In 1975, following university student demonstrations led by none other than Anwar Ibrahim, the University and University Colleges Act (UUCA) was amended to stop undergraduate involvement in all political activity.
That draconian move by then-education minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad killed all thought and political discussion within local universities for the next half century and led to the reduction of societal awareness among students.
It helped produce a generation of self-absorbed, unthinking but “educated” adults interested only in their own well-being, devoid of idealism and lofty ambitions for doing good.
This came from people who were politically very active during their own student days - when they fought against concepts such as the Malayan Union in the late 1940s and 1950s.
They were allowed to by the British colonialists but our own political leaders, when they came to power, shut down the development of student awareness after independence! Why?
I was a student at Universiti Malaya then and remember well how we used to call ourselves high school students.
Some of the braver ones among us even wore T-shirts proclaiming “High School Pantai” across the chest in bold letters protesting the forced withdrawal of rights.
Fast forward to present times, the UUCA has only been amended slightly in 2019 to allow students to participate more in politics but the promise by Pakatan Harapan in their manifesto from 2018 to abolish the Act has still not been fulfilled.
In fact, Deputy Higher Education Minister Mohamad Yusof Apdal told Parliament in March that the government has no plans to abolish the UUCA as it remains a relevant law.
Geopolitics for kids?
Curiously, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has now decided to take it upon herself to introduce even primary school kids to controversial international politics, starting with the intractable Palestinian problem which is now three-quarters of a century old.
In her “wisdom”, Fadhlina decided to introduce Palestinian Solidarity Week from Oct 29 to Nov 3 in schools where the age of students ranges from seven to 19 years.
There was, however, no such effort at the university and college level because her authority does not extend to them and comes, strangely, under a separate ministry - for higher education.
Why this anomaly has not been rectified and education put under one ministry is a mystery but that’s a topic for another day.
We all know what happened - even before the solidarity week started, eager beavers were at work.
Israeli flags were stomped upon by fresh-faced primary school children, young students brandished imitation guns. Someone shot a flaming arrow at an Israeli flag, causing it to burn.
Fadhlina promised an investigation and said such actions were not sanctioned: “That’s why we organised Palestine Solidarity Week within a limited period, specifically from Oct 29 to Nov 3, which allows us to control and monitor it. Any school found violating these guidelines will face appropriate action.”
It was supposed to be controlled - by the state- but it went out of control.
It’s something she should have anticipated - there was great potential for things to go wrong and be exploited by extreme sectors for their own purposes.
But why control such things? To get young students involved in such serious politics which they are not capable of understanding, and which the government does not feel that even students in universities should get involved in, is simply astonishing.
It’s making use of kids for propaganda and puts us on par with some of the most authoritarian regimes.
Schools should be places for education. Inculcation of good societal values such as honesty, respect for others, consideration, care and compassion should not include issues in the domain of adulthood - which young students are not mature enough to fully understand and make choices over.
How can an education minister think that highlighting a serious issue such as the Palestinian problem to immature, developing students will help in improving the quality of their education?
Fadhlina should not be concerned with politicising students. Her only concern should be the quality of education that students are receiving and improve them so that they become useful members of society and have the skills to earn a decent living.
It’s not her fault though - it's Anwar’s for choosing her. She is totally out of depth with what educating a nation is all about with absolutely no background in education.
Fadhlina was a senator in 2021, resigning in November 2022 to contest the Nibong Tebal parliamentary seat in Penang.
Despite being a first-time MP with no experience as an educator, administrator or even a politician of note - she was shockingly chosen to be education minister, the largest ministry in terms of budget and arguably the most important.
Fadhlina is a total lightweight. Before she became education minister, she was described as an activist and a lawyer specialising in Islamic family law and child welfare.
How such a background qualifies a person to be an education minister with huge responsibilities is simply unfathomable.
Anwar’s critics point to the fact that her father was the late Siddiq Fadzil, former president of the Islamic Youth Association of Malaysia (Abim) with which Anwar was very closely associated.
This lends credence to the belief that her appointment was because Anwar wanted someone whom he could trust to follow the policies he wanted to implement.
Failing education system
That Anwar heavily promoted the Palestinian cause, and came in for some criticism for self-glorification here, further reinforces this thinking.
Our national education is in shambles - declining standards have seen outflows from it by those who can afford it.
Chinese-medium schools have seen enrolment skyrocket. So much so the entire education system is terribly polarised. This calls for drastic but reasoned solutions by competent experts leading teams, not Fadhlina.
There is the huge problem of declining quality standards, including the continued sidelining of English which caused major hurdles for those seeking further studies and employment.
These need urgent, immediate attention to reverse years of decline. For more things that need to be done, please refer to my column where I highlighted the badly needed changes in education.
In one year at the helm of the Education Ministry, Fadhlina has done little or nothing in these vital areas.
Her crass use of impressionable children, so young they can’t understand the issues involved in championing the Palestinian cause simply shows how unfit she is to solve the nation’s serious educational issues.
Her heart and mind are in the wrong place to make the major, gut-wrenching changes that are needed to put education back on its feet.
Right now, education is like a young child - on its back squalling and kicking - but going nowhere.
We need someone with far greater depth and understanding of education than Fadhlina will ever have to put the education system back on its feet and running again, eventually. Fadhlina is simply not fit for the job - but it’s not her fault. - Mkini
P GUNASEGARAM says that getting the right person for the job is more important than almost anything else.)
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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