Re-inventing Universities in China

A friend of mine forwarded me this CCTV video (scroll down) about the re-inventing of universities in China and discussion with the Vice-Chancellor of Sydney University.

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Here are my observations:

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1. That the Vice Chancellor reiterated that students do not only learn from teachers, but from everyone they interact with in their life, including other students. That is mentioned by Alvin Toffler in his book "Revolutionary Wealth"

2. That the Vice Chancellor is creating an environment for change (very much what 'Bucky' Buckminster Fuller) such that students and staff from different disciplines can come together and interact, creating a multi-disciplinary approach to studying. However, note that the university still divide studies into different disciplines, instead of approaching them from generalised principles.

3. That the University is looking at an assessment of academic results as entry into the university, such that it is fairer to candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds and rural regions. In the context of Singapore, should this mean that if we cast our university admission nets further to the rural folks in ASEAN, will we give scholarships to students from the minority tribes in Borneo, Sulawesi and Papua, though they do not have the sparkling A1s that scholars ought to have? Also, should these rural students having learned to be a brilliant scholar in a field that has little application to their hometowns, such as Computer Scientist, mean that they are better off remaining as the university professors or executive jobs in Singapore?

4. About Fudan University's curriculum of specialising their students only in the fourth year of their study. Perhaps they are coming closer to the realisation that there isn't really such a thing as a 'specialist', in that the universe operates on generalised principles. A friend of mine used to tell me that specialisation is only for insects.

5. I am impressed with the young CEO's quest to live his dream and also his sharp analytical mind towards capturing customer requirements and serving his clients. However, he may be hard pressed to enter any of the prestigious universities in China or abroad. The Vice Chancellor has even turned down the (hypothetical) suggestion to write a letter supporting the CEO's application into university should that be required one day. This is clear evidence that education systems today are still unable to pick up individual talents and doing them justice in terms of academic grades. Toffler mentioned about the need to treat students as individuals in Third Wave education, but we are still far from this ideal today.

6. About the lady who returned to study in university despite her good career at that time and came to graduate. Though she said that it is her dream to complete her education in a university, I suspect it also had a lot to do with the Chinese cultural perception of holding a piece of qualification in order to progress in her career and for earning respect in society. This is dangerous if universities continue to lag behind in pedaegogy, updated knowledge and teaching medium. Bucky said that the future universities are likened to be production houses of documentary movies. This is already happening in Youtube, but hardly anyone would call it a university.

7. That the Vice Chancellor mentioned about the need for universities to return to their fundamentals to explore the 'truth' of everything, whatever in costs are. This is ideal, but how are you going to do this in a dictatorship? I agree that true education comes only when we have enough mental space and physical space. That will lead to an open society and critical thinking, as advocated by author and financial market guru George Soros, that is, when dogmas will have lived its natural life and died.

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The video demonstrates the contrasting perception and concepts of what education is, between Eastern and Western civilisation. A rare treat. It also shows that China is progressing at astonishing pace and surprising openness.

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Open Society

I used to think of George Soros as the ruthless trader that was responsible for Britain's Pound Sterling's exit from the European Exchange Mechanism in 1992. At that time, the value of the Pound against several major currencies, fell to its knees. I was stuck with some Pounds and painfully lost some money. Later, Soros was accused by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir for having designs to bring down the currencies of East Asia, following the financial meltdown in 1998. The Malaysian Ringgit suffered the greatest drop in exchange rates in all times. Both Mahathir and Soros have however called a truce and clarified their misunderstandings.

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I have heard about Soros' books and his Open Society Institute and Foundation, but didn't bother finding out any further. It was while waiting for a friend at Borders that I picked up "The Age of Fallibility" that I was really impressed with his sharpness and clarity of thought whilst analysing the various modes of thinking in societies, why open societies are important and how the Bush Administration has brought US global influence waning rapidly.

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George Soros regards open society as a reasonably stable society that holds itself open to innovation and improvement. Note that with this definition, a democratic society need not necessarily be an open one, though to become an open society democracy is necessary.

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I think Singapore is an open society. Open as long as you don't try to bring down the government. Otherwise, it is very open to new technologies, new industries, foreign investors, foreign entrepreneurs setting up locally, foreign talent/labour, new languages (Mandarin and Singlish), urban renewal, casinos,...etc.

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However, he is against revolutions, as that will bring about changes too sudden that the majority of people will suffer. He espouse the strategy of supporting the intellectual elite in closed society, such that open society will thus have opportunities to germinate in the future when conditions become congenial.

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The following video clips will give you further insights into what open society constitutes and his Open Society Institute and Foundation's work in the newly democractic Central Asian republics.

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This is a map of Central Asia. They were formerly part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

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Summary of clip 1

Soros commented that that his aim is to empower people living in the country to do whatever they can to promote open society.

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In January 2005, he called a meeting with Foundation directors from the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Krgystan and Mongolia.

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Soros started the Foundation 20 years ago, as he felt that he has enough money for himself and his family and that wanted to start something he really want, which is an open society.

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In an open society embraces critical thinking, democracy and the market economy. It is for people to get closer to the truth and improve upon conditions in life. Open Society initiatives started in Hungary, but soon spread to 60 other locations around the world.

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In Kazakhstan's north, there is this remote village called Daut, which has its school closed down after the furnace heating broke and it was -40C outside. School stopped, but the teachers brought the students to the railway station - as it was will heated. It was a hard time, so the Soros Foundation stepped in to help.

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Soon there was announcements of competition amongst the community school (for transparency reasons) to apply for grants for sewing and bakery. No computers or anything fancy was purchased.

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The school in Daut is the centre of community, if school is closed ,they will have no where to go.

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Workshops were built to teach sewing and woodwork, to impart useful skills.

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Summary of clip 2

Project in Kazakhstan was a temporary one to establish foundations within that will get on by themselves later.

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Daut received their last $16,000 from the Foundation.
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Oil discoveries and development in Kazakhstan will bring in money for the country. The Foundation helps the government to spend the money in the right way in the right fields like education, health care and small business development; thus changing policies and making them universally popularly in neighbouring countries.

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Kyrgyzstan

In March 2005, a weak parliamentary elections sparked riots by angry crowds of people who stormed their White House where the seat of government is and turned it into a revolution.

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Soros is against revolutions as they are destructive and happens when conditions deteroriate to such an extent that people cannot put up with it any more. It is better to improve government gradually.

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Soros Foundation worked with the government for over a year to help to become more open to prevent violent upheaval. Governments must not regard the opposition as devils and vice versa.

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Soros Foundation started "Open Kyrgyzstan", a talk show among ministers, experts, businesses, NGOs and parlimentarians, two months before elections to debate and draft new laws. One of which is the deregulation of businesses.

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Summary for clip 3

Government proposing law for one-stop shop to register business, otherwise plagued by corrupt bureucracy which costs time and money.

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Result is that many didn't bother and existed in the black economy.

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Interviews on the street conformed the findings.

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They invited an expert - a head of congress of business associations and director of a company to debate with the minister. Such talk shows ended up with recommendations for the government.

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This experiment to cooperate with the government is not without critics. Some didn't trust the Foundation. The Opposition felt that the Foundation should not work with the government - but this runs contrary to open society.

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Tajikistan

Most remote and poorest of former Soviet Republic. Many go to Moscow to work to bring back money. Money brought back by migrant workers is three times the annual budget of Tajikistan.

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Main problem is residency permit in Russia, without which they are vulnerable to corrupt police officers.

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Russian law gives them three days to register, if not and if they are caught, they will be arrested and sent into 6 months detention together with common criminals.

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Migrant workers end up as street traders or in construction sites. One was worked for 11 months and the boss won't pay him and he has no recourse to the law.

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One Tajik mother came to Moscow to search for his son, who went missing after being a migrant worker. There was no news from him after 11 months.
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Summary of Clip 4

Even with the proper papers, migrant workers are harassed by the Russian police for money. They would accused them of carrying drugs or some offence they didn't do. One of them was confronted, the police took his papers, beat them up and took what they have.

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The woman who went to search for his son, was sent around different government ministries but to no avail. After the League of Women Lawyers helped her to draft a letter, she got a reply from the government that her son is not in prison, not wanted and not in the mortuary.

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Everyday bodies are returned home to Tajikistan. Last year there were about 1000 bodies returned hiome.

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The Foundation informs migrants of their rights and of where to contact them should they encounter problems.

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AIDS is very high occurence among migrant workers who return to Tajikistan, and by the time the villagers realise that, damages have been done.

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A 16 year old migrant waitress was forced into prostitution. The police came and arrested her, she was abused, humiliated and constantly raped, because the police knew nobody was going to raise complaints. Finally she was deported in a cattle train car that took five days to get back to Tajikistan. She was found to be HIV positive.

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The Soros Foundation cannot sort all these problems other than defending the migrants' rights. What is needed is a political solution between the two countries.

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On the last day of filming the documentary, word came back that the lost son of the lady died in a street brawl a year ago.

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Open Society is not a dogma that gives you the final answers.

Open Society is an idea that nobody have the final answers and therefore must develop ways where different people with different views can live in peace and prosperity.

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Exercises:

1. What touches you most in this documentary?

2. Do you think open society can exist in your country?