Finding the right motivation is the key to success

In 2010 Malaysia's Department of Statistics reported Malaysia has 65,000 unemployed graduates.
In 2013, the Barisan Nasional led government allocates RM54.6 billion for education excellence which is the equivalent of 21% of the total 2014 budget.
Malaysian universities drop in world rankings.
Poor show in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)rankings.

These are just some of the things Malaysians have had to read over the past few years in regards to education. As a person who has been involved in the corporate sector for the last 10 years and five of those in Learning & Development (L&D) I have a strong belief in the philosophy of continuous improvement. Being in the corporate sector, I have also been exposed to the concept of Return on Investment (ROI)and Return on Expectations (ROE).

From a L&D perspective, any initiative that is taken by L&D needs to meet the objectives of the corporation. If those objectives are not met, L&D needs to reflect and identify what areas of employee training need to be evaluated and scrutinised. Malaysia is fortunate that over the years, the government has recognised the importance of education and has invested heavily in it.

But has that investment met with the expected returns?
Has the investment met the the country's expectations?
Has that investment developed holistic citizens who are not just educated and capable for the job market but also proactive participants in a multicultural society thus contributing towards national unity?
Has that investment created citizens that can think critically?

I believe that the country needs to emphasise developing the right kind of motivation for students to think for themselves. That way the student can decide the type of education they require to be a useful member of society. Not everyone can be doctors or university professors but we can all contribute in our own way.

Telling a 17-year-old that he needs to work hard so he can be admitted to a good university and then a good job is hardly inspiring stuff. The motivation behind earning a degree is a good one but I am inclined to think that the motivation behind getting an education is more important than the degree itself. This is because when an individual inculcates the right motivation he will acquire education as a means for preparing himself to be a useful and functioning member of society and not just focus on getting a job.

Acquiring that knowledge does not necessarily have to be in a university. Other institutes of learning such as polytechnics can be just as effective. Having the strength to determine that a course that is right for you is in a vocational institute over a university can be a tough one. We have been raised in a society to believe that a degree from a university is the be all and end all of education. But not everyone of us is cut out for academia. Thousands of dollars is raised via savings and bank loans by parents or the individual themselves for an education.

However, if the motivation is not the right one then the student could very well be motivating himself to an unsatisfying outcome.