Accord equal importance to the arts
WHAT course is that, I’ve never heard of it before. What are the job prospects? If you are a graduate or student of the arts, social science and humanities, you might have been asked these questions at some point in time.
According to a November 2015 article by EduAdvisor, graduates of the arts, social science and humanities recorded the highest unemployment rate at a staggering 43.4%. In 2011, according to statistics from the Higher Education Ministry, the unemployment rate was 44.5% for graduates in this field. This basically means the situation has not changed since 2011.
In light of the current emphasis on promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, there is concern that the arts, social science and humanities may eventually be neglected.
The National Education Blueprint 2015-2025 also does not focus on the importance of this field of study. It is mainly focused on enhancing the quality of STEM education and raising awareness of the related subjects.
There’s no doubt STEM is a prestigious field that most individuals would know about. In schools, STEM always receives more attention among teachers, and students of STEM are perceived to be smarter. In secondary school, high hopes are usually placed on these students. It’s no wonder then that the unemployment rate is highest among graduates of the arts, social science and humanities. Lack of recognition for and awareness of this field of study in school and at government level is one of the reasons behind this high unemployment rate.
Allocation for education is higher under Budget 2018, which is definitely a positive move. It is also good news that Universiti Malaya would receive an additional RM400mil. But as a social science graduate from this university, I totally share the concern expressed by Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim that the extra allocation would have no meaning if it is not channelled equally between STEM and the arts, social science and humanities. I agree with Khoo that arts, social science and humanities have not been given as much priority as STEM.
A simple example of this preference for STEM can be seen in the allocation for the MyBrain Scholarship this year, whereby applications were only open to stu- dents who were pursuing STEM. Why wasn’t there any allocation for arts, social science and humanities students?
The arts, social science and humanities are still important in the development of our country. Consider the North Korean crisis faced by the country after the murder of Kim Jong Nam. Indeed, the diplomats and foreign officers played an important role in calming the situation, but at the same time scholars and experts in international relations were equally important – and these experts are usually graduates of the arts, social science and humanities. So, the field of arts, social science and humanities is definitely important in international relations.
STEM and the arts, social science and humanities should be accorded equal recognition. Majority of the discussions on education today focuses on the world-changing and economic-building efforts of STEM. However, the arts, social science and humanities are equally important in increasing our understanding of the world around us.
The Government should review the National Education Blueprint and take this issue into consideration. Many graduates in this field are often not recognised by employers, especially those who have little knowledge of the arts, social science and humanities.
AARON DENISON International Masters in Regional Integration Asia Europe Institute Universiti Malaya