1. Non-conducive population of students
Various institutions have many intakes a year and I know of one college that takes up to 6 intakes a year. What's more "remarkable" is the amount of students per intake is simply abundant. Some institutions takes in as many as 500 students per intake.
How would the authority of the institution expect to create a conducive learning environment for the students? These students would be divided into probably 4-5 groups of approximately 100-150 students per group for practical classes. With just 1 lecturer per group, how would they expect the students to be able to see what the lecturer is teaching?
For example when a lecturer teaches spinal mobilisation, that would require students to get very close to the lecturer and observe the demonstration. But with the great amount of students, how would the student to even have a chance to see where the hands are palpating on the back?
2. Lack of equipments
Many of these institutions have such inadequate equipments. Can you imagine I have heard that many have not even seen a peak flow meter! They even wondered how a spirometer looks like.
Students had to pay huge amounts to finish their diploma or degree in some institutions, ranging between RM45k to RM80k for a 3-year diploma course. Imagine getting RM60k per students, with 3000 students per year. The institution gets a total of RM1800000000 (that's RM1.8 BILLION!) yet they can't even purchase enough peak flow meters for the students? I seriously wonder what they do with the money.
Some students have never even heard of the isokinetic machine. Personally, having studied in a particular university, with only 34 students in my batch and divided into 2 groups of 17 students, we got to practise with spirometers, peak flow meters, isokinetic machine and many other equipments that are necessary for a holistic and complete assessment and treatment.
3. Places for clinical placements
In my 4 years of doing my degree, we're very lucky that the students of my university have always been placed in local government hospitals. Students of other institutions, due to their huge numbers are always placed in homes like mentally handicapped homes or old folks homes. It would be a great exposure with placement in homes however how would they be able to learn if there are no physiotherapists at the homes to guide them? How would they know they are doing things wrongly if there are no physiotherapists to correct them?
Also, these students wouldn't have enough exposure to cardiorespiratory (CR) patients as majority of CR patients can only be found in hospitals. How would they be able to assess and treat CR patients upon fully graduated if they have handled none? Many have NEVER EVEN STEPPED INTO THE ICU.
I'm sure the Malaysian Physiotherapist Association (MPA) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) as well as the Ministry of Higher Education are making efforts to overcome these problems. We hope and pray to see the outcomes of their effort ASAP.
We can't have many more students being CHEATED!
