Writer : Bakri Baharom Consultant : Zainuddin Jaafar (POLIMAS

…from TPA’s desk…19
16 March 2014
Writer : Bakri Baharom
Consultant : Zainuddin Jaafar (POLIMAS)
bkiub@yahoo.com.my / www.polimas.edu.my / 019-488-1430
Designed and Edited by : Azlida Ahmad (PTSS)
Zainuddin Jaafar
In the 1970's, Malaysia was at its best in football game. We were the powerhouse
among the Asean countries. No baby boomer's generation would forget football legends
like Mokhtar Dahari (SuperMokh), Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh and R. Arumugam
(Spiderman) and Isa Bakar, to name a few. The Korean team was like our neighbourhood
school football team. To say that they respected us was an understatement. They feared
us. Their players would kick the ball outside the field just to delay the time. The spectators
would roar: "Korean Style", a literal translation of "Main Korea" in Bahasa Malaysia,
insinuating lack of professionalism. Great time has passed. How is our football national
team doing now? A friend declared, we would lose even before the game starts. Similar
perception goes to our takraw team. True or not, we believe we invented the game. We
have played takraw since time immemorial. Would you believe that even Myammar
(Burma) could beat us nowadays? When Thailand team came up with Horse Kick Serve, we
simply had no answer. We were thrashed. Should you ask the "experts" in my village, they
would say we lack a thousand things: discipline, stamina, fighting spirit, nationalism,
experience, imagination, etc. Another two words would be STRATEGY and TACTICS.
What is the difference between Strategy and Tactics?
According to the on-line dictionary, a Strategy is a larger, overall
plan that can comprise of several Tactics which are smaller,
focussed, less impactful plans that are part of the overall plan.
While the original usage of the terms Strategy and Tactic were
in military context, they are now used in a wide variety of
activities, including business, game, education and training, etc.
Look at the following example to differentiate between Strategy
and Tactics.
Suppose we are already at the top position for Group A in a
football league. The last match in the group will not change our
position even if we win, lose or draw. The strategy is to play
defensively as to reduce any chance of injury to our players
especially the strikers. What will be our tactical initiatives? To
start with, we will play with 3-2-5. It means we have 3 strikers, 2
mid-fielders and 5 defenders. Secondly, we will play long passes
so as to avoid more body contact that may cause injury. Thirdly,
we may replace our top players (after playing for a short while)
with rookies with the excuse of giving them some exposure.
Fourthly, we may slow down the game pace as to frustrate the
opponent team who needs to win. Fifth; should we score first,
one of the two mid-fielders will join the five defenders. Of
course, there will be some other tactical moves that we can
employ as to fulfill our strategic plan.
Similarly, in the polytechnic system, we have some kind of appraisal instrument called PolyPMO (Polytechnic Management Office).
While the number of Strategic Objectives (SO) are fixed at five (5), the number of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) are different between
premier and conventional/metro polytechnics. The groupings are as in Table 1:
GROUP
1.
2.
Premier
Conventional 1
3.
4.
Conventional 2
Metro
POLYTECHNICS
PUO, PSA, PIS
POLISAS, POLIMAS, PKB, PKS, PPD, PKK, PSP, PSMZA,
PMM, PSAS, PTSB, PSIS, PTSS, PMU
PMK, PKT, PMS, PBU, PNS, PSS, PMJ, PJK, PBS, PHT
PMKL, PMKU, PMJB, PMBS, PMTG
Table 1 : Group Members
NUMBER OF
KPI
20
16
16
16
Look at the following Table 2 for the overall SO, KPI, Target, Weightage and Percentage for Conventional Polytechnic (2013).
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE (SO)
1.
SO1
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
SO2
7.
8.
9.
10.
SO3
11.
12.
SO4
13.
14.
15.
16.
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR (KPI)
TARGET
The number of products/services
incorporated into TVET system applied
3
To advance polytechnic as
within and outside the institution.
leading regional TVET
institution
KPI2
Number of innovations.
3
KPI3
Number of researches.
3
KPI4
The percentage of graduates securing
76
jobs 6 months upon graduation.
KPI5
The percentage of programme achieving
the number of lecture hours conducted
70
To strengthen the relevancy
by industrial practitioners (PPI).
and responsiveness of
KPI6
The number of graduates involved in
programmes.
business/entrepreneurship 6 months
10
upon graduation.
KPI7
The number of students undergoing
1600
entrepreneurship course.
KPI8
The number of industry/agency having
3
active collaboration with the institution.
KPI9
The number of Polytechnic Towering
4
Student (PHP).
To establish branding and
reputation.
KPI10 The percentage of staff undergoing 10
100
days of training in a year.
KPI11 The percentage of bills paid within 7
100
working days.
To lead in niche area and
KPI12 The percentage of Centre of Technology
50
specific technology.
(COT) achieved and functioning.
KPI13 The number of PSH Programme carried
2
out; i.e Part-Time Programme.
Flexible Learning For All:
KPI14 The number of PSH Programme carried
To increase access and
8
out; i.e Short Courses.
infrastructure in
implementing Long Life
KPI15 The number of participants in PSH; Part30
Learning (PSH) through Time
Time Programme.
Sector Privatisation (TSP).
KPI16 The number of participants in PSH; Short
320
Courses.
Table 2 : SO and KPI for Conventional and Metro Polytechnics (2013)
WEIGHTAGE
PERCENTAGE
KPI1
SO5
15
30%
10
5
10
8
30%
7
5
8
6
20%
3
3
15
15%
1.5
1.5
5%
1
1
a) The
SO
list
is
quite
comprehensive. It definitely calls
for proper planning and
commitment by many parties.
However, SO4 coincides with
one of the criteria for PolyRATE
which has its own external
auditors. SO1 which consists of
3 KPIs, are the bread and butter
criteria for our staff to apply for
promotion. So, as a proverb
suggests; we could get them to
kill two birds with one stone.
b) Consider the percentage
share of the 5 SO's. The first
two SOs carry 30% each. That
means it is logical for us to
pay more attention, resources
and effort in these areas.
Within SO1; KPI #1 and KPI #2
contribute 25% of the total
marks. Why is it that these
two KPIs merit more points?
They are probably considered
to be more challenging.
Hence, we must pay extra
attention to them.
d) Everyone must bear in mind that PolyPMO targets
will not remain static. For 2014, the number of KPIs
has been increased from 16 to 17. Some of the
target values or percentages of certain KPIs will be
revised upward occasionally. The KPI #12 for COT
has its own target scheduled. For POLIMAS, it was
40% in 2012, 50% in 2013 and it is 65% for 2014.
Hopefully with the experience and confidence
gained, we will deliver the scores.
e) You would notice that none of the KPIs can
be done without team effort. Hence, the
spirit of teamwork needs to be nurtured
among our staff. Imagine if the drivers were
to be less cooperative, then industrial visits
for the students would be affected. To cater
to all the needs, to iron out problems and to
prepare timely reports, we need to have a
proper committee. The following is
POLIMAS PolyPMO main committee
members for 2013 (Table 3). Some
adjustments may be made for this year to
bring in new blood:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
c) Eventhough some KPIs seem to be more
important and carry more weightage than the
others, we must not abandon any in the list to
secure overall score. In order to cover all areas
sufficiently, we need to appoint coordinators
and process owners who will handle the
details. As an example, KPI #4 is tasked to
1L5G (1 Lecturer, 5 Graduates) coordinator
under CISEC (Corporate Industrial Service and
Employment Centre) of which s/he will link-up
with the departments' counterparts.
MEMBERS
GRADE
DEPARTMENT / UNIT
Asmara Sulong
JUSAC Director
Mohd. Nazari Ahmad
DH52 Deputy Director (Academic)
Abdul Latif Halim
DH48 Deputy Director (Academic Support)
Noor Azzah Zakaria
DH41 Quality Officer
Zainuddin Jaafar
DH48 HoD Students Affairs
Suria Hasnah Ahmad
DH52 HoU TSP
Sarif
Azijan Murad
DH44 HoU Continuing Education
Faridah Yahya
DH54 HoU R&D&I
Asma Ahmad
N36
Chief Executive Officer (PET)
Faezah Yahya
DH52 HoU Centre of Technology
Norafifah Ahmad
S44
HoU Psychology and Career
Mat Hassan Abu Bakar
DH52 HoU Entrepreurship
Teo Tang Ghee
DH48 HoU Collaboration / MOU
Abd Hamid Md Desa
DH48 HoD Civil Engineering Department
Nurol Huda Mohd Noor
DH52 HoD Electrical Engineering Department
Mohd Nazri Lazim
DH48 HoD Mechanical Engineering Department
Norapiah Abd Rahman
DH48 HoD Commerce
Sarina Shariff
DH48 HoD Information & Communication Technology
Table 3 : POLIMAS Committee Members (2013)
For this installment, we will detail KPI
#5, i.e. the number of programmes
achieving the number of lecture hours
conducted by industrial practitioners
(known as KPI PPI, Pensyarah Pelawat
Industri). There is a reference booklet issued
by JPP, titled "KPI Guideline" issued in 2013
which spells out the KPI PPI in terms of
objectives, rules and auditing. Let’s consider
some of the important points:
a) The term PPI refers to the role played by
those in the industries to share their
knowledge and expertise on top of our
regular Teaching and Learning (T & L). The
activities may include planning, delivery
or T & L evaluation that may help our
graduates to be "work-ready". The rule
specifies that the industry players must
not include any academicians from
Institution of studies like University,
Colleges or as such. The term industries
will include both the private and public
sectors;
like
Government-LinkedCompany (GLCs), i.e Maybank, Sime
Darby, Telecom, MAS, etc. Apart from
that,
Non-Governmental-Organisation
(NGOs),
chamber
of
commerce,
professional
engineering/accounting
bodies like IEM/ACCA are acceptable.
c) Now, let’s see the Central Target set by our headquarters, JPP as in
Table 5 below:
1.
2.
3.
4.
NUMBER OF HOURS
2013 2014 2015 % of Programme
Premier
30
40
50
80
Conventional 1
30
40
50
70
Conventional 2
30
40
50
70
Metro
30
40
50
70
Table 5 : Central Target Set By JPP
1.
2.
3.
4.
TYPE OF
COURSE
Compulsory
Common
Discipline
Elective
b) Interactive Hours mean the cumulative
period of time per year for activities
carried out with the industrialist. The
calculation will be based on each
programme which spans from
Semester 1 through Semester 6.
However, the weightage must follow
as per programme curriculum with
regards to the courses; Compulsory,
Common Core, Discipline Core and
Electives. It is stipulated in the PPI
rules that the ratio will be 20 %
(Compulsory) : 80 % (Common Core +
Discipline Core + Electives). Consider
some courses in Diploma in Electrical
Engineering (DEE) as in Table 4:
EXAMPLES
Moral / Islamic Studies and Softskills
Engineering Mathematics and Entrepreneurship
Electrical Technology and Power System
Operating System and Industrial Control
Table 4 : The 20 : 80 Rule
POLIMAS belongs to Conventional 1 group. In 2013, we had 15 diploma programmes. Each programme is required to do 30 hours of PPI, minimum. The
target is such that 70% of these 15 programmes (i.e. 10.5 rounded to 11) will have to achieve at least 30 hours to score full marks. However, the number of
contact hours with the industrialist is increased to 40 and 50 hours in 2014 and 2015 respectively. At the same time, POLIMAS is adding one new
programme in June 2014. Therefore, our new target for this year will be 12 out of 16 programmes (70%) which will have to achieve 40 hours PPI each. The
general formula is:
P = (a/A) x 100
where
P = the percentage of programme achieved the total interaction hours for PPI;
a = the number of programme achieved the total interaction hours for PPI;
A = the number of programmes offered by the polytechnic.
d) The industries’ engagement with the students through PPI can take place at the campus as well as at their venues. The following activities are
considered valid:
1.
Name of Activity / Course
Academic Visit for Diploma in Civil Engineering students
 lecture
2.
*Activity / Course Code
o 01 Management
 seminar
o 02 Curriculum & Co-Curriculum
o 03 Research
 visit to the industry
o 04 Resource Development
 advisory
o 05 Others
 assessment panel
3.
Date
12 – 14 March 2014
Suppose you plan to take your
students for an industrial visit. Our
standard procedure is to submit a
working paper which consists of
the following details:
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Venue
Target Group
Number of students
Name of industry lecturer
Rationale of Activity
9.
Objective of Activity
10.
12.
Prepared by:
Checked by:
Endorsed by:
Approved by:
Financial Implication:
Government Fund:
Students’ Affairs Dept:
Lecturers in-Charge:
13.
Students List:
14.
Tentative Activities:
15.
Financial Detail:
Government Fund:
Vot 21 000
Vot 29 000
Vot 42 000
Students’ Affairs Dept.
TOTAL
11.
Solid Waste Disposal Centre, Pulau Pangkor, Perak
DKA5A
35
Ir. Ali b. Abu

To fulfill the terms and scope of CC604 (Environmental Pollution & Control) and CC606
(Hydrology).

To expose the students with the real disposal solid waste system.

To visit the most efficient Sanitary Solid Waste facility in Malaysia.

‘Ismat Qusyairi b. Zazarli Shah (Course Lecturer)

Sharina bt Abdul Latiff (Head of Programme)

Abdul Hamid b. Mat Desa (Head of Department)

Bakri b. Baharom (Deputy Director, Academic)
RM766.00
RM2060.00

Md Nasir b. Md Safar

Mohd Safirul b. Mohd Noor

Muhammad Nor Shaiman b. Shaari 930719-03-5677 03DKA11F2128

Mohammad Badrul Hisham b. Shafin 930719-03-6207 03DKA11F2129

etc

05/03/14: 12.00 noon - Departure from POLIMAS
04.00 pm - Arrival at the jetty

06/03/14: 09.30 am – Depart to Solid Waste Disposal Centre
10.30 am - Arrival at the location, etc





Lodging / Food / Travelling : RM…
Fees payment or charges: RM…
Students Allowances: RM…
Lodging / Food / Travelling : RM…
RM2,826.00
a) The first rule to this working paper is of course to submit it well in
advance through our office secretary for recording. Sometimes,
the papers might go missing, requiring the organiser to re-do. As
our fund is limited, priority should be given to compulsory
activities as stipulated in the curriculum. If there is a nearer facility
that meets the same objective then it should be considered. Of
course, going to the same place many times is also not a good
idea. It is also best to check the availability of our buses for the
trip with the office before submitting the paper-work as we
practise First Come, First Served policy.
d) As you have to work out the expenditure involved, you must learn
about the government financial system. How much do we need for the
drivers and lecturers allowances for hotel/lodging and food. We must
calculate the drivers’ overtime. Should we not be aware of the rates
and so on, our Financial Office is more than happy to assist you. The
figures must be right. If your students are entitled for Vot 42000
allowances, make sure you ask them to sign-up upon receiving the
money. It will save you a lot of trouble later. However, you should not
worry about the fuel and toll charges as they will be paid by electronic
cards.
e) Look at your tentative schedule. Should you
make a trip to the capital, Kuala Lumpur then
you must also consider the traffic jam. Do not
be over-ambitious as to visit 2 different places
in the morning or afternoon. If you were to
miss the appointment with the company, they
will not be too happy. In case you are a little
bit late, call the officer-in-charge to explain
the reason. There could be an accident that
cause traffic jam or vehicle break-down. Do
not just keep quiet. They are reasonable
people. Some companies insist that you come
an hour earlier than scheduled. Do not argue.
Just oblige to their request.
f)
b) The capacity of our bus is 40 at the maximum. Sometimes, the
class enrollment is only 25. It is better if another class joins the
group to make up the number. We always need to optimise
our resources. For any journey more than 200 km, we would
assign two drivers. For safety reason we do not allow any
journey to start at midnight anymore. All trips will depart from
the garage which we call POLIMAS Bus Station. Should your
destination be to Shah Alam, you are not allowed to visit Kuala
Lumpur without first asking for permission.
c) The lecturers in-charge must travel with the students. The
safety, conduct and well-being of the students lie in the
hands of the lecturers, not the drivers. It is best that if we
have a male and a female lecturer to accompany the
students. Before starting the journey, the students should
sign-up the list for future references. Make sure you have all
the necessary contact numbers, address, the person incharge and possibly a GPS.
The bottom line is, the Director / Deputy Director (Academic) / Deputy Director
(Academic Support) reserves the right to approve or disapprove the trip. It could
be due to financial constraint or other reasons. For example, let’s say the
Consumer Club would like to visit Bukit Bendera, P. Ramlee House and Butterfly
Farm in Penang. Is the trip to these destinations justified? Probably not, unless
they include Consumer Association Penang (CAP) in their itinerary. If possible,
furnish the details like attending a seminar with S.M Idris as the main speaker. We
must always think of Value-for-Money when it comes to spending public fund. Or,
as my boss always insists on, “what is the IMPACT out of this trip?” In the next
installment, we will continue with PPI and touch on another new KPI.
Footnote:
The first two week of this month was quite a busy week for POLIMAS. On top of the usual activities, we had four
special events. One, we hosted a week-long "Mapping POLIMAS with Thai Institution Programme", from 2 - 7 Mac
2014. It involves 7 English Language Teachers from Songkhla Vocational College, Thailand. There were 10
counterparts from POLIMAS, headed by Helan Nor b. Abdullah, HoD General Studies. The team members were
Nuzaimah (HoP for English), Teo Tang Ghee, Suzana Ahmad, Chek Maznah Mansor, Mohammad Afif Osman, Mohd
Azmirudin Mohamad, Pramila Devi Chelliah, Mazliyana Ramli and Salwani Shamsuddin. The observers from
Thailand were Dr Rujira Klaewtanong and Wipawan Sangkaw (@Nim), while from JPP were Wan Nor Aishah Wan
Omar, Yusma Yusof and Nooriza Ibrahim. The head of CISEC, Asmah bt Othman acted as our Liaison Officer while
many others contributed in various ways to make this programme a success. A special mention goes to Dr Abdul
Rahman Huraisen Masri who has served beyond the call of duty. Our director, Asmara Sulong did the closing on
Thursday and the delegates left for home on Friday morning.
The second event hosted by POLIMAS was Final Examination Paper Vetting Workshop held at EDC Hotel in Sintok. POLIMAS was
tasked to take care of 2 programmes; Diploma in Town and Regional Planning (DPW) and Diploma in Building Services (DPB). The
panel members came from 5 polytechnics; POLIMAS, PSAS, PSA, PTSS and PKS while the four external panel members comprised of
senior lecturers from UiTM and UM. Due to secrecy regulation, the list of these experts will not be revealed. Suffice to say that we
are very proud when we learned that one of them is an ex-POLIMAS graduate in 1990's. Everything went extremely well as
witnessed by Dr Naimah Md Khalil, the Examination and Assessment Director in JPP. The two workhorses who made things
happened were Faidzuli Ismail (HoU Examination) and Shahzaril Fadzlin Shafie, (@ Bagio), our new Examination Officer. The external
panels reported that we have made a tremendous improvement over the years. The winner goes to one lecturer who has submitted
a perfect quality examination set to the external panels. Whoever you are, you have made our day great! Congratulations.
The third event was a one-day training session using Map Creator Software
conducted by HERE Solutions Sdn Bhd for DPW Students. If you have ever Google(d) any city or location in
the world then it is exactly similar, except this belongs to Nokia. Our DPW students being well-versed with
relevant knowledge on town and regional planning would be the perfect candidates to undertake the job.
Actually, it has taken us a few months to come to mutual agreement to the terms and conditions with the
company. As far as POLYRATE is concerned, we have gained 6 hours of PPI contact for DPW programme.
Hopefully, our students will contribute in making Nokia map a success.
The other event was a two-day course by an expert, Anijah Pangat from SIRIM. For a long time we have adopted MS-ISO Quality
Assurance while recently, we were required to fulfill MQA guidelines as well. The amount of paper work and double auditing by
both systems are demanding. The solution is to somehow integrate the two instruments. On top of that we need to train a new
line of auditors that can cater to both MS-ISO and MQA. Under the abled leadership of our Quality Officer, Noor Azzah Zakaria,
hopefully we can clear up the issue by the middle of the year.