education as form of commodity

8/9/2019 Education as Form of Commodity

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Write up by : Abdul Hakim AbdullahMatrix No. : 2008758019Programme Code : AP 223Course : Bachelor Architecture (Hons)Subject : Architectural Philosophy / JSB 552Checked by : Assoc. Prof. Rashidah Abdul

Rahman

Department of ArchitectureFaculty of Architecture, Planning & SurveyingUiTM Shah Alamuly - November 2009

DESIGN PHILOSOPHYBACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE 02


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Education As Form of Commodity

ntroduction

n what ways has education become a formof commodity that is being transacted on theopen market through global capitalism?

That is a main question and I have my veryersonal opinion regarding to that question.would say that the policy is a main keylement that leads all of this towards the

great transformation of global education andhow its related to the global capitalism. Itsike same situation of Republic of China

where they re-fashion the country whichwell known as communist nation by openhe door towards the global world. Thats the same thing with this transformation

of education to the commodity things. Bymaking education as part under means of roduction, this can be turn into somethingo-called money-making business which

will be love by bourgeoisie class. Govern-ment who control the nation have a power toontrol national education and trade it intohe market either domestic or internation-

ally. This is also one of the things that cane a factor of education commodi cation.

from top right to bottom1. A women cum mother for her three childs at India.2. Famous Hollywood actress, Angelina Jolie holds her

adopt son; Maddox.3.University students during celebration day of convo

cation.


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Education Made in Money

Nowadays, money is very important invery daily life and in challenging future

day. Its gone a be relating back with theducation system where the power of

money can determine individual educationackground even this not apply to every-

one. Here, we can see the power of moneyreating several boundaries within our sociallasses. The gap already created by pass

historical process and still continues in theame principle in this day and maybe for fu-ure also. Recap back to the greatest pharaohras where the slave can be considered asroletarians society and they are not moneylass .

This class working for their whole life

and dont get even proper education eventhey struggles between life and death inorder to loyal to their company. Ancientcapitalism already marks and create bound-ary cum gap among the society which can

be considered so-called bourgeoisie and proletarians. This gap is not only affects theseparation of economy, social and politicalsystem but also education part.

In this millennium era, we can see all of this still happen even not in direct situation

but still we can think and considered aboutthat. For example, the question can rise withasking where the royal class such kingssons get their education? Is that the go to thespecial school where only royal class can get

get through it? Meaning here special classneed to separate from ordinary people fromget the same education which can be calledstandardization. So they not suit to get whatordinary people or standard civil peopleget and thats why they need to go for royalschool. Is that ordinary people can go to thesame school like the royal class so they canget same education? This is a question that I

can think in order to relate back the structureof social system with education matters. Wemay be able to see indirectly the property

between bourgeoisie and proletarian peopleand this will lead to make all educations

property as commodity things that can besell globally.

IKEA made in China and we can also think about howwas an individuals education made in money.


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Education So-CalledMoney-Making Product

The need of a constantly expanding market or its products chases bourgeoisie over the

whole surface of the globe. It must nestleverywhere, settle everywhere, and establishonnections everywhere. The bourgeoisie

hasa through its explotation of the world-market given a cosmopolitan character o production and consumption in everyountry.

Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto

Policy is a keyword that I believes to-wards the all matters of transacted educationinto commodity form. For example, thisMMU is one of the largest and in uences

private university in Malaysia. Before this,they (MMU) start with low-pro le institu -tions where they historical name is InstituteTelecommunication and Information Tech-nology (ITTM). During that period, Malay-sia Government decided to upgrade them to

be University Telekom (UNITELE) where joint-venture with national corporate company, TELEKOM (TM) happen. Later onwhen the TM announced to be self-privatecorporate, this affect to the status of currentMMU even the relation with local Govern-ment still emerge and continues. But thenthis still be a turning point when MMU

become more commercialized parallel withthe national intention of creating MultimediaSuper Corridor (MSC) valley.

As to attract more glocal investor, theuniversitys policy seems to deal with thatkind of situation which have great potentialto generate economic income for country.Education not only be as conventional edu-cation anymore, the university be as part of

production factory by rejuvenate the inter-relation between local and private, domesticand international.

Education industry already involve withcapital things. We know that there are no-free education in this real world even therewas indirect perception that its already havefree education. Since beginning we becamechild, our parents needs to invest someamounts of money for our long term so-called education plan. From primary schooltill secondary and then later on university.All of this things needs money as capital andfor sure its will affect to the global society.People who have money can get proper and

better education background compared to poverty family.

Financial aid offered by some agentseihter from government or private sector for educational purpose seems another mattersthat relates with capitalism.Some private university offers programsfor international students and this situationalready creating some kind of capitalismfactor. Students need to pay a fees for ap-

plication process and later on they needs to pay for university fees which the rate alwaysdiffer from local students. So, from all of this, I see the way that education can turninto some good business industry.

take it or leave it - is that phrase happen to globalducation where money is a main matter in getting highevel of education system.

more higher education level more money are needed?


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Vertical Urban Campus

This name given according to the interven-ion that will happen at urban area and for ure under urban context. This is the task hat I need to complete it in this secondemester of rst year. The task is to design

a high-rise which comply with educationalurpose. A tower with educational programslugs in inside the stackable spaces andtanding up in central urban area.

choose Multimedia University(MMU)as my client and this is the right clienthat I think in order to relate back with theropose site which located at Brick elds, a

vacant green land in front of Kuala Lumpur Sentral. MMU is not a university who fullyontrol by local Government even they have

a relation and pro t between this two par -ties. MMU is a private university which leadand majoring in multimedia components inour nation.Even MMU have a main head-universityat intelligent city; Cyberjaya and the other one which is its branch at Melaka and thistwo campus considered as horizontalcampus. This new proposed campus is verti-

cal university and need to negotiate withsurrounding context. Brick elds have itsown historical and past stories of memoryto our nation. Those already happen duringlast 3 decades and Brick elds now alreadyoccupied with black peoples which knownas Indians. In Malaysia, Indians is a third

largest committee after Malay and Chinese.Here, we can see the negotiation betweendesign intervention and local context withalmost non-dominant committee as habitantsin vicinity area.

How can a vertical tower affects its surrounding?

Building as interconnection between architecture andelectronic-media.


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Proposed Intervention -

New Emergence

TM Corporation is a key investor thateat behind this urban intervention at Brick-elds area. The key challenge is how toonvert a green vacant land into educational

hub that open to global market. Another sorthings is to turn up vicinity context for aonstant development changes after this newntervention.

New clients brief needs to compatible

with the site condition where 5000 studentshould have proper condition of study envi-onments. The site already have approximate

4.3 acres ground surface area and almost atand. A new tower will raise up from the site

and must respond to the surround environ-ment and this is a part of design challenging.

From the very early preliminary designstage, the main idea is about to create some-thing that can connect 360 degree communi-cation and then the question is how to makeit appear. The intentions is to create somesense of talkative building pro le espe -cially during the night cycle. Another thingsis about the extra programming that needs tosuit with this clients mission and vision.

Commercial is one of the general programwhich considered as supporting elementsin order to give variable sense of programsrather than education only.With a idea of duplicating succesfull placelikes Low Yatt Plaza located at Bukit Bin-tang area, new IT commercial center will

emerge and como auge together witheducation programs since this MMU urbancampus more focusing on IT and multimediamajoring. Hardware and software alreadywell known in this industry, so thats whyIT center can be considerd as most suitableadditional programs.

With this IT center, its allow publicto enter the building in such a control way

regarding to the public-private spaces butthe very important elements here is to createsome sort of communication also collectivespaces between students,staffs and public. A2-ways communication perhaps can happen

between both parties and appreciation aboutknowledges needs to consider together.

Ground oor plan

nitial idea about media projection from the tower andhe used of hologram technology.

Hani Rashid, LiseAnne Couture (Asymptote Architec-ure), Guggenheim Virtual Museum, (1999)


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With basic design and built form for thisroposed tower, all top oor starting from 6evel is classrooms,laboratories,intermediat green garden and the arena on most upper art. Conventional programmes for students

and academician composed in a typical way.Only identicable user can use all top oor with focusing more to educational purpose.Since that, the new basic intelligent applied

or the buildings envelope. This is a parthat give more sense for public range fromhe surround vast site to integrate informal

with this building. The full intergation of media/information technology with architec-ure in urban context represents a new kind

of communication surface devoted to

unprecedented forms of arts. The innovativeuse of technology and experimental ap-

proach to communication and social interac-tion de nes new standards in the contextof urban interventions worlwide, raisingglobal interest in the integration of digitaltechnology with architecture and reinforcingthe reputation of Brick elds as a centre for innovation and urban renewal.

Architecture becomes a surface of communication, sensitive, reactive andinteractive, who consider buildings newurban transmitter, perhaps can give equalemotions to all surround audience withoutcare their status level, classes or education

background. One tower for everbody while

it can reinterpret and rejuvenate the mean-ing of virtual spaces by making the building

become image. It is clearly that status leveldoesnt in uenced and restrict public to be

part this building and experince non-directeducation of knowledges through new inno-vative intervention in trans-apparent screens.

Night view from main road (Jalan Tun Sambhantan)


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References1.Patrick Healy & Gerhard Bruyns, De-/signing theUrban.Techno-genesis and the urban image , 010 Pub-lisher, Rotterdam, 2006, pg 45. 2. Paolo Gregory, NEWSCAPES Territories of Com-

plexity , Birkhauser, Basel, 2003, pg 77 3. Miguel Angel Centeno and Joseph Nathan Cohen,Global Capitalism

Conclusion

Education already demands capital inorder to develop, innovate and invest for he new output of research. In conclusion,y making an education as one of commod-ty that can trade into open global market,his still not exit from issues of capitalism.

Possibility to make education as one of national sector which can generate economyor country even the percentages cannot beat

another sector such tourism or industrializa-ion or any else, but still produce income.

By promoting local university and re-openhe door for the international students also is

another way to show an assence of capital-sm. The demands and needs leads for indi-

vidu to travel to any country in the world

and invest their money as to get speci ceducation and knowledge. This situationcan happen for individu who have capitaland the question still exist is what about theothers who dont have capital (money) buthave determination to get speci c knowl -edge. This elements contributes certain gapin getting knowledge as per mention by KarlMarx through his idealogy about capitalism.

But architecture have a very strong magic power in turning all these through intel-ligent innovation and intervention. This can

produce from the built of building or anynegotiation methods.

Abdul Hakim Abdullah, Vertical Urban Campus, aroposal take place at Brick elds.

Diller + Sco dio, Blur Building, Expo Internationale2002, Yverdon-les-Bains.

Tom Kovac, Australian Virtual Pavillion, 2004, interior

education as form of commodity

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