YOURSAY | Minister’s remarks on education merely ‘syiok sendiri’

YOURSAY | ‘Is it a political statement to satisfy certain quarters or is she just dreaming?’

Minister: Education curriculum on par with Singapore, Japan

BOBBYO: When you have ministers who prefer to bury their heads in the sand like an ostrich concerning the education syllabus, then the nation is heading for doom.

Why doom? For the main pillar holding this nation and even in the future will be how qualified our future citizens are, especially in education.

Take this away, we will have compromised doctors, lawyers, engineers, ministers, and in every aspect of the profession.

Instead of saying there is room for improvement, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek is saying that we are on par with Singapore and Japan.

What is this? A syiok sendiri statement. A political statement to satisfy certain quarters. Or is Fadhlina (above) just dreaming?

Wake up, minister. When Pakatan Harapan came to power, we are expecting leaders that will correct all that is wrong with this nation, especially the quality of education.

Sad to say, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, this is seriously disappointing. You have some ministers that have proven that they are capable, but this education minister really deserves the cake with the icing.

Besides Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, many educationists who are concerned with the quality of education had voiced out on many occasions about the condition of the schools and its syllabus. It needs to be revamped.

We are very far from Singapore’s and Japan’s levels in quality of education. Our students in the govt schools are being abused mentally by impregnating them with third-grade educational studies.

Anwar, do something about it. If you do not have the courage to correct the syllabus and put it on par with the other many nations, then prepare to see the people and the nation pay a hefty price in the future.

Vijay47: The similarity with the Singapore curriculum notwithstanding, it would be mischievous and indeed unpatriotic for anyone to suggest that Malaysian education standards are in any way inferior to the high levels that the Little Dot claims to have.

Malaysia’s exceptional position is evident from the fact the Malays, who form the majority in national schools, display exceptional merit and competence that the non-Malays cannot hope to match, hence the Malays making up 94.83 percent of the civil service.

As a spiritual country, Malaysia must obviously focus beyond the 3Rs, that is, Reading, Writing, and aRithmetic in addition to the traditional 3Rs of Race, Religion, and Ruler; here “ruler” is not a plastic instrument that measures in inches or centimetres.

Accordingly, much emphasis is placed on religious lessons and to ensure uniformity, all students are expected to attend, especially those who wish to join the national football team.

To ensure success in this sacred objective, religious scholars are even appointed from abroad, in particular, Mumbai, India. After all, Man does not live on bread or nasi lemak alone.

Much seems to be made of Singapore and Japan standing at position 2 and 4 respectively, clearly heads and shoulders over Malaysia in the PISA rankings where our country does not even feature in the Top 40 or 50.

Rankings and percentages are, like one’s age, mere numbers that do not reflect the true values which a nation holds close to its bosom.

For all their probable gloating and smirking, Singapore and Japan cannot even jointly touch the quality of education that Malaysia proudly boasts of – 500 PhDs every year without fail.

Apanama is back: Education minister, do you know what happened after Malaysia’s ranking in Mathematics, Science, and Reading in the Triennial Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) dropped? This is what your ministry did.

The Education Ministry rushed to change the primary school syllabus a few years ago to make it tougher and to improve the country’s Pisa ranking.

The education ministry was very upset as it affected the national image. So, they decided to change the syllabus a few years ago to make it harder.

“Teachers were asked to attend courses over the last few years to be briefed about the changes. That’s when we were told the move was because of the Pisa ranking,” said one teacher.

The teacher said the ministry gradually upgraded the Maths and Science Year 5 syllabus to be used for Year 4, Year 6 became that of Year 5 and the Form 1 syllabus was taught to Year 6 students.

Another teacher said textbooks were also changed and many students struggled to adapt, especially when it also coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic. This impacted the teaching and learning in schools over the last two years.

“Our assessment showed at least four to five students in each class obtaining the lowest bands in each of the subjects, which is not good.”

The teacher said they have given their feedback to their school heads who are supposed to have conveyed it to the state authorities.

“We really hope they do so as the problem is a serious one. It’s the teachers on the ground who are struggling.”

One teacher alleged that there were instances where certain headmasters had even advised teachers to avoid giving students the lowest band in their assessment so that the school would not have to submit a report to the state education department.

Under current practice, the students are given Band 1 to Band 6 in their annual evaluation. Bands 1 and 2 are the lowest, which classify the students as not having acquired the minimum academic requirement in the subjects.

“This is totally unacceptable as it leads to the lowering of standards, which is happening now,” the teacher added.

Did you find out how many schools had lowered their standard to send “good to see” and “nice to read” reports?

You may have been fed the wrong information. This is just one example only. There are many I could quote. You may pengsan (faint) if I did so.

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