Some lessons to learn from PT3 debut

A great step forward is hindered by haphazard execution.

COMMENT

The first batch of PT3 students have received their results – to a rather mixed reaction from students and parents. It was reported that there were fewer As this time round as the format leans heavily towards subjective questions, which require a higher order thinking as opposed to objective questions, which can be solved with a simple guess, giving a 25% chance of being right.

The PT3 is a step forward in advancing the standard of education in Malaysia, requiring students to go further than simple rote memorization, a point we’ve made here in previous columns. However, the lack of preparation time severely handicapped the students. Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced the PT3 format only in June, a month before the examination.

For students that have spent their entire lives studying to memorize and regurgitate, this was a rude awakening, and frankly one that is unfair given the amount of information that needs to be processed and understood . This is akin to using the students as mere guinea pigs.

That the Education Ministry recognizes our broken education system needs to be changed post-haste is good. The complaints levelled against Malaysian graduates who are unable to find jobs in the modern workplace due to a lack of cognitive and soft skills and a good command of the English language have been a chip on our shoulder for too long. This is despite yearly reports of a huge numbers of students getting straight As in the SPM examination.

The PT3 is but the first step towards a higher standard of education and towards producing a better educated populace, but the Education Ministry needs to be more ruminative before implementing such a major change in such a hasty way.

Both students and teachers were caught off-guard, and because the teachers were unfamiliar with the format, they were unable to impart knowledge to the students in an effective manner, contributing to the overall drop in grades.

It’s imperative that the ministry pick up the slack and rework the system. A thorough review of the syllabus is necessary to ensure all topics can be covered before the exam and, more important, understood by the students. The teachers must be taught how to prepare the students, as they are the front line between our children and the outside world. If they are not prepared to better guide the students, all the benefits of the PT3 are negated as few will be able to rise to the occasion and excel within a more competitive system.

The back end system for the teachers must be reviewed and improved as well, as complaints about the data entry and computing system are not complimentary of a format designed to produce students capable of higher thinking processes. For the teachers to be able to teach to the very best of their abilities, the ministry must provide the necessary resources to back them up and make their job a lighter burden to bear.

The PT3 is a great step forward. But for the sake of our teachers and students, the ministry must learn from the mistakes it made in the hurried implementation of the format. The teachers must be prepared beforehand, and the students given enough time to prepare, or else the backlash against this progressive step forward will be severe enough to make us regress to a flawed system where rote memorization is king.

For the sake of our future, the system must change. It will be slow and painful for all involved, but if anything is worth doing, it must be done right.