The article presents the author's view on the Malaysian Employees Provident Fund system. The said system was known to be mandatory and contributions are based on monthly income, in which 11% of the employees' salary will be deducted. Its members are eligible to withdraw their money prior to the age of 55 to assist with the deposit for a first property purchase. Monthly payments can also be made for a minimum of 12 months. [Download]
The article discusses the child care services in Malaysia. The health programs in Malaysia have resulted in the steady decline of prenatal, infant and toddler mortality. It cites the types of institutions that provide early childhood development programs in Malaysia. It mentions the efforts of the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and the Ministry of Education to develop policies to address inadequacies in early childhood programs. [Download]
Posted by Chooi Hwa, Ang Magdalene, Ansar Mahfooz A & Jantan Muhamad
Employment outcomes for persons with disabilities have been studied in a Malaysian work setting. Drawing from theories on Ambivalence Response Amplification, Exchange, and Norms of Career Mobility, a conceptual model has been proposed for employment outcomes. The study has brought out eight propositions about the relationship between organizational experiences and employment outcomes with particular reference to persons with disabilities. Source: ICFAI Journal of Organizational Behavior; Jan2008, Vol. 7 Issue 1, p7-22, 16p. Authors: Chooi Hwa, Ang Magdalene, Ansar Mahfooz A & Jantan Muhamad. [Download]
It is recognized that diversity can be defined from multiple points including diversity in perceived abilities and disabilities or rather exceptionalities. Exceptional individuals or those with special needs generally refers to individuals who differ from the societal or community standard of normalcy. As defined in the literature, they fall in the categories of individuals who have shown marked difference from the average or normal individual, in some identified aspects such as intellectual differences, communication differences, sensory differences, behavioural differences, physical differences, and multiple and severe handicapping conditions.
There is an increasing awareness and the broadening of perspective that mainstreaming is not just about including individuals with differing background and with exceptionalities. It emphasizes on having self-empowerment, self-determination and equality. [Download]
Although the population in Malaysia is still not considered elderly in Asia, the number of elderly population has recorded a steady increase since the early 1990’s. Findings from the Department of Statistics’ 2000 Census reveal an increase in the percentage of elderly from 5.9 per cent in 1991 to 6.2 per cent (about 1.5 million) in 2000. This is a clear indication that demographic ageing is taking shape in Malaysia.
Author: Wong, ChayNee. Publication: MIERScan, 17 April 2006. [Download]
