The world of Tzu Chi April 2021 (Vol.133)

2021 • 04 08 series portrayed a positive image of social work. It not only made the profession being recognized and accepted, but it also inspired many young people to join the ranks of social workers. For this reason, social workers are likened to the “Big Dipper”. The social workers in the drama were always full of enthusiasm and did thankless jobs. For example, they accompanied rebellious teenagers, helped single mothers and the lonesome elderlies. The question here is—Is social work in Malaysia thriving or has room for growth? The development of social work in Malaysia can be traced back to the British colonial period. In 1937, the British colonial government established the Department of Social Service and started building the framework for social welfare. At that time, social workers were mostly foreigners who had received professional training at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). After World War II, the British colonial government returned and established the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) in 1946. In the same year, four local officers were selected to undergo a two-year course in social welfare at the LSE. Until the 1950s, a small group of officers went to the UK for training, annually. In 1952, the Universiti Malaya (UM) campus, which was then located in Singapore, officially launched a diploma programme in social studies. In 1961, the Malayan Parliament passed legislation and separated the two UM campuses to become two non-subordinate national universities on January 1, 1962. The campus in Kuala Lumpur retained its name as Universiti Malaya, but it did not offer a diploma programme in social work. Therefore, all prospective DSW officers were sent to Singapore for training before becoming official social workers. In 1975, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang wrote a new chapter in the history of social work education in Malaysia by setting up social work programme in partnership with DSW. In 1991, Tun Mahathir Mohamad, then Prime Minister of Malaysia, unveiled the “Vision 2020” as the country’s 30-year development plan. One of the challenges was to establish a fully caring society and culture. In this sense, social workers were regarded as human resources required in creating a caring society, thus accelerating the development of social work education. Since 1993, our local universities offer degree programmes in social work. Other than USM, there are several other universities in Malaysia that offer social work-related degree programmes, which include Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) and UM. The Bachelor of Science (Human Development) programme in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) also offers Social Work and Community Development as minor courses. In addition, Methodist Pilley Institute and Methodist College Kuala Lumpur offers diploma programmes in social work for those who wish to pursue them. Chinese community’s perception of social workers Since many universities in Malaysia eature