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Vision 2020: Perfect or Blurred Sight?

The term "Vision 2020" has created something not really intended in the actual plan. To be sure, the figure 2020 is a play of words, a pun. However, many thought it was the year Malaysia would achieve a developed nation status.

For instance, Edaris Abbu Bakri in his book Pengurusan Strategik: Konsep dan Aplikasi untuk Pendidikan, published by Utusan Publications and Distributors Sdn Berhad, 2004, took the year to be part of a vision.

On page 22, he described a vision as brief, compact, to the point and not more than 25 words. Additionally, he wrote, a good vision must answer questions such as WHAT, FOR WHOM, and WHEN. He made reference to Vision 2020 "which stated the year 2020 as the year to determine the success of the national vision."


The other meaning, a perfect sight, is more credible. Vision 2020 is a long-term target for Malaysia to achieve developed nation status. If it can be achieved in the year 2020, well and good, but under the current economic predicament, this is not likely to be. So it will go beyond the year 2020.

In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia defines VISION as the desired or intended future of a specific organisation or enterprise in terms of its fundamental objective and strategic direction. Vision is a long term objective.

WIKIPEDIA defines MISSION as the fundamental purpose of an organisation or an enterprise, basically describing why it exists. Mission is short-term objective.

Put simply, VISION is a dream, and MISSION is the programme for achieving the dream. As such, timeline is not part of a vision or a dream!

Before going further, let me paint a scenario.

Lively discussions are going on in the school corridors, meeting rooms and workshops all over the country. The subject matter being discussed by education administrators and teachers is how to improve and upgrade schools so the schools can be categoried as, among other things, "sekolah cemerlang" and "sekolah kluster". The coveted prize is to be a cluster school as the school will be more independent and there is a big reward of RM500,000 for the school.

Schools are working hard to produce excellent and consistent academic results, excellent co-curriculum activities, excellent environment, etc. etc. In short, a mini and silent "revolution" is taking place in the school system throughout the country. This can be only good for the nation.

Part of this process is for the schools, and education departments to come up with vision and mission statements. Therein, lies the problem. The term "Vision 2020" subliminally comes into play.

So the vision of a state education department is to be "Terbilang Pada Tahun 2010" (Excellent in the Year 2010). It can be argued that such a statement is more of a mission statement and not a vision statement. This is certainly not right.

Schools throughout the state are following the lead of the state education department by coming up with similar vision statement.

What happened come year 2010? If this excellent status is not achieved in the year 2010, schools or the state education department will need to change it to 2011 or 2012.

This confusion is worrisome. Teachers attending courses such as PTK are being taught that vision has a timeline. The implication may be larger than a simple confusion. It may affect this silent revolution.

Perhaps, the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also the Education Minister should look into this matter.

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