A humanistic mindset to digitalisation

According to the human capital theory, investing in education has the potential to maximise economic growth and prosperity. In line with the country’s vision to become a regional education hub, the Malaysia Education Blueprint (2015-2025) charts a way ahead by emphasising the development of future-proof graduates and industry-ready individuals capable of prospering in the world of IR4.0 technologies.

Malaysia’s national strategy on education recognises the critical role of information and communications technology (ICT) in developing digital education. With a growing emphasis on higher education, China has also revamped its school curricula and instituted other reforms to help the country’s education system become better and make higher education more accessible to all citizens.

A strategy to modernise China’s education system from “capacity” to “quality” was formed under China’s Education Modernisation 2035 plan, which aims to promote China’s modernisation. As a consequence, it was stated that Shanghai, China, has routinely produced some of the highest marks on international assessments such as Pisa, which assesses 15-year-olds in math, science and reading.

As with other countries, China has made major strides in the use of ICT in education, vigorously supporting the development of “Internet + education”, advancing the modernisation of education and establishing a strong education system.

Malaysia and China are becoming increasingly concerned about the quality of higher education development as their economies expand and student involvement at the tertiary level rises. Malaysia’s intention of becoming a fully industrialised country with high global competitiveness and China’s aspirational goal to reclaim its place as a world leader in research, technology and education reflect this shared trend in higher education.

To better integrate into the global community of higher education, Malaysia and China’s higher education systems have adopted the agreed values, norms and standards of that community.

One of the global higher education community’s shared values is digitalisation, which includes ICT in the curriculum. Malaysia and China are becoming increasingly conscious of the problems and opportunities presented by the era of education digitalisation for higher education. Apart from the implications of the global pandemic, society is also confronted with the negative consequences of digitisation.

As we approach Industry 4.0, it appears as though homo is no longer “sapiens” but rather “digitalis”. Digitalisation has become an ambiguous component of global complexity because of the transformation of symbolic humans into digital people. Apart from education, humans have evolved into social-digital beings. Chips placed in the human body are a technique to artificially combine their physical and digital lives in some ways.

Furthermore, similar innovations are being utilised to safeguard and grow human capital in many applications, such as digital prosthetic arms and legs, pacemakers and artificial eyes. These technologies are being used in a variety of social and medical contexts, including online consultations.

According to a recent study, smartphones, mobile phones and personal computers function as second digital bodies for many people, who view them as extensions of their own identities. The digital revolution, which promotes creative approaches to education, the environment, work and leisure, makes it possible to protect human capital while at the same time, supporting economic growth and management structures and increasing the overall quality of life.

On the other side, digitisation might lead to complete control over human behaviour and the build-up of human capital. To put it another way, we can’t and shouldn’t put a halt to digitalisation since it encourages innovative approaches to education, the environment and employment as well as enjoyment.

When it comes to digitisation, though, we should take a more humane approach than we already do. In other words, a humanistic mindset contributes to economic, managerial and quality of life advancements while also conserving the human spirit, traditional values and symbolising future life milieu. Homo digitalis, as a new social form, would be distinguished by the growth of both rational-digital and substantial-humanistic components in human capital. Clarity is advantageous for everybody in the Industry 4.0 era.

We need to recognise that digital alone does not represent innovation - man is still required to ennoble human interaction; he creates the difference, which is not a new novelty but a new method of managing it. While it is true that Industry 4.0 emphasises the most innovative embodiment of the homo digitalis, it also focuses on the tremendous value of human resources. The “smart” worldview must be clever not just in things but, more importantly, in people.

The new transmission mechanism for the sustainable and humanistic formation of human capital must enable both logical and humanistic ways of engagement to maintain signifying culture, social communication and the human spirit. Since traditional measures of happiness and fairness were based on socio-cultural reality, the criteria for success today are heavily weighted in favour of an individual’s ability to adjust to the rapidly changing digital and epidemic environments in which they live.

As a result, younger generations should become “virtual specialists” in digital and networking technologies, as well as be oriented to ongoing narratives and adaptable humanistic ideals of a humanistic character, among other things. Individualised, flexible and at least partially reimbursed processes that seek to empower students and help them achieve their life objectives should be the focus of educational validation rather than a standardised evaluation targeted primarily at gaining certain qualifications.

Humanism’s future depends on combining scientific and religious knowledge to prove the validity of educational approaches. To summate, we must, however, avoid network communications from resembling computer communication which would result in the formation of a secular “soul” of the digital type.

> Dr Koon Vui Yee is a senior lecturer at Sunway University. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.

The SEARCH Scholar Series is a social responsibility programme jointly organised by the Southeast Asia Research Centre for Humanities (SEARCH) and the Centre of Business and Policy Research, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC), and co-organised by the Association of Belt and Road Malaysia.