The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| The Boston tapes that ensnared Gerry Adams Posted: 02 May 2014 07:35 PM PDT In 2001 at 150-year-old Boston College, a prestigious Catholic institution in the city with America's largest Irish immigrant population, researchers quietly embarked on a project to interview participants in the Northern Ireland conflict known as the Troubles. They set about constructing an oral history of the violent period, interviewing dozens of former Irish Republican Army members and participants in voluntary paramilitary groups that supported union with Britain. With tensions still prompting fears of speaking out about the events of the late 1960s through the 1990s, interviewees were promised absolute anonymity until after their deaths. That guarantee unraveled amid court orders, with potentially serious consequences for participants in Ireland, and fresh questions about academic freedom and the strength of researchers' confidentiality assertions in the face of a criminal investigation. "Boston College sold us out," Belfast Project founder and journalist Ed Moloney told AFP, saying the school capitulated almost immediately when court officials demanded the recordings. "They sold the interviewees out as well. "Clearly, the project is playing a part (in the Adams case), but how much of a part, I have no idea." The link to Adams traces back to 2008 with the death of interviewee Brendan Hughes, a former IRA member and close Adams friend, and the publication of Moloney's book, "Voices From the Grave," using material from the Hughes interview. Fellow nationalist and Provisional IRA member Dolours Price, who was convicted for a 1973 attack on the Old Bailey criminal court in London, told Irish media that she too had been interviewed by Moloney's Belfast Project. Price said she and Adams had been involved in the abduction and murder of 37-year-old mother of 10 Jean McConville, one of the most heinous crimes of the unrest. Moloney insisted that Price "didn't say a word about Jean McConville in her interview with us." Nevertheless, prompted by requests from the McConville family, the US Justice Department subpoenaed Boston College for the tapes and transcripts, and after a three-year legal battle led by Moloney, the school was forced to hand over much of the information. In the midst of the fight, Moloney took his argument to Congress, imploring US senators like Boston College alumnus John Kerry and Robert Menendez to intervene to prevent the material from being used in civil suits, where the standard of proof is lower than in criminal cases. Menendez took Kerry's spot as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after his predecessor became secretary of state. Effort to discredit Adams Adams, 65, has been the public face of the movement to end British sovereignty in Northern Ireland for the past 30 years, but the Sinn Fein leadership has said the claims against him are an effort to discredit the party and derail the peace process. "That was our great fear, that material would be used to facilitate civil action against Gerry Adams to discredit him," Moloney said. To date, just three people from the Belfast Project have been identified, including two who are now dead. Moloney expects that the names of the others, at least theoretically, will remain under wraps – at least until they pass away. But he warned that the case could have lasting repercussions for American universities, saying participants promised anonymity in US academic research would be "mad" to cooperate. – AFP, May 3, 2014. |
| Malaysia, a strong contender to become regional education hub but still misses the mark Posted: 02 May 2014 07:12 PM PDT For 2012, an investment into higher education saw an estimated allocation of around RM12 billion. The year 2013 saw an allocation of RM52.8 billion, of which RM36.3 billion was spent by the end of August 2013. To date this investment into the Malaysian higher education sector has seen growth in student enrolments (more local than international) and an increase in education institutions (HEIs) but not as desired for international acquisition. Malaysia's target for acquiring international students by 2020 is set at 200,000. Currently, there are approximately 1.1 million higher education students in Malaysia of which only 80,000 are international students. This number suggests that Malaysia is not on track to achieve its 2020 target to become the world's 6th largest education exporter. Approximately 50% of international students in Malaysia come from Nigeria, Iran and Yemen. Looking forward, Malaysian higher education institutions will face serious challenges in attracting international students from these three countries due to: * The Malaysian government has placed stricter measures on issuing student visas to Nigerian students considering their unacceptable social behaviour. * The Iranian government will not acknowledge most Malaysian higher education institutions, restricting Malaysia as a destination of choice for Iranian students. * The Yemeni government announced that they will stop funding their students for higher education at Private Malaysian higher education institutions. By cause of internal and external policy shifts, there are good enough reasons to argue that Malaysia will continue to see a decline in the number of international students. A greater concern for Malaysia is the fact that it has the right composition to become one of the popular study destinations for students consisting of an offering of low cost of living, numerous foreign university campuses, a constant effort to improve the student visa process, economy growth at 5.8%, among many others, yet it is unable to achieve the desired number of international students. A few other prominent reasons for Malaysia missing its 2020 target include EMGS, stricter academic eligibility criteria and the most under discussed reason is the inability of Malaysia to market itself effectively as a popular study destination to its target audience. Malaysian Higher education institutions as well as the government have both been ineffective in building a positive perception among international students mainly due to the heavy reliance of conventional mediums of communication. Malaysia is yet to exploit the full potential of online mediums where its actual target market is searching for universities and courses. Google's statistics on higher education and students searching for suitable institutions last year revealed: * 1 in every 4 students searched for suitable institutions online. * 8 out of every 10 students will opt to apply online. * 40% more students visited online education portals in the past year. * 46% of students use online portals to make their final decision on their choice of education institution. Considering the statistics, governments and HEIs need to acknowledge and invest in online mediums to ensure that they are found and always available on the web, including education portals, which are gaining massive popularity and allow more visibility to international students. In the past, students had to rely on education agents or relatives' advice with no comparison tool to use when trying to compare institutions and courses, making the entire decision-making process a tedious one. The recent emergence and adoption of online education portals has not only simplified this process but has also provided an unmatched platform to countries to connect with international students. Countries such as China, Canada, UK and Australia which currently dominate the market, are constantly increasing their presence on education portals, Malaysia needs to follow suit. Malaysia's commitment to higher education can be seen in its ability to provide low cost, high quality education; make 400 universities available to international students and their improved turn-around time for processing student visas. Malaysia now needs to ensure that it uses digital mediums efficiently to promote its message across to the right people at the right time. It is essential to further innovate through channels such as online education portals by marketing its message if it is to stand out among other Asian contenders in the pursuit of attracting and acquiring more international students. – www.easyuni.com, May 3, 2014. |
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