they can't get a job," he said during his weekly "Policy Talk" show, which was aired live on Facebook today.
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"We cannot be proud if graduates become Uber drivers or sell nasi lemak. They do this to support their income.
"They are trained (in universities), so they should make use of their knowledge and competency. They resort to selling nasi lemak because they can't get a job," he said during his weekly "Policy Talk" show, which was aired live on Facebook today.
My Uncles told me that during their time, Indian universities, by their hundreds, if not thousands, were scoffed at for their chowkana (dodgy) standards.
Some Indian mates also related to my Uncles that quite a few Indian medical colleges had "professional patients" who were actual patients with a variety of illness, diseases etc, and who were used by the colleges as "examination models" to test the acquired learning of the medical students. Those "professional patients" were so professional they sold their medical conditions to some students (who could afford their fees) before the practical examinations so those students could end up as "brilliant" examinees, wakakaka.
Guess what sort of employment they found in Malaya, then Malaysia?
Guess what sort of employment they found in Malaya, then Malaysia?
During the years I was in Australia I wasn't aware of the mushrooming universities in Malaysia, where invariably standards would drop to cope with rapid expansion to meet increasing demands for university places.
Who knows whether they might have now approximated the status of Indian universities during my Uncles' days, but from what I heard and read, the standards of Malaysian universities today have been disappointing.
The hapless graduates now bear the consequences of questionable reputation of their respective universities. Apart from the fluctuating scarcity of employment for graduates, a worldwide phenomenon, a graduate from a less reputable university will find it difficult to source employment opportunities.
When there is no suitable employment, the graduate must keep busy, thus jobs like selling nasi lemak and driving Uber-taxis should not be frowned upon. Graduates in Australia, UK and the USA do the same, where I have been served food by university graduates at restaurants. I know of several university graduates who worked at retail shops for a couple of years before they found better employment.
Mahathir should remember that not everyone is fortunate to have rich parents or grandparents. Or to have attended overseas universities like Harvard, Yale and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, or a Japanese university.
Those Malaysian university graduates who sell nasi lemak or drive under Uber (and such likes) have been commendable in their diligence. Mahathir might not be proud of them, where once upon a time (his time) university graduates were treated like Tuan orang putih and were made District Officers, officers in government departments or magistrates (yes, university graduates without law degrees were made magistrates).
But I believe many Malaysians are glad and proud of hardworking Malaysian graduates who aren't afraid or ashamed to use their hands to toil until better opportunities arise.