Malaysian Economics: A Case Study

 

CASE STUDY 1

1.    Do you agree if pupils return to online learning if Covid-19 cases continue to increase? Discuss.

I partially agree. Yes, I do agree if the pupils have not had their vaccine yet. Covid-19 cases should not be hindrance since we can get education in many ways, and one of them is through online classes. The reason is that, if the cases still continue to rise, it is so risky to let the kids gather in large numbers physically because it will cause the virus to spread easily. As we know, although children have strong antibodies to fight Covid-19 infections, they can spread the disease to at-risk groups such as the elderly, pregnant women and babies at home. There are so many advantages for the pupils who join the online learning. One of them is accessibility. The shy or introverted students may feel more comfortable to contact their teachers through WhatsApp.  Hence, they would not leave behind. Every learner has a unique learning path and a unique learning style. Some kids learn best through visuals, while others learn best through sounds. Similar to how some students excel in the classroom, some are lone learners who become easily distracted by huge groups. With their extensive possibilities and resources, online learning systems can be customised in a number of different ways. It is the finest technique to design a learning environment that is ideal for each student's needs.

Online classes also provide the flexibility for the teachers and students. They do not have to face traffic congestion every morning and wasting their time in the car. Also, students may get better understanding of the lessons by watching the recorded version. The recording may also help them to revise on what they had learn in the class. Teachers can effectively give lessons to students through online learning. Teachers can use all of the tools available for online learning as part of their teaching materials, including podcasts, PDFs, and videos. Teachers will become more effective instructors by including online resources in lesson planning in addition to conventional textbooks.

"Teachers choose to work in education because they enjoy it" is not necessarily since they have a background in technology. When teachers were tasked with moving entire classes and curricula online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this became abundantly evident. This entails significant additional effort for the majority of teachers, including the organisation of live video call courses and websites for submitting homework. As a result, the students may feel stress, leading to mental health problems.

However, if majority of the pupils had already taken their vaccine, physical class would not be a problem. As said by Dr. Safiya Amaran, if the vaccine rate among pupils is higher, it will help to reduce their chances of being infected or spreading COVID-19. Hence, I do not agree if pupils return to online learning if Covid-19 cases continue to increase.  There are many problems if the pupils continue their learning virtually.  One of them is it is hard to train their soft skill. The educators find it is hard to teach them the skill they need. They are prone to self-isolation resulting them lacking socialising skill. In our country, 36.9% of kids lack access to any type of technological gadget. Additionally, since the PKP has been in effect since March 18, one of the primary problems students encounter while completing their PdPc assignments at home is slow internet. This will undoubtedly limit who can accomplish the learning objectives to particular groups. nevertheless, not to students who can't even buy the devices. If e-learning is to be maintained and made the primary method of instruction for students in Malaysia, this issue must be taken into account. When their kids stare at a screen for hours on end, many parents are concerned about potential health risks.

One of the main issues and drawbacks of online learning is the rise in screen time. As a result of continuing to slouch in front of the screen, kids can develop bad posture and other health issues. Some of them may also find it is hard to stay focus through the classes. The difficulty of maintaining attention on a computer for extended periods of time is one of the largest obstacles of online learning for the majority of students. Students have a larger chance of becoming quickly distracted by social media or other websites while they learn online. In order to keep students interested in the lecture, teachers should make sure their online classes are clear, fun, and participatory. However, not all teachers know and get training to develop the strategies to conduct teaching online.

Although the number of people using the internet has increased dramatically recently, it might be difficult to get a reliable connection with fast speeds in smaller cities and villages. A child's learning may not be continuous if there isn't a reliable internet connection for them or their teachers. The educational process will suffer as a result of this.

2.    What are the preparations to be done by the government, schools, teachers and parents as well as students if schooling returns to online learning?

For the government, in line with the Malaysia Education Development Plan 2013-2025, the government has made online learning a national education system comparable to developed countries. To ensure that each party does their part to ensuring that this objective is reached, the strategy needs to be strengthened by adopting a clear online learning policy. Additionally, the created curriculum should be student-centered and adapted to online learning by taking into consideration course material, learning styles, and evaluation methods that differ from traditional methods. Although the ministry has undoubtedly already organised a number of trainings to help teachers develop digital teaching materials, more emphasis should be placed on teaching techniques for conducting online instruction as opposed to classroom instruction in separate settings between teachers and students. The current educational system will change as well as teachers' scheduling practises incorporate time for traditional and online teacher preparation, classroom instruction, including practical teaching, and online teaching.

For schools, when implementing online learning in the past, infrastructure facilities were among the topics that were frequently discussed. However, teachers continue to complain about issues with internet connection despite MOE's efforts to guarantee that amenities in schools are periodically enhanced. Therefore, the ministry must choose genuinely trustworthy service providers to offer such services across the nation in order to ensure the seamless operation of online learning. As of July 2019, MOE has also replaced the Frog Virtual Learning Environment with a new digital learning platform. Teachers now have access to EduwebTV, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, and online training tools thanks to the new platform. Whatever learning platform is employed, it must, however, support a range of learning strategies, have features that are simple to use and accessible, technical support services, assessment and reporting capabilities, the ability to be integrated with other applications, security and privacy protections, and mobile compatibility. The online learning process will not function if any of these facilities—infrastructure or infostructure—fails.

For teachers, MOE offers a variety of courses to provide instructors with the abilities to use online learning environments and create lesson plans. The ability of many teachers to offer their own digital learning resources for students to utilise and share with other teachers' peers is another indication of this beneficial development. This is seen by the special interest groups (SIGs) established by seasoned educators on social media platforms like Facebook, Google Classroom Malaysia, and CikgooTube to assist peers. There are, without a doubt, a few teachers who still require direction, and it is anticipated that the role performed by these experienced teachers and the coaches who have been chosen can be of assistance to them. Students are already familiar with a range of more interactive online apps, so mobile devices and the internet are nothing new to them. As a result, using online learning platforms is not difficult for students, and this presents a problem for teachers in creating more engaging learning materials. Teachers who use online instruction must come up with alternative teaching strategies for pupils who cannot afford it or do not have access to the internet. Teachers can give engaging and suitable learning resources, whether in the form of videos, worksheets, animations, and other media, to boost students' attention and attendance during online learning. To speed up student learning and make knowledge processing easier, extensive instructional content can also be divided into manageable chunks. Online game activities can help improve students' attention spans and rewarding each task or question that students successfully complete can boost their desire to learn. To prevent pupils from dropping out, teachers should be prepared to record synchronously implemented lessons.

For parents, they need to understand that the teacher just assists the student and acts as a facilitator in this e-learning. When setting up the child's learning process at home, parents must be careful and thorough. In addition to changing the role of instructors, the e-learning process also affects parents at home, especially those whose children are still in grades one through three. There is no doubt that this pupil is unable to complete online homework alone. Parents must assist and supervise their children's activities. Therefore, setting up a learning environment at home will provide additional challenges for parents. Parents may help their kids learn by giving the essential tools they need to study at home, such as an internet connection, a computer or smartphone, and a cosy study area. A precise learning plan at home also helps the child manage their learning activities, whether they are online or self-administered, so parents must be ready to play a role as facilitators and to support and motivate the child in addition to providing physical facilities.

Pupils also need to play their part if schooling returns to online learning. They need to be more self-disciplined, open to studying independently, and accountable for their own education. Pupils must consistently attend the programme, pay attention while they are learning, and have a strong commitment. E-learning will not enhance the quality of the students' own learning if the students themselves are not dedicated.

3.    In your opinion, how does online learning have positive and negative effects on student learning performance?

Online learning may affect students’ academic performance in negative ways. Students who have financial problem or come from poor family could not afford the gadgets or the device like computer or cell phones. Hence, it is hard for them to join their classes online. Some of them also had to share the device with their siblings who also have to attend online classes. If this situation happens, the other siblings have to skip their class.  Hence, they would not understand the subjects they learn, or they may not catch up what the teachers have been teaching.  Next, not all region in Malaysia has an internet access.  Especially in rural areas, like Sabah and Sarawak. Some of the students have to walk farther from their house just to get internet coverage. For example, there are students from Sabah had to climb the tree and taking hours walk through the wilderness just to attend online classes. Some of them also decided to camp in the forest to join morning online classes. This situation can make the students loss their focus and hard to pay attention because they do not have convenience study place.  Hence, it is hard for them to understand what their teachers taught.

Besides, since online learning requires students to stay at home, the students may feel it hard for them to follow the schedules of their classes. Although they have suitable devices and good internet connection, they easily get internal distractions. Not all students have their room to study. Some of them have to share the same room with their siblings. Hence, there would be a noise that will make them loss their focus on what their teacher were teaching. Thus, their performance may affect since they barely could understand the lessons. Lastly, some of the students may have devices. However, the device may not be compatible to allow them attending their classes. For example, if the student can only afford a cell phone, the student may face a problem to do assignments or to print the notes. Hence, this factor may demotivate them to perform in their class. Thus, it will jeopardise their academic performance.

 

4.    Propose three solution measures to the Ministry of Education Malaysia to carry out its functions if Covid-19 cases continue to increase.

1) Ensuring all students are not left behind by providing devices and good internet access in all areas.

2) Creating curriculum that is student-centered and adapted to online learning by taking into consideration course material, learning styles, and evaluation methods that differ from traditional methods.

3) Organise more trainings to help teachers develop digital teaching materials and teaching techniques for conducting online instruction.

 

 

CASE STUDY 2

1.    Is Malaysia’s capital market towards more stability? Justify your answer.

Yes. The overall amount of money raised in 2021 increased significantly (14.22%). This growth will keep boosting company profits and fostering generally favourable attitudes. According to the research, the total amount of money raised on the domestic capital market increased marginally to RM130.9 billion last year from RM114.6 billion in 2020, surpassing the pre-pandemic five-year average of RM121.4 billion. As compared to RM10 billion and RM104.6 billion in 2020, RM16.6 billion of them were raised through the equity market, and RM114.3 billion of them through the corporate bond market. 29 initial public offers (IPOs) totaling RM2.3 billion and RM14.3 billion in secondary financing were made in the stock market. Four of the IPOs were launched as introductions without any fundraising activity. From RM3.4 trillion in 2020 to RM3.5 trillion in 2021, the total size of the capital market increased.

 

Besides, over the years, the value of foreign ownership of equity shares has constantly stayed over 20%. This demonstrated that overseas investors remain enthusiastic about the long-term potential of domestic publicly traded enterprises.

 

When compared to the average foreign outflow from 2018 to 2021, which was about RM12.64 billion, the foreign fund flow has also been positive, with YTD inflows of roughly RM5.59 billion as of March 21. To support Malaysia's subsequent stage of growth, the country has also unveiled the Capital Market Masterplan 3 and the Corporate Governance Strategic Priorities.

 

2.    What are the possible factors that are influencing the uncertainty in Malaysia capital market?

-       Supply-demand factor.

There will be a deficit of shares if the firm is performing well and everyone wants to purchase shares of the same company, which raises the share price of the company. When there is an excess of inventory but no one wants to purchase it, the opposite occurs. In that scenario, stock values will crash.

 

-       Interest rates.

Stock prices are directly impacted by Reserve Bank of India actions. Interest rates are set in India by the RBI, which also changes them on a regular basis to maintain economic stability in the country. Higher interest rates naturally require businesses to pay more for loans, which lowers earnings. The stock price will decline as a result. Conversely, lower interest rates enable businesses to take bank loans for less, saving them money and boosting earnings. The stock price will increase in this scenario.

-          Politic factors.

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

-          Current events

The stock market is impacted by news and other current affairs. Any political unrest, civil war, rioting, or terrorist attacks are examples of current events that have an impact on the stock market. All of these things will undoubtedly result in sharp stock price drops and market instability.

-          Natural catastrophes

Earthquakes and floods, for example, significantly lower stock market prices. There are several causes for this, including the loss of property and other possessions. Due to these significant losses, the company's stock price dropped. The failure of manufacture and delivery of items had an impact on the company's sales. Consequently, stock prices will undoubtedly decrease when a natural calamity strikes.

 

3.    What measures should be taken by the Malaysian government to manage the capital market?

A joint investment fund for start-up and growing businesses in Malaysia should be established by the government. The government may use these tactics to help domestic start-ups realise their potential and collect more money from the private sector to create high-growth businesses. Additionally, in order to keep Malaysia moving toward recovery, the government must keep putting the policies outlined in the Budget 2021 into action. For proactive risk management in the market, the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) and Bursa Malaysia must continue to monitor recent developments. As necessary, additional preventive measures will be put in place.