The 3Rs that really matter: reading, writing and arithmetic

 

From I Lourdesamy

We are all familiar with the 3Rs in politics and the controversies surrounding them. Not many may know of the 3Rs in education, which are equally, if not more, important.

The 3Rs in education refer to “Reading”, “Writing”, and “Arithmetic” which form the foundation and cornerstone of any educational system. The rest in education are only add-ons or extensions of the 3Rs.

The primary function of schools, especially at the elementary level, is to teach students to read, write and do arithmetic (understand and manipulate numbers). This was what I was told when I was in teachers’ training in England in the late 1950s. I see no reason to doubt it after 70 years as an educator.

It is only when a student is able to read and write well (irrespective of the medium of instruction) that he can have access to the existing and growing body of knowledge around him and contribute to that pool of knowledge for the benefit of others.

Reading and writing are essentially communication skills– connecting with the past, the present, and the future. Without adequate proficiency in these skills, communication, as we understand it, cannot exist and advance.

Illiterates cannot participate fully in the benefits of growth, development and civilisation in general if they do not have mastery over these 3Rs. Our schools should concentrate on these 3Rs. There is little to suggest that this is the case today with our schools.

The role of schools has been hijacked to shift the emphasis to other extraneous factors which are not fundamental to the education process. Some of the add-ons to the school curriculum may have peripheral values but they should not be confused with the core function of our schools.

The farther we move from the 3Rs, the less functional our schools become and the more politicised.

My suggestion is to go back to the 3Rs in education so that our schools can do what they are supposed to do. Any add-ons to the curriculum should not be at the expense of the 3Rs.

The third “R”, arithmetic, is critical in today’s civilisation of science and technology. The third “R” is to prepare students with competencies in numbers, computations, analysis, and critical thinking.

These skills are crucial to Malaysia’s ambition and plan to become an important player in the new, emerging technologies like AI (Artificial Intelligence), data analytics, robotics, bio-technology, internet of things (IoT), semiconductors, cybersecurity, drone technology, information systems, and e-commerce.

These competencies require a focus on the 3Rs to support cutting-edge technology and digital transformation.

Presently less than 20% of our students opt to take up STEM courses (science, technology, engineering and math).This is a serious bottleneck to the government’s ambition and plans to make Malaysia a hub for AI. For this to happen, we need to pivot the school curriculum to the third R — science and math.

For science and technology, it is clear that the access to global knowledge lies in English as the learning and working medium. Any other decision would be irrational, especially for a small country like Malaysia. Let us not reinvent the wheel.

I simply cannot understand why the authorities are soft-peddling on the Dual Language Program (DLP). There is no time to lose.

The government must go full-steam ahead with DLP. Otherwise, the digital revolution will bypass Malaysia. Let us not play politics with the education of our young. - FMT

I Lourdesamy is a former deputy chief education officer of Penang and an FMT reader.

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