Muhamad, Mazanah

Universiti Putra Malaysia Institutional Repository

UPM Research Report 1998: Volume 2TRENDS AND CHALLENGES IN ADULT ANDCONTINUING EDUCATIONMazanah MuhamadFaculty of EducationUniversiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor,Malaysia .Keywords: adult and continuing education, non-formaleducation, life-long learning, training and develop-ment, higher education.IntroductionSystematic effort to educate adult citizens in the country canbe traced as early as the fourteenth century. Although nu-merous institutions carried various educational and trainingprograms, there is an absence of comprehensive and empiri-cal knowledge on the practice of adult and continuing educa-tion in Malaysia. This research seeks to answer these ques-tions: (1). Who are the adult and continuing education (ACE)providers in Malaysia? (2). Who are the ACE stakeholders?(3). What and why are the programs offered? (4). How arethe programs delivered? (5). What are the facilities avail-able? and (6). What the issues and challenges encountered(by the providers)?Adult and continuing education providers refer to institutionsthat offer educational programs to those 18 years old andabove whom seek education outside the formal schoolingsystem. The programs can be both formal and non-formal.Materials and MethodsA listing of institutions that offer educational program toadult was obtained from various sources. Based on the list,565 institutions were randomly sampled. A total of 373(66%) institutions responded to a survey. The survey ques-tionnaire consists of closed and open-ended questions. Theinstrument asks for detail of adult education programs con-ducted by the institution in 1996. This includes the pro-grammes' title, client, approach, rationale, and issues andproblems encountered. The questionnaires were personallysend to and collected from institutions in the Klang valley.Data from institutions outside the valley were collected.through mail. The data were analysed by using the SPSS forWindows program for descriptive statistics. Case studies on anumber of institutions were also carried out for detail of theprograms.Results and DiscussionAdult and continuing education are actively carried out inMalaysia for the public and institution's employees. Mappingthe field in relation to the program's sponsor shows that pro-viders can be categorised according to the country's majororganisational set up; public sector, private sector and non-348governmental organisations (NGOs). This framework sharessome common elements to that of Apps (1990). The Malay-sian public or government sector is tax supported, the privatesector is profit oriented, and the non-governmental organisa-tion is non-profit institution. The public sectors include Na-tional Public Administration Institute, Department of Agri-culture, Public Health Institute, Department of CommunityDevelopment, Defense Ministry, Selangor Museum and Na-tional Library. The private sectors include Private Higher In-stitution of Education, Dutch Baby Milk Industry, Motorola,TT Engineering and Manufacturing, Aetna Universal Insur-ance, and Hong Kong Bank. The non-governmental organi-sations include Poverty Elevation Foundation, MalaysianAIDS Council, Consumer Association, Sisters in Islam, Na-tional Evangelical Christian Fellowship, and Malaysian In-stitute of Accountants. Other criteria that can be used to de-scribe the field are related to "special interest group". Thecategory include those related to agriculture, community,higher education, training and consultation, services, manu-facturing and business. Major ACE programs provided arethose that are work related and market driven. These includeprograms related to; personal development, management,professional/technical training, and computerisation. Theprograms offered reflects the country's needs for: skilledmanpower for the expanding industrial needs, upgradingmanagerial capability, improving efficiency and increasingproductivity of the workforce, and the use of informationtechnology to improve work efficiency and quality, Issues ofconcern to the providers can be inferred into matters relatedto; learners and their participation, facilities and resources forlearning, lack of experienced facilitators, structure, policy,funding and programming. The challenges implicit in thestudy suggest that: (1). ACE programs must be holistic-. biased, encompassing not only work-related matters but alsocovering dimensions for social, spiritual and life enrichment,(2). to maximise the use of limited resources, there is a needfor further strengthening of collaboration between providers,(3). the field can be further strengthened with networking ofthe professionals and practitioners in an organised establish-ment, and (4). a staggering number of diverse institutionsthat provide a myriad form of adult education call for coordi-nation of the providers.ConclusionsAdult and continuing education plays a critical role in thenation and individual development. Malaysia is in need ofputting adult and continuing education as one of the coun-try's forefront agendas.ReferencesApps, J.W. 1990. Providers of adult and continuing education: Aframework. In Merriam, S. B. and P. M. Cunningham (eds. )Handbook of adult and continuing education, San Francisco:Jossey Bass. p. 275-286.Supported by IRPA Grant 07-02-04-0009

Trends and challenges in adult and continuing education

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Trends and challenges in adult and continuing education

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