TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MALAYSIA

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of technical efficiency of Malaysia’s secondary education. Education efficiency has become an important issue since the education sector is the recipient of high priority budget allocation. An evaluation of whether the budget distribution for secondary education is technically efficient is necessary because secondary education represents almost 40% of the national education budget.    Methodology: The study applied the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in examining the level of technical efficiency for a sample of 626 secondary schools from four selected states, namely, Selangor, Melaka, Kedah, and Terengganu. The sample was further split into schools from developed and less developed states, and urban and rural areas.     Findings:  The results revealed that secondary schools in the four sample states were technically inefficient (almost 98%).  Most schools were at a moderate level of technical efficiency (score range between 0.5-0.79). Interestingly, schools in rural areas and less-developed states showed better technical efficiency than those in urban areas and developed states. Given the government's total expenditure, academic achievement could be increased by almost 30 percent with an improvement in inefficiency.   Contributions: The study's fundamental implications are that inefficient secondary schools need to increase their efficiency by ensuring effective budget spending and adequate expenditure distribution monitoring. More schools need to be constructed or repaired, and old schools/buildings upgraded. The sector also needs to expedite compliance with the 17:1 student-teacher ratio set by the Education Ministry to improve teaching delivery quality.   Keywords: Data envelopment analysis, government spending, secondary school, student and teacher ratio, technical efficiency.   Cite as: Baba, R., Abdul Karim, Z., Abdul-Majid, M., & Sulaiman, N. (2021). Technical efficiency of secondary schools in Malaysia.  Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(1), 265-283. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss1pp265-28

The Determinants of the Technical Efficiency of Secondary Schools in Malaysia: A Panel Evidence

This study aims to identify the level of technical efficiency of secondary schools and its determinants using the data of 626 Malaysian secondary schools over 2010-2014. Two estimation techniques have been used; the first step is to estimate the school's efficiency score by employing a Data Envelopment Analysis approach. In the second step, we examine the factors affecting the schools' efficiency using a static panel data analysis. The main findings revealed that secondary education is technically inefficient, and on average, the schools can increase their output by 33% using the same resources. Secondary schools in rural areas and less-developed states indicate a better technical efficiency level than schools in urban areas and developed states. Factors that affect technical efficiency are school size, per capita income, and average wage.  The findings suggest that the school may perform better by increasing the schools' size by having more classes.  The opportunities to increase residents' and households' income may help the areas perform better than others.JEL Classification: H5, H75How to Cite:Baba, R., Karim, Z. A., Majid, M. A., & Sulaiman, N. (2021). The Determinants of The Technical Efficiency of Secondary Schools in Malaysia: Panel Evidence. Etikonomi, 20(1), 169 – 184. https://doi.org/10.15408/etk.v20i1.17204

The efficiency and productivity of Malaysian banks:an output distance function approach

This study employs stochastic frontier analysis to analyze Malaysian commercial banks during 1996-2002, and particularly focuses on determining the impact of Islamic banking on performance. We derive both net and gross efficiency estimates, thereby demonstrating that differences in operating characteristics explain much of the difference in outputs between Malaysian banks. We also decompose productivity change into efficiency, technical, and scale change using a generalised Malmquist productivity index. On average, Malaysian banks experience mild decreasing return to scale and annual productivity change of 2.37 percent, with the latter driven primarily by technical change, which has declined over time. Our gross efficiency estimates suggest that Islamic banking is associated with higher input requirements. In addition, our productivity estimates indicate that the potential for full-fledged Islamic banks and conventional banks with Islamic banking operations to overcome the output disadvantages associated with Islamic banking are relatively limited. Merged banks are found to have higher input usage and lower productivity change, suggesting that bank mergers have not contributed positively to bank performance. Finally, our results suggest that while the East Asian financial crisis had an interim output-increasing effect in 1998, the crisis prompted a continuing negative impact on the output performance by increasing the volume of non-performing loans

Efficiency in Islamic and conventional banking:an international comparison

The paper investigates the efficiency of a sample of Islamic and conventional banks in 10 countries that operate Islamic banking for the period 1996 to 2002, using an output distance function approach. We obtain measures of efficiency after allowing for environmental influences such as country macroeconomic conditions, accessibility of banking services and bank type. While these factors are assumed to directly influence the shape of the technology, we assume that country dummies directly influence technical inefficiency. The parameter estimates highlight that during the sample period, Islamic banking appear to be associated with higher input usage. Furthermore, by allowing for international differences in the underlying inefficiency distributions, we are also able to demonstrate statistically significant differences in efficiency across countries even after controlling for specific environmental characteristics and Islamic banking. Thus, for example, our results suggest that Sudan and Yemen have relatively higher inefficiency while Iran and Malaysia have lower estimated inefficiency. Except for Sudan, where banks exhibits relatively strong returns to scale, most sample banks exhibit very slight returns to scale, although Islamic banks are found to have moderately higher returns to scale than conventional banks. However while this suggests that Islamic banks may benefit from increased scale, we would emphasize that our results suggest that identifying and overcoming the factors that cause Islamic banks to have relatively high input requirements will be the key challenge for Islamic banking in the coming decades

Early Warning Systems for banking crises: political and economic stability

Early Warning System (EWS) is a system that tries to predict the probability of crises using environmental factors. This study seeks to develop an EWS for the probability of systemic banking crises in East Asian countries by using a logit model taking into account a wide range of political and economic factors. Results reveal that short-term debt and exchange rate depreciation may trigger speculative attacks during political instability, economic slowdown, and inefficient regulatory environments. Policymakers and regulators may be able to prevent crises by stabilizing political and economic conditions. Furthermore, results indicate that government instability, corruption, high short-term debt, unstable monetary and fiscal policies do not only reduce investors’ confidence but also prevent effective crisis prevention strategies. Therefore, by adopting the EWS the government would be able to monitor environmental changes causing crises

Market risk and efficiencies of the Malaysian banking industry : the post-merger and acquisition

This paper examines the effects of cost and profit efficiencies on post-merger bank market risk. We use Stochastic Frontier Analysis to estimate cost and profit efficiencies, and Value at Risk and Expected Shortfall to calculate the market risks. We measure the effects in panel analysis using data from banks listed on the Bursa Malaysia over the 2000–2015 period. The results show that the post-merger banks can sustain the market risk exposure from the global financial crisis. The increase in cost and profit efficiency increase the market risk. The findings could be used for the bank regulators and managers to focus on the efficiency-related initiatives to manage the market risk better

Penggunaan teknologi pertanian dan kesejahteraan ekonomi pekebun kecil industri kelapa sawit

Penggunaan teknologi dalam pertanian kelapa sawit meningkatkan pengeluaran minyak sawit. Walaupun penggunaan teknologi dalam pertanian sangat signifikan, kebanyakan pekebun kecil enggan beralih kepada teknologi baharu serta teragak-agak untuk melabur dalam teknologi baharu. Hal ini menjejaskan jumlah pengeluaran, produktiviti dan pendapatan pekebun kecil. Oleh itu, kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti amalan semasa pekebun kecil dan penggunaan teknologi pertanian dalam kehidupan. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah kualitatif dengan melaksanakan temu bual separa berstruktur dalam kalangan pekebun kecil di Selangor. Teori domestikasi digunakan sebagai garis panduan pembangunan rangka kerja konseptual dan sebagai panduan untuk wawancara separa berstruktur. Data temu bual dianalisa dan analisis tematik telah digunakan bagi mengeluarkan tema-tema yang bersesuaian dengan objektif kajian. Penemuan menunjukkan kebanyakan pekebun kecil telah menggabungkan teknologi pertanian dalam kehidupan seharian mereka terutama dalam aktiviti pembajaan, pembenihan dan penuaian. Penemuan ini mampu memperluaskan pengetahuan penyelidik berkenaan dengan pengadaptasian teknologi pertanian melalui fasa teori domestikasi. Oleh itu, kajian ini memberikan implikasi penting kepada pekebun kecil untuk meningkatkan kesejahteraan ekonomi mereka dengan penggunaan teknologi pertanian dalam aktiviti pengurusan pertanian seperti penanaman, pembenihan, pembajaan, aplikasi racun herba dan penuaian. Kejayaan penggunaan teknologi pertanian dalam kalangan pekebun kecil akan membolehkan mereka melaksanakan aktiviti harian mereka sebagai petani dan seterusnya meningkatkan kesejahteraan ekonomi dalam jangka masa panjang

THE CO-MOVEMENT OF CHINA AND US STOCK INDICES: A PORTFOLIO DIVERSIFICATION ANALYSIS

The aim of this article is to find diversification opportunities by examining the time-varying and time-scale-based volatility and correlation of the US and Chinese stock market indices with crude oil, gold and Bitcoin price returns, as well as the exchange rate of the Chinese Yuan Renminbi against the US Dollar (CNY/USD) using a vector error correction model (VECM), namely, maximum overlap discrete wavelet transformation (MODWT). Furthermore, individual and institutional investors may also reduce the risk of their investment portfolio by investing in commodities and stock markets from countries with a negative or substantially low correlation. Our VECM result shows that Bitcoin, crude oil and CNY/USD lead the other variables under consideration, indicating that changes in the prices of Bitcoin, crude oil and CNY/USD affect the US and Chinese stock market indices, as well as gold. Our research utilising the MODWT technique shows that Bitcoin leads crude oil at almost all levels, indicating that crude oil prices will respond to Bitcoin price movement in the long and medium term. However, investors may be deterred from using Bitcoin as a diversification tool due to its extreme volatility. The research also indicates that diversification with gold may help US investors. However, the continuous wavelet transformation finding shows that the diversification benefit effects will persist for a holding period of little more than 64 days. Our study results tend to emphasise the significance of using reasonably modern methods to identify diversification possibilities for investors with diverse investment horizons or holding stocks for various periods

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020