Learn from past failures before introducing new policies, educationist tells govt

Educationist Tan Ai Mei says the current system is producing straight-A students but that many are unable to think critically. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: An education consultant has urged the education ministry to learn from the mistakes of the previous administration before implementing any new policies.

Tan Ai Mei, who holds a PhD in policy analysis and higher education from the University of Western Australia, said the ministry needed to troubleshoot previous policies to determine where and how the education system went wrong.

“It might not help if the minister introduces new policies for the new year without knowing why the previous policies did not work,” she told FMT.

“Previous policies were good on paper but did not get translated into reality.”

She cited the Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) programme which she said never took off as teachers only taught students what they needed to pass exams.

“There is no proper comprehension of the topic. Our education system remains so exam-oriented that students just want to pass their exams,” she said.

Tan, who is an instructor at a teachers training institute, added that there were new developments in industries but no discussions in the classroom.

This was what was lacking in the HOTS programme, which would only succeed if it was activity-based, she said.

“Now, some teachers come to the classroom, read from the textbook and tell students which questions are likely to come out.

“How can we create thinking students in this type of environment?”

She added that students must be able to interact with teachers on any given topic, which would stimulate the ability to think and speak up.

“This is not challenging the teachers’ authority,” she said. “It is only to have a debate on the issue.”

As things stood, she said, the education system was only creating straight-A students who were unable to think critically.

She urged the ministry to train teachers to help them connect with students and teach through activities.

“There are a lot of talented teachers, but we need to move away from the old-fashioned way of learning from textbooks only.”

She also suggested that schools be allowed to draw up their own programmes and activities instead of following a standard system. - FMT