Time to learn from the error of our ways

 

Malaysian parents have long agonised over their children’s education.

Years of policy changes and reversals — on everything from the number of years a child should spend at school to the medium of instruction — have left the system in limbo.

For instance, the Education Development Plan 2001-2010, that would have seen a child spend 12 years at school rather than 13, and students be streamed into arts or science classes at Form Two rather than Form Four, was abandoned in 2004.

Very much earlier, a wave of nationalistic fervour led to the switch from English to Bahasa Melayu (back then it was better known as Bahasa Malaysia) as the medium of instruction at all national schools.

Later, when it became obvious that abandoning English was more a setback than a breakthrough, it was decided that maths and science should be taught in that language.

It was not clearly explained how doing additions and subtractions or getting to know the periodic table could help one learn a language.

Then, when it was realised that not all boys and girls in primary school could grasp numbers and formulae in English, the government decided that they be given the option to learn it in Bahasa Melayu instead.

This Dual Language Programme (DLP) is the subject of much debate today.

A requirement that every school must reserve at least one class where maths and science are taught in Bahasa Melayu has not gone down well with many parents.

Firstly many schools in states such as Penang have reported that not a single student wants to be taught those two subjects in Bahasa Melayu.

But education minister Fadhlina Sidek is adamant that the rule stays.

Soon we may see a teacher presiding over an empty classroom at every school. That would be a great way to put available resources to good use.

Otherwise, some pupils may be forced to take the Bahasa Melayu option, whether they like it or not.

It will be even more painful if it turns out that elite schools are not subject to the same rule.

In response to questions from FMT last week, National Union of the Teaching Profession secretary-general Fouzi Singon indicated that students in boarding schools and special plan schools (sekolah rancangan khas) should be given the leeway because they are “specifically selected to become professionals in our country”.

For the poor fisherman’s daughter or breadman’s son who fails to be “specifically selected”, being ambitious and harbouring hopes for a better life ahead become pointless.

As if that is not bad enough, all schools in Sarawak are exempted from the rule, according to information that educationist Noor Azimah Rahim has managed to unearth.

Fadhlina has yet to comment on Fouzi’s statement or Noor Azimah’s claim, which leaves parents with only one conclusion: some students get special treatment but theirs do not.

It is no surprise that Malaysia trails regional neighbours Brunei, Vietnam and Singapore in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), coming in at 51st place out of 81 countries assessed in 2022.

Despite all the fuss over the teaching of maths and science in English, the 2022 assessment shows that our scores have declined for all three subjects. It was down 31 points for maths, 22 points for science and 27 points for English.

It is no surprise that many middle class families scrimp and save just to send their children to private or international schools.

The system is already broken.

It is obvious that politicians are not equipped to deal with such an important matter.

Perhaps they are also victims of the inadequacies of our education system.

It’s time we get it fixed, starting at the pre-school level.

 

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.