LETTERS: I have always believed that the most priceless lesson is learning how to think (not what to think). This can lead a person to become more inquisitive about his or her surroundings.
In time, learning how to think can produce new ideas. American author Earl Nightingale once said: "Everything begins with an idea."
In the discussions and meetings that I have on a daily basis, I frequently hear the term "think outside the box".
I associate this term with having new ideas for problem solving. Malaysia is home to many who are creative and innovative, and have remarkable ideas to address the challenges faced by our nation.
This has been proved by our achievement in the Global Innovation Index, a global benchmark for executive businesses and policymakers in keeping score with the levels of innovation around the world.
In 2019, Malaysia was ranked 35th. Last year, we climbed to 33rd place in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the past year, higher education institutions have developed more than 115 innovative products and 27 application systems for the management of Covid-19.
All the creators have one thing in common: they all started with ideas. In other countries, programmes that adopt new ideas have received positive responses from communities.
These include the York Festival of Ideas and the Royal Academy Festival of Ideas in the United Kingdom, as well as the Adelaide Festival of Ideas in Australia.
The common thread that runs through these programmes is that the ideas presented have the potential to bring positive effects to society.
To elevate our local creative and innovative ideas, the Higher Education Ministry, in collaboration with Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, will organise the Festival of Ideas 2021.
The launch will take place on July 6 at 11am and the event can be viewed on the ministry's Facebook page.
In essence, the Festival of Ideas 2021 sets out to achieve four objectives: TO enable the sharing and generation of new ideas from various parties; TO enable collaborations between the government, academic members, industry players and society; TO provide an avenue for students and society to think of solutions to problems that involve the sharing of expertise from higher education institutions; and, TO create opportunities that mobilise society to a higher quality of life to catapult Malaysia to becoming a developed country.
From these objectives, it is evident that the ministry believes that to contribute to the development of our country, it is vital for us to embrace the "quadruple helix concept", where collaborations are established and sustained between universities, industries, the government and community.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, this sharing of knowledge and ideas will be conducted via a digital platform that can be accessed at https://foi.mohe.gov.my.
The platform will compile proposals and periodic working papers with the progress updated weekly. It is hoped that all parties will use this online platform as it is a strategic venue for one's ideas to be heard.
During this unprecedented time, the development of research and innovation, as well as setting a solid foundation for the community's wellbeing are more important than ever.
Hence, efforts such as the Festival of Ideas must be championed. Without doubt, when the shared ideas are implemented, our nation will prosper.In unison with the wise words of the great inventor Thomas Edison, "the value of an idea is in the using of it".
Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad
Minister, Higher Education Ministry, Putrajaya
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times