THE appointment of Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman as youth and sports minister records a new chapter in Malaysian history.
Although he is the youngest minister ever, there is no doubt that he will do a good job with his excellent background and experience. His appointment boosts the confidence of youths in many sectors.
It is unavoidable to have a mixture of young and old working under one roof in most work settings.
The age of the working adult is becoming younger, especially in the government sector. But this poses a problem.
The generation gap leads to differences in opinion and difficulties in decision-making.
An unfortunate result is that young voices fall on deaf old ears.
Being the youngest in my place of work, I understand the frustration of the young elsewhere. However, I remain positive.
The potential of young people is enormous and, thus, the energy brought into our work is substantial.
Young people are ambitious and versatile. We dare to take risks and make changes to improve the system.
The higher education system needs big changes and they must be done now. And, we must have the courage to do it.
Emulating, perhaps, is the best way to implement a new model, technology or module.
I believe the management and educational models that are successfully developed and implemented overseas can be assimilated into our education system, with some fine-tuning.
GOH CHOON FU
Lecturer, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang
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