IN Malaysia’s hierarchy of academic prestige, the arts stream has long occupied the lowest rung. For generations, parents and educators have absorbed a damaging assumption that the arts are a consolation prize for those who cannot survive the rigours of science, and that choosing them is tantamount to choosing professional irrelevance.
We celebrate our doctors and engineers, yet view aspiring artists, designers, writers and historians with a quiet anxiety, sometimes even pity. This prejudice is not only outdated, it is also dangerous.
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