Malaysia's education system in a state of emergency

Damian Denis

After reflecting my schooling years I have to agree with my friends that those who started school in 1983 with the new KBSR format felt like guinea pigs. I do too!

Then, the standard 5 exams were change to standard 6 with the UPSR format. Well, I thought things were fine until they changed the year end school holidays from December to October. We had to start our new school year in December. Remember?

I felt that was really weird starting our school term at the end of the year. HHhmmm. Our Christmas holidays had to be cut short and Christmas was never the same again.

And by that time I had a sense that other sort of changes was coming soon and I dread that. We just had to go through the motions and study hard while thinking what sort of changes was coming next. I resented that feeling.

Later we were in Form 1 under the KBSM thingy and life went on as usual. The SRP was later replaced by the PMR exams and SPM and STPM so far has not been change.

Recently, our Education Minister DPM Muhyiddin Yasin was suggesting that UPSR and PMR to be scrapped. The reason is our education system is too exam oriented.

For a start why not the ministry conduct an investigation on our Chinese and some of our Tamil schools. What are their strengths and their methodology. We do not need to go far as the solution to our predicament is only a stone's throw away!

And during the UMNO General Assembly, he suggested to make History a passing subject.

Why the sudden rush to change our education system again and again? Does he know what he's doing?

Somehow he doesn't inspire confidence to those who really take education seriously.

It was also DPM Muhyiddin who scrapped the teaching of Science and Maths in English previously.

Well, for one our young minds are not your guinea pigs anymore. We are not your lab rats that you or UMNO think you can experiment with. We had enough of this so called changes that actually doesn't make sense to us at all.

Secondly, the less changes that you people make on our education system is better. I know this is one ministry everyone wants to make a mark for themselves. And Muhyiddin you are of no different.

Any changes has to be backed by a proper study which engages all sections of society. What is so difficult in doing that? Plain lazy or for political expediency? I think we all know the answer!

Thirdly, please stop politicizing our education system. After all your brand of politics is rotten to the core and I'm afraid our schools are already becoming a sad reflection of that rottenness.

Imagine the kind of students that is being produced from this type of rotten and failed system. Is our system churning out the best or are we producing the rempits, alongs and gangsters all the way?

Instead please spend our country's resources to train our teachers and recognize them whoever they are. They are guru to our young minds and their contribution to our nation is priceless. I believe this is one step which is very much lacking today and DPM Muhyiddin you can make a huge difference by doing so.

Finally, I think we all know what needs to be done in our education system. A total overhaul needs to be executed and it must always start from the head. And I believe we will have that opportunity not very long from now.