PARLIAMENT | Giving parents the option to enrol their six-year-old children into Year One would create unfair opportunity and stigma among students, according to Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muda-Muar).
Urging Putrajaya to rethink its new education plan, he said the option would mostly benefit children coming from well-to-do backgrounds - who can afford proper pre-school education to prepare them for the Education Ministry's planned enrolment tests.
"What I am more worried about is the possibility of having a stigma that (those who fail to enrol at age six) are slow learners... I apologise for using these words, and I don't mean to call them that, but these are the labels that are being used in school where some children are called slow or stupid.
"What would happen (if the education plan goes through)?
"Before this, the enrolment (to Year One) was standardised - where all students enter at age seven and from there, they progress to Year Two and Year Three and so on, but what would happen when we have a two-tiered or ‘caste system’?
"It would create discrimination and stigma. Those who pass the diagnostic screening and are accepted to enrol one year early would be labelled as intelligent because they manage to go through all the psychometric, psychoanalysis, and proficiency tests.
"But how about those who can't? They would be labelled and bullied in school," Syed Saddiq said when debating a motion of thanks on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's royal address at the Dewan Rakyat.
He was speaking about the government's 10-year education plan announced on Tuesday, which saw the introduction of several new initiatives, including giving parents the option to enrol their six-year-old children in Year One if they believe their children are ready.
The Muda representative pointed out that not all families have access to preschool education in Malaysia, citing research that shows the country having less than 4,000 preschool facilities today despite needing 40,000.
According to Syed Saddiq, many parents had to send their children to unregistered preschools that offer subpar quality, as they cannot afford the registered ones.
"Let's be clear, who can manage to pass (the tests) if we compare all the children who want to enrol (at age six)?
"Only the children of wealthy people or those who can afford it can, because they have attended quality preschool education."
Burdening preschools
Adding further, Syed Saddiq said the new system would also burden preschools with exam-oriented education and make learning no longer fun for children.
This is because the responsibility to prepare children for the enrolment tests would be shifted to preschool teachers, he said.
On top of this, Syed Saddiq pointed out that the new system is expected to increase the burden of primary school teachers, who would be required to handle the tests.
"Look at the data, every year we have about 450,000 intakes for Year One, which means if we are going to do psychometric and proficiency tests on every application, the teachers would have to conduct 450,000 individual assessments.
"It is not us in this Parliament who have to do the work; the burden will be on the teachers," he stressed.
Syed Saddiq then suggested the government postpone its plan until the Education Ministry can sort out all issues, including ensuring adequate facilities and teachers to handle the new system.
He also proposed that the government make preschool education free and accessible to all children before implementing the plan.
"And lastly, the enrolment must be streamlined. There cannot be a two-tier system," he said. - Mkini
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