Fadhlina, how’s view from under the sand?

 If there is one thing I have realised since 2018, it is politicians usually carry two personas; one is when they are in the opposition, and one is when they are running Putrajaya.

When they are in the opposition, they say all the right things but when in power, politicians tend to forget the very things they used to champion.

Now, coming to the matter at hand. Recently, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said something so hilariously mind-boggling - that Malaysia’s curriculum is comparable to countries such as Singapore and Japan.

She justified it by saying it was based on a comparative study the ministry conducted - which also involved comparing Malaysia’s curriculum to that of Australia, the United Kingdom and Finland.

“The findings showed that the school curriculum in Malaysia is comparable to the curriculum of the other countries,” she said in a written reply to the Parliament on Feb 17.

Just three days earlier, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman cautioned the government by saying that the Malaysian education system is in crisis and needs reforms.

The Muda president added that the weaknesses in the education system had caused even Malay middle-class families to send their kids to private or international schools.

Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman

Long story short, I believe every right-thinking parent would agree with Syed Saddiq’s call…and cringe at Fadhlina for doing what most of our politicians are really good at - burying their heads under the sand.

Going back to our education system, I think most of us know that the rot started after the May 13 riots.

It began when the then Abdul Razak Hussein administration started playing the nationalist card, with the English medium school cherished by most Malaysians back then being converted to Malay-medium schools.

Politicising education

Another issue, which I believe is the real reason behind the problem, is that since Merdeka, many politicians who assume the education portfolio have this idea that they will eventually become prime ministers.

As such, our education system became the “playpen” of education ministers who started having dreams of becoming the next prime minister. In the process, they turned our children’s future into a national nightmare.

Back in 2021, a PSM leader shared another interesting insight on why our education system has created a massive amount of graduates lacking real working-world skills…the privatisation of our education system.

Upon enacting the Private Higher Education Institutions Act 1996 (Act 555), the government allowed the unbridled creation of private colleges and universities, popularly known as “mushroom colleges”.

While these institutions charged exorbitant fees, the quality of the education was abysmal. In some cases, it was so bad that students had to take these establishments to court after finding out the courses offered did not have accreditation despite being advertised as such.

To summarise, whichever one looks at it, Syed Saddiq was spot on in saying our education system needs reforms.

Hypocrisy destroying our future

It’s also sickening when some right-wing nitwits start accusing non-Malay parents of preferring to send their kids to vernacular schools as they are “unpatriotic”.

When it comes to education, trust me when I say that all parents irrespective of background would veer towards what offers their children the best.

But unsurprisingly, the right-wing halfwits hardly criticise parents who send their kids to private or international schools. Why is that so? Perhaps, they fear it may ruffle the feathers of powerful individuals who are keeping them well-fed.

After all, we all know how many of these “national school champions” send their own kids to private and international schools.

Back to the issue at hand, I think the best way to mend the situation is to table a White Paper on education reforms.

And since Putrajaya seems to be clueless, perhaps I can share some points of reference that could be used as guides for the White Paper.

Graduates not at fault

First, start with investigating what’s the problem with our education system and what caused it.

Secondly, investigate why non-Malay parents rather send their kids to vernacular schools or pay exorbitant fees to send them to private or international schools instead of our national schools.

Once the above is done, then I think the rest is obvious. One is, of course, finding out what needs to be done to elevate our national education syllabus to a higher standard.

And last but not least, figure out a way to ensure our national schools become a top choice for all Malaysians to send their kids to…like how it was with our local English medium schools before they were shuttered.

The government must realise that the quality of our education system would reflect the employment numbers of the country. By now, I’m sure the authorities know that many graduates are struggling to get jobs not only because of the sluggish economy but also due to the education quality.

What makes this situation upsetting is that the graduates are not at fault. They definitely did not decide on our education policies. The politicians did.

As for Fadhlina, the sooner you realise what is at stake here, the better. You, dear minister, are holding the future of our children in your hands. - Mkini

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G VINOD is a member of the Malaysiakini team.