Transcript LifeLong Learning in Communities - Three Challenges in Malaysia

LifeLong Learning in Communities Three Challenges in Malaysia
Dr. Daphne Loke
Social Worker,
Reader,
SEGi University College Malaysia
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Participatory Research between 2003 – 2008 by a Social Worker In
3 types of communities in Malaysia
Project 1
Promoter
Developer
Sponsors
2 women of broken
homes in traditional
community
The author
– Branch
Party
Secretary
Mothers of
broken homes
Politicians, Individuals
Project 2
Promoter
Developer
Sponsors
Integration of Social
Networks – Volunteers
of Crisis Relief Squad
The author
– Sec-Gen
University TAR
Govt. grant; St.John’s
Ambulance; CIMB;
BERJAYA; SP Setia,
Jamsine Rice,…etc…
Project 3
Promoter
Developer
Sponsors
University students as
Drivers of community
Learning
The author
– project
director
University TAR s
Microsoft
Dr. Daphne Loke : LifeLong Learning in communities : 3 challenges in Malaysia
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4th Dimension of LifeLong Learning
Learning to live together:
To expose individuals to the values implicit within
 Human rights
 Democratic principles
 Intercultural understanding
 Respect, and
 Peace at all levels of society and
 Human relationships
To enable individuals and societies to live in peace and harmony
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Conceptual Framework:
Intervening Factors
Promoter
Community
Learning
Outcome
Developer
Intervening Factors :
Project 1: Communal
Project 2: Political
Project 3: Behavioral
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National Efforts for LifeLong Learning in Malaysia
1961 - KEMAS (Jabatan Kemajuan Masyarakat / Department of Social
Progress)
 Primary purpose: upgrading literacy levels of individuals by
conducting adult learning classes – women and men spend 2-3 hrs
in formal learning
 Evidence of success in raising rural literacy (KPWK, 2003)
1977 – Adopted UNESCO concept for functional literacy
 New focus to enable person function in a complex society
 Individual learning converged to community learning
 Focus : to develop meaningful relationships among individuals
Today - Malaysian adult literary rate of 92.1% ( Economist: Pocket World in Figures
2011)
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Project 1: Women of broken families
Research Object 1: Corporate lady married into a broken family
 Battle against communal outcasting
 Removing a social stigma
 Perseverance - rose to position of respect - as Town
Councillor
 Became woman leader in Branch of Political Party
 Took on the role of driver of lifelong learning among
women
 Difficulties : penetrating a traditional community
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Project 1: Women of broken families
Research Object 2: Housewife with 2 children abandoned by husband
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Forced to develop income stream to maintain the family
Commercialised her gifted skill - Chinese calligraphy
Conducted Chinese calligraphy classes from home
Branched into other handicraft classes for womenfolk of community
Proponent for lifelong learning in communities
Difficulties : active women referred to as “trouble makers” in a
traditional community
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Observations of women participation in community lifelong learning
Inhibiting
Factors
Promoter
Community
Learning
Outcome
Developer
 Objective, Planning, Community Sponsorship - no shortage of support
 Promoters and developers – Availability
 Women community - showed great interest but low participation
Inhibiting factors:  Priority for family commitment
 Male (husband) objection – lack of understanding from the men
 Communal norm that a woman should not be active in society
Success factors:
 Self confidence; Personal integrity & perseverance
 Exceptional self-learning regimes of individuals crafted the
character of the environment
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Project 2: Integration of social Networks Learning Through Disaster Resource Management
“… most poverty reductions programs leave a lot to be desired in
terms of integration with disaster management” (APDC, 2011)
 Picked poverty-stricken areas to implement their programs
 Includes villages in capacity building which could be repurposed for disaster
management e.g. river rehabilitation; supply of heavy equipment
 Univeristy academicians were deployed for professional planning and quality
execution
 Created cross-border learning through
interactions at Annual International
Workshops :
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MCA
President
CRSM
National Chairman
Executive
Secretary
CRSM
Vice-Chairman
CRSM
Vice-Chairman
CRSM
Vice-Chairman
SecretaryGeneral
Advisory
Council
Treasurer
Head
Training
Unit
Head
Medical
Unit
Head
Counseling
Unit
CRSM Units In 13 States
and Divisional CRSM Units in the States
Total of 5,000 volunteers as CRSM members
Head
ActionRelief Unit
Head Legal
Unit
Need for a
Crisis Resource
Management
System
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Dr. Daphne Loke : LifeLong Learning in commnitiesL 3 challenges in Malaysia
Obtained RM0.5
mil Govt Grant
Project execution
by University TAR
Full time System
Administrator
Command and
management via
mobile devices
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BANK
Data
Bank
Item_information
Request_for_order_details_report
Customer_payment
usrID
answer
Member_update_details
New_password
Member_login_details
Member_application_details
Banking_report
New_members_report
members_report
MEMBER
CRSM
System
MANAGEMENT
Valid_member_login_details
Staff_password
Member_password
Secret_question
Secret_question
receipt
Order_details_report
Valid_staff_login_details
Delivery_note
Item_details
New_item_details
Item_updated_details
answer
Category_update_details
New_password
New_category_details
Staff_login_details
Staff_application_details
usrID
HQ Admin
Political changes at
the top
Poor Performance of party in
2008 General Elections
Promoter
Community
Outcome
Developer
 Party President declined
re-election
 Party in turmoil at the
top
 Secretary –General
Resigned
 National Chief resigned
 New President failed to
command respect of
masses and members of
CRSM
 New President dissolved
CRSM in 2010
MCA
President
CRSM
National Chairman
Executive
Secretary
CRSM
Vice-Chairman
CRSM
Vice-Chairman
CRSM
Vice-Chairman
SecretaryGeneral
Advisory
Council
Treasurer
Head
Training
Unit
Head
Medical
Unit
Head
Counseling
Unit
Head
ActionRelief Unit
Head Legal
Unit
CRSM Units In 13 States
and Divisional CRSM Units in the States
Total of 5,000 volunteers as CRSM members
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Observations of Community Projects Executed by Politicians
Inhibiting
Factors
Promoter
Community
Learning
Outcome
Developer
 Grand idea – “There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer.”
 Noble - No shortage of sponsors from public and private sectors
Inhibiting factors:  Politicians prioritised personal interest over social interest
 Lack of project management skills of volunteers
 “Mine” vs “his” sybdrome - reluctant to continue projects of predecessor
 General loss of trust in political projects
 Questionable integrity of politicians threatened project sustainability
Success factors:
 Removal political influence from community projects
 Select better persons to fill leadership positions
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Project 3: Encouraging University Students to be
Drivers in Community Learning
 Outreach programmes by University students into communities
 Scanning information of locations through mobile clinics and mall
community programmes
 Use databases for problem analysis
 Development of web sites for communities
 Establish e-mails for convenient communication in communities
 Inculcate discipline that university final year projects must bear
results which the communities can benefit, particularly in upgrading
community learning
Award-winning projects :
1. Service Center Systems (2009)
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Observations of Driving Community Learning
Behavioral
Factors
Promoter
Community
Learning
Outcome
Developer
 Support from both university students and the service centres
 Students need to take a project from start , problem investigation data collection,
system design to result delivery
 No shortage of sponsors – annual award for best community projects
Inhibiting factors:  Community preference for convenience - emails, SMS, blogging, facebooks...
 Lack of IT support for service centres and farm projects –
 Lack of interest in data-input by service staff
Success factors:
 Awareness of community preference and development of communications technology
 Simplify data input – avail quick access to accurate and up-to-date information
 Availability of IT support for project sustainability
Evaluation Using European LifeLong Learning Indicators
ELLI
Indicators
Project 1:
Adaptive Situational Learning
Project 2:
Developing social networks for learning
Project 3:
Driving Learning
Participation in
active
citizenship
Individual Learning: High
Due to being under social pressure to survive
and staying on course
Community Learning: Low
Majority comfortable with status quo
Not keen to know what was going on
Successful women considered “odd-man-out”
and could not represent a community
Individual Learning: High
Squad members all saw the importance of
learning about disaster management
As training reached the individual level demand
exceeded supply.
Community Learning: Medium
The state and division levels of squad leaders did
not promote the movement downwards for lack of
appropriate organizational structure.
Individual Learning: Low
Service centre workers resisted learning things out
side their routine
Saw keying-in data into database as not their job
Community Learning: Low
Web project abandoned due to lack of pressure
from party HQ
Local members did not feel they could learn from
website
Lack of funds and dedicated IT personnel
Tolerance, Trust Individual Learning: High.
and Openness Perseverance to overcome public sympathy
changed the women roles from learners to
teachers
Community Learning: Medium
The acceptance by local women folks who
respected them as role models.
Some men saw them as “trouble makers
Individual Learning: High
Community Learning: High
Both the individuals and the communities saw the
importance of teamwork and coordination and be
adequately prepared when they go into operation
during crises.
Individual Learning: Low
• The centre operator wants it but lack esecution
know-how
• High resistance to change ( data input) by staff .
Community Learning: Low
Low IT adoption rate by the centre particularly
where projects depended on
volunteers and
donations
High staff turn-over deter continuity in learning
Lack of consistency in training/learning.
“difficult” to find time for training
Inclusion in
Individual Learning: Low
Social Networks Only handful of women participated in party
activities
Community Learning: Low:
Most party members, whether male or female,
were merely in name only. Party HQ ensured
their membership continuity
Individual Learning: High
Community Learning: High
Both individuals and communities subscribed to
social integration for successful crisis management
Squad members interacted well with local NGOs
e.g. Rukun Tetanga, , and Civil Defence Dept.
Individual Learning: High
Like the email & new communications means
Community Learning: Medium
Prefers off-the-shelf applications
Reluctant to spend money on support
No dedicated IT personnel
Findings:
Learning to live together:
To expose individuals to the values implicit within
 Human rights
 Democratic principles
 Intercultural understanding
 Respect, and
 Peace at all levels of society and
 Human relationships (establishing meaningful ones)
To enable individuals and societies to live in peace and harmony
Determinants of success:
1. Professionalism in planning and execution of community projects
2. Focus on ensuring that learning occurred
3. Limit political interventions
4. Based on same conceptual framework -- need for more promoters for LifeLong
Learning in Communities
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Conceptual Framework:
Intervening Factors
Promoter
Community
Learning
Outcome
Developer
Intervening Factors :
Project 1: Communal
Project 2: Political
Project 3: Behavioral
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Obstacles will always be there.
Someone just got to start it,
somewhere, some time.
Thank You
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