When many nations have progressed with sturdy politicians delving into progressive education policies for their people Malaysia is still stuck in the mire – wading with self-seeking politicians and their flip-flop policies that are confusing parents, teachers and students more than anything else.
Each time there is a change to the education policies – this has happened too frequent in the past – policy makers would employ some so-called “expertise” to come up with imaginary ideas, waffles and verbiages to describe the “new” education process when the tales, in point of fact, mean nothing much.
The only certainty is that these education policies would come with big projects for crony contractors.
Taxpayers lost about RM5 billion
This errant approach to politics, education and money-making has its history from 1981 onwards. It all started when Mahathir Muhamad took over as prime minister (1981) of the country and since then it has become an UMNO’s integral culture.
The PPSMI (Teaching and Learning Science and Mathematics in English) was the policy that began in 2003. The policy had computer gadgets installed or given to schools in the tune of more than RM500 million with the intention to replace or assist teachers who were not competent enough to teach the subjects in English.
Not only the policy has failed or stopped, over 80 percent of the costly gadgets given to schools are now dysfunctional, not fully utilised, lost or just left to rot. Computer software and computer technology are dynamic in nature and they have all by now become obsolete.
Of course the crony companies – chosen through negotiated tenders – supplying these gadgets kept on enriching themselves at the expense of taxpayers. The taxpayers’ ended up losing millions of ringgit just because of poor and hit-or-miss education planning by UMNO politicians.
On the whole taxpayers lost about RRM5 billion for the haphazard PPSMI education plan mooted by Mahathir which started in 2003 and prematurely ending in 2008. As expected, here was not a word of remorse or guilt from the government for the RM5 billion policy fiasco.
RM1 billion will be spent
In the much touted new education blueprint for 2013-2025 the government is again laying a wager. Without doing any pilot studies to the use of computer technology and its effectiveness in teaching and learning the ministry is again going to spend a fortune providing computer equipment to facilitate access to Internet 4G and other “up-to-date” inter-related computer accessories to schools.
This is again going to enrich some UMNO cronies. In all probability, an estimate RM1billion will be spent on this ambitious “upgrading plan” – the outcome of which is filled with doubts. Most likely, most of these gadgets will be left idle or become obsolete after a few years of implementation of the pedagogically unverified so-called “technologically induced interactive learning activities” in teaching and learning in school.
Of course, the term “state-of-art technology” in teaching and learning sounds sophisticated and grandiose but this is not going to tackle the root problems in education students are facing. Technology changes fast and what is provided to schools in 2013 will be found obsolete just a few years after.
The government is having a “false feeling” that the standard of education in the country will improve tremendously if is geared with technological software. They are actually still groping in the dark as to what is the best approach to teaching and learning in Malaysian schools.
It’s another policy experimentation using students as the guinea pigs.
Despite all the elations among UMNO politicians on the standard of education in the country more than 80 percent of schools – including the vernacular schools – in the country lack the basic infrastructure of a decent school, the equivalent of a reputed private or International school.
Poor and inconducive classrooms, lack of basic teaching and learning facilities, incompetent teachers and the huge infrastructure disparity between many rural and urban schools are the present criteria of most Malaysian schools. Even many government-owned universities are ill-equipped with the necessary facilities and infrastructure.
These problems persist until today. Those in Sabah and Sarawak are the most affected.
Not a word of remorse or guilt
It was reported that, as up to 2010 only three out of 250 school computer labs planned for Sabah under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) was completed. The project was supposed to have been completed and delivered in time but unfortunately it did not happen.
There was not a word of remorse or guilt from the government for this failure. It involves taxpayers’ money and schools were left in the lurch when it came to having computer labs for education.
The main reason was the failure of the contractors concerned to fulfil their obligation. Contractors and sub-contractors made their money no doubt, leaving the schoolchildren deprived of the lab facilities for many years.
Until today, over 90 percent of computer labs built in the country are not functioning up to expectation. The lack of teachers, inadequate facilities, obsolete software and computers have all forced the labs to be malfunctioning.
Another RM140 million scandal
In 2003 – after a four-decade history of Alliance and Barisan – the country witnessed a RM140 million East Coast computer laboratory scandal. The administration again started to blame the contractors that they themselves appointed to accomplish the task without any open tender.
The state education departments failed to oversee the successful completion of the school computer laboratory projects by the contractors and delays had disrupted the studies and performance of the students in schools.
It was reported that the education minister at the time blamed the contractor, Bell Grand Sdn. Bhd. and project management consultant, QSC Projects Sdn. Bhd. for the debacle.
The consultant, contractor and the government had in fact not acted dutifully and professionally to prevent the school laboratory scandal from taking place. The taxpayers were dismayed and the government must be held accountable for the fiasco.
When no proper labs were built for schools no ministers admitted their faults and nobody resigned after this charade. Taxpayers’ money was again lost all in the name of education policy planning.
The failure and scandal of the East Coast computer laboratory project was only possible not only because of the irresponsible and negligent actions of the contractor and consultant, but also the government which was supposed to receive periodical progress reports from the consultant.
There was again not a word of remorse or guilt from the government for the RM140 million East Coast computer laboratory ignominies.
Failed to take full responsibility
The government – ministry of education and the EPU (Economic Planning Unit) – failed to take full responsibility to ensure that the construction of all computer labs was completed on time for the sake of children’s education.
As usual the government will take the stand to defend their failed policies, while the contractors and consultants would be defined as “irreproachable” When cronies are involved this is bound to happen, as there will naturally be a soft spot for the guilt-ridden party.
It was reported that Mahathir did cautiously admit guilt on this issue, as he was trying “to meet the requests of the Malay contractors”. Mahathir admitted that the government wanted “to provide opportunities to Malay contractors” under the school lab construction project.
What happened was the main contractor sold the project to another person who in turn sold it to another person and it went on until the labs could not be built following the original specs.
A RM150 000 worth school lab would likely have given a RM20 000 profit to the main contractor. The chain of sub-contracting most likely ended with the 4th or 5th person who built the lab at a meagre RM2 000 profit each. For this ridiculous business ploy, the substandard computer labs were built in an atrocious manner.
It was reported that 574 of the 600 computer laboratories built in the East Coast were not safe and in danger of collapse. The problem persists until today.
The rakyat are not questioning whether a Malay or a non-Malay should be given the job but whether the person awarded the contract was competent enough to do the job without wasting taxpayers’ money.
To the rakyat, this is a matter of trust and accountability. There are many capable Malays out there who have the know-how and competence but not roped in to do the job as they do not belong to the UMNO crony assemblage.v
More the reason for a change of government
These are all serious scandals involving huge amount of taxpayers’ money and the country’s resources. If any one of these scandals were to happen in a developed country the minister or the prime minister in charge would have resigned.
In Japan, a minister found to be corrupt or has failed in his duty may even commit suicide. This will not happen in this country.
Crony contractors are now akin to “hungry vultures” waiting to grab lucrative contracts offered by the government to implement the new education blueprint. Unquestionably, there will be a lot of money involved.
Money, politicians and policies are not going to determine the quality of education students get in school but one thing certain is that UMNO cronies are assured of their share of wealth.
Are contracts and sub-contracts the source of funding of local UMNO politicians? This is more the reason why there must be a change of government.
Malaysia Chronicle
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