| By Claude Louis
Tasie, George O. (2003). Human
Resources Development in Negara Brunei Darussalam - Prospects
and Challenges. Brunei: Brunei Press Sdn. Bhd.
An interesting book charting
Human Resource Development in Brunei Darussalam has recently hit
bookstands. Human Resource Development or HRD for short, used to
be described as Training and Development.
Its author Dr. George Tasie is
a British educated academic (PhD Manchester) with the Department
of Management Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
The book comprises eight
chapters. The introductory chapter one focuses on the
theoretical framework of human resource development (HRD) with a
review of some literature on the subject, as well as the
problems and objectives of the book. Chapter two discusses the
human resource policy directions and strategies as well as the
national committee on human resource development.
Chapter three emphasises on
formal education and HRD in Southeast Asia.Chapter four
describes the labour market development and the planning of
human resource. It also comments on the issues of demand and
supply of human resources at corporate level.
Chapter five analyses the HRD
of the current workforce in Brunei using the available data.
Chapter six focuses on the institutions responsible for the
supply of and training of human resources.
Chapter seven presents an
analysis of vacancy ratios. The concluding chapter outlines some
problems associated with human resource shortage and makes
recommendations of how the shortages can be reduced.
I particularly enjoyed reading
chapters one, three and four. I must admit I found chapter seven
on vacancies and vacancy ratios difficult to follow.
This is a book which makes you
think. HRD strategies are for the long-term benefit of the
population. It is essential for nation building to have a
well-educated, well trained workforce. This is a dead serious
topic.
The thought provoking
recommendations are quite interesting. Most of his
recommendations are spot on and I agree with most. For example,
the author explains (page 79) that, "In developing Asia
(that is, ASEAN and China), educational systems have not
traditionally favoured careers in business and production
management. Humanities and legal studies are preferred to
accounting, and medicine and/or general scientific studies are
preferred to engineering".
From page 80, "Where
business education curricula have been developed, students tend
to opt for disciplines like marketing or business rather than
accountancy or engineering". This shows that they are
opting for "soft" options in courses which are easy to
pass or in which they can score high marks. In this scenario
they choose courses in which they can cruise along easily with
minimal study rather than those which challenge their intellect.
Page 80 goes on to record that, "Brunei has committed
herself to the goal of universal primary education".
Page 83 states that, "The
present academic orientation in Brunei benefits only a small
proportion of students". He is not the first commentator to
say so. But my view is that we haven't done too badly. Because
of the academic orientation we have local doctors, lawyers,
engineers, teachers and managers today! Though he could have
gone further to note that this academic orientation has in turn
created a feeling of superiority or academic elitism among many
local graduates who shun "dirty" blue-collar jobs.
That itself creates a further
set of problems for policy makers and HRD practitioners.
Page 85 states that, "The
economic well being of any nation depends on its human resource
development. A sound human resource development is the
precondition of industrialisation and any economic development
that is not underpinned with a clear vision of human resource
development will always fail". (A very important statement
- therefore it is repeated twice for emphasis within two pages).
That's what the book is about.
It urges HRD to be given centre stage in economic development
and national manpower planning.
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