The Star - Friday June 25, 2010
Educating Malaysia the RIGHT WAY
QUESTION TIME By P. GUNASEGARAM
p.g...@thestar.com.my
Improving education quality and making it relevant is needed, not cutting exams.
THAT assessment is largely examinations-based is a significant part of the
problems of the education system, but right now that is not the major one
because there are so many demands upon the education system, the Govern-ment
needs to prioritise them.
But first, let’s deal with the proposal to abolish the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah
Rendah (UPSR) and Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examinations, reportedly to
make the system less exam-oriented and provide a more holistic education.
Will it? Most likely not, simply because the problem is not just these two
examinations but the overall emphasis on academic results. There will still be
examinations at the end of each term etc.
The bad effect of abolishing these exams is we will have no clue as to the
standard of our students until they reach Form Five. By then it will be too
late to take remedial steps to help the poorer students.
We need UPSR and PMR at least as a gauge to measure the standard of our
students. But at the same time, we should look at other means to reduce the
emphasis on exams by introducing year-long programmes which are project-based
and will take into account extra-curricular activities.
The priority now has to be to improve the quality of education and here are 10
ways to do that.
Yes, many of these steps require time but a start has to be made now.
1. Better quality of teachers. This is simply the most important factor. It
calls for the raising of both standards and incentives for teacher education
and the continuous training of existing ones. Without this, nothing else will
succeed.
2. Ensure a minimal standard of physical facilities for schools. While quality
of teachers is most important, all schools must be provided with good basic
physical facilities such as a playing field, hall, laboratories, classrooms and
everything else that facilitates learning.
3. A syllabus that reflects holistic education. The syllabus itself must
reflect the aims of holistic education by including subjects that cover living
skills. We should look at greater emphasis on daily commerce – for example
opening bank accounts, budgeting and investing.
4. Real emphasis on extra-curricular activities. Emphasis means teachers who
are trained in these. Over the years there has been less emphasis on teachers
specialising in sports, for instance.
It is necessary to produce teachers who specialise in sports and, within that,
in some particular areas of sports.
5. Single-session schools. For proper emphasis on extra-curricular activities
and stuff such as additional classes and time for homework, a longer,
single-session school would be ideal.
This has been talked about for decades but nothing has happened to date.
6. Provisions for English Langua-ge education. With even science and maths not
being taught in English anymore, there is a need to come up with more
imaginative ways to ensure that the quality of English among our students
improves.
We all know that English is important but we still do very little about it and
allow the issue to be repeatedly politicised.
7. Provisions for mother tongue education. The national school system may see
an increase in enrolment if adequate provisions are made and time allocated for
pupils’ own language or POL classes.
This must not be merely for show and there should be enough hours and resources
for a proper education in the mother tongue. A single-session school system
will facilitate that.
8. Less politicisation and greater ‘professionalisation’ of education. The
emotive issues such as language and culture should be taken out of education
and a more accommodative and liberal spirit that takes into account the beliefs
of all races and cultures should be part and parcel of the national school
system.
Professionals should essentially run education with policy agreed upon and set
by the politicians.
9. Continuity of planning – 20-year plans will be good. The education system
cannot be left to the whims and fancies of successive education ministers but
should be guided by firm policy and a long-term rolling plan of 20 years.
Otherwise, key milestones targeted in earlier years will not be achieved as
priorities are shifted elsewhere as new education ministers come in.
10. Keep up to date with education everywhere. Education methods and means are
not static anywhere and they constantly change and evolve.
We have to make sure that we keep with the trends by getting people with both
breadth and depth and put them in charge of the educational agencies.
Without a doubt, education is a pet peeve among all Malaysians.
The deterioration in quality over the years is terribly worrying and the time
for doing something drastic and at the same time constructive is long past.
The rakyat will be eternally grateful to anyone who can put education right so
that we start producing a new generation of really educated Malay-sians.
But the question remains as to who or what that will be.
> Managing editor P Gunasegaram started working life 33 years ago as a maths
> and science teacher in a Government school.
Wassalam.
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