By Singa Terhormat
_______________________
My late father, a Malay, was a school teacher in the early part of his career. He was a Malay-language teacher in a small town in then Malaya and had come from a relatively poor family. His own education had been solely in our local schools.
Though he taught the Malay language in school, his command of the English language was superb and his command of vocabulary in the English language led to many calling him a “Walking-Dictionary”.
He was no mean opponent at Scrabble and it was often, during such games, when there was a dispute over whether a particular word existed in the English language, the matter would be settled by him in the absence of an available dictionary. He was a master at solving crossword puzzles in the then Straits Times.
My brother-in-law, also a Malay, comes from a kampong in one of the smaller towns in Johore. He did well enough in his studies to gain a place to study medicine at University of Malaya in the 1970s. After graduating he went on to the UK for specialization where he topped an international class in his field of specialization and today is regarded as the leading specialist in his field in Malaysia.
Both of them came from poor Malay families in small towns/kampongs. Both put their “shoulders to the wheel” because there was no other way for them to improve their lot, and they did well. There are many other such cases of Malays who excelled academically. Names like Tun Mohd Suffian, Raja Tan Sri Mohar and Tan Sri Hamdan Sheikh Tahir come to the fore. If nothing more, it shows that when push comes to shove, the Malays are more than capable.
The situation I describe was prior to the early and mid-1970s. Then something changed. The ruling Barisan Nasional party decided that they had to create a Malay middle-class to promote greater racial harmony in the aftermath of the May 13th incident. Many amongst the Chinese and Indians and other races in the country were quite agreeable to this as the country needed this stability. A better education for the Malays was seen to be one key factor in achieving this.
The Barisan Nasional Government however went about it the wrong way. Rather than assist the Malays to improve their standard of education by providing them with better schools, teachers and other facilities, the Government lowered academic standards so that more Malays would seemingly “do well” academically. This was an instant fix to create a Malay middle-class.
Then racial quotas were imposed in tertiary institutions and gerrymandering introduced in the marking of examination papers to allow more Malays to ‘do well’.
This resulted in numerous Malay students seemingly doing well and scoring several ‘As’ in their examinations and feeling proud of their achievements. In truth however many were not up to the mark and ill-equipped for life in the world of commerce as they lacked the necessary skills and in addition had a poor command of the English language (the language of commerce).
By lowering examination standards overall, the non-Malays too were affected. Many of them too found it unnecessary to work as hard as before and hence standards as a whole across the board fell.
This explains reports like that of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 which states that Malaysian students trail their global peers in mathematics and science tests and consistently underperformed in the two subjects considered necessary in the country’s race to break into the ranks of high-income nations.
The 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) found that 44% of Malaysian students failed to meet the minimum standards for reading, 60% failed to the meet minimum standards for Mathematics and 43% failed to meet the minimum standards for Science and that ‘the competency of 15-year olds in Malaysia was measured to be 3 years behind the international average’.
The Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE), have blamed the government’s flip-flopping education policies ― especially in the teaching of mathematics and science ― for the drop in education standards. Its chief, Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim lamented that the Malaysian education system only teaches content knowledge, knowledge recall and rote learning, unlike reasoning and problem solving.
“This is irreparable damage done on Malaysian students. You cannot send them back to school again. This is a lost opportunity to build human capital for Malaysia,” said DAP’s Tony Pua,
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, however claims that Malaysia’s education is one of the best in the world and that it is better than that provided in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. One wonders whether he has asked himself why the Government is then spending millions and millions of Ringgit of the rakyat’s money to send our students overseas to obtain an inferior education in these countries.
Why not save our money and keep them at home and undergo a better education?
It is human nature that when presented with the choice of an easy path and a difficult path, one will choose the easy path.
The Government made things easy for the Malays but in doing so it became unnecessary for the Malays to work hard and to strive and ‘put their shoulders to the wheel’, as was done by my late father and brother-in-law.
By making things easy, the Barisan Nasional Government has done the greatest disservice to the Malays. The need to work hard and to excel has been blunted and all but ‘killed’ and the Malays have lost their competitiveness.
It is time for a complete overhaul of our education system where emphasis is placed not on rote learning but, like in Singapore, to develop critical thinking and analysis.
It is time to end the gerrymandering in the marking of examination papers and lowering of academic standards. It does not serve the Malays one bit, nor anyone else for that matter.
It is time for new directions in our education system if we are to save this nation, our young and the generations to come.
It is time to seek the removal of leaders such as Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who are not only incapable of finding solutions to raise the standard of the Malays but are so blinkered that they are unable to see or refuse to admit to the problems faced by the Malays and the nation as a whole.
Yes, my fellow countrymen, after 55 years it is time for change.
There is no other way.
Peter ooi
December 30, 2012
To under.educate and miseducate is just part of the greater agenda to Dominate
wandererAUS
December 30, 2012
I was a father in that phase of time, the 80s…..totally confused and feared for my children’s education. I could not even find a suitable school to put them! I left the country not as an economic migrant but, as a responsible father. I have never regretted my decision, my children have all graduated from university with post graduate degrees and everyone having a good job…both in Singapore and my adopted country. Would I have achieved this if I have stayed back?….call me disloyal if you like but, I have re-payed Malaysia my dues.
UMNO strive on the ignorance of the kampong folks. “It is time to seek the removal of leaders such as Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who are not only incapable of finding solutions…” Just get rid of UMNO, the sun will emerge from the cloudy sky.
Piqued
December 30, 2012
Too true. The last PMR results had 30,474 students scoring straight As. In the late 60s and early 70s, there were but a handful who would have achieved such in their LCE. The MCE or ‘O’ levels would have netted a similar handful of students scoring straight As.
The 2011 SPM results had 559 students scoring not just straight As but straight A+.
Out of the 6,885 MRSM (Mara Juniour Science Colleges) 2011 SPM candidates, 1,368 or roughly 1 in 5, achieved straight As.
abb
December 30, 2012
you must thank the indian from kerala for the education malaise.
cheah sin kooi
December 30, 2012
Spot on, Harris. Malaysia’s greatest problem today. Aptly describe by the saying….’ Give him a fish, he eats for a day, give him a rod, he eats a lifetime ‘…..
bigjoe99
December 30, 2012
I put it to you that the Malays in large part KNOWS that UMNO/BN screwed them over. Sure there may be difference in opinion of how much and what degree but they know UMNO/BN do and they are even sure to a significant group its very unconscionably substantial..
The issue is they are not willing to accept much maybe even ANY pain in order for them to change the status quo. UMNO or rather Mahathir did a first rate job of imprisoning them in their malaise and they have NOTHING to refer to break free of their bondage. The Malays do not have a history of revolution even independence was “fought” without real pain and with the help of others – worst, their experience of greatest period of upliftment have been obtained via the ideas of a half-import – through dishonest malicious means and yet still only partially successfully.
Its why the Malays turn to their religion for answers in political quandry – there is history there they can refer and claim but its a double-edge sword.
The ideas of dynamic change – no pain, no gain, creative destruction, something gone is opportunity for something new and better are inherently foreign to them.
Anwar understands this better than anyone and hence is why he deserved the leadership of PR and the PMship. What he has done to spread the word of change among the masses to ask for change where change itself is foreign even scary to them, is truly new frontiers for Malays in politics, in culture and in leadership..
Tim
December 30, 2012
Let’s not forget Wan Azizah. Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland gold medal in obstetrics and gynecology.
kwc
December 30, 2012
another theory being told that the education level is lowered down so to make the students less intelligent. it will then be easier for BN to control them and less likely for these younger generations to question their leadership. I wonder how true this theory is. BTW, many of our leader’s children are being groomed and educated in international schools and overseas universities. how ironic.
F.A
December 30, 2012
so the conclusion is we need to change the current government, and let’s say it happened. do the ‘new’ government have the better and appropriate education plans? or all the ‘janji manis’ after the change is just about ruling power?
shakuntala
December 30, 2012
Think that special privileges for the Malays has been the culprit, why try so hard at anything when you are molly-coddled from “womb to tomb”..This has blunted the urge in the Malay to ask to be left alone to try, for himself…Haris speaks of his father and brother-in-law who had no such perks, I should imagine..
In any case, the parents of the older generation were very aware of the fact that they did not have, so they urged their children constantly, without let up, to study and make it for themselves.
Still not late for the Malays to unsrew themselves. ..the vote gives them a chance to un-load themselves of this this imposition, special privileges, and look for change.
That can only be achieved under a new and people-friendly government.
I say, one potatoe, two potatoes…..I say ….. vote Opposition. Go with confidence and go early to vote, as Wan Abdullah, on this blog, never fails to remind….bless him!
The ball is in the Peoples’ court, for sure.
Errr, Shakuntala,
Its Singa Terhormat’s Dad & B-i-L.
And his write-up
abdullah37
December 30, 2012
Before being expelled from Malaysia, LKY once said in the Parliament, “Give a man a gold coin today, he would come back for more”. It is now proven that he is a man of vision, not that type of short sighted Vision 2020 brought in by the man from Kerala.
Voter Wan Abdullah
December 30, 2012
Not only the Malays…BN screw up ALL Malaysians. Now its high time for ALL Malaysians to screw BN once & for all & for good this GE 13.
Every Vote Counts
Its NOW or NEVER.
Vote for a BETTER Malaysia.
Asalkan Bukan Umno / bn Anything But Umno / bn
Taipan
December 30, 2012
Taken from an Anonymous:
Smart Indians go to medical schools
Smart Chinese go to investment banks
Smart Malaysians go to Singapore.
When the Education Minister is more of a politician than an academician, it’s not a surprise when a school system doesn’t improve.
Education will not change the world if it does not reach the heart ~ Gary Amirault.
Joe Keegan
December 30, 2012
Was it Mahathir’s father or grandfather who came from India? Isn’t it true that his mother was a Malay and he is of mixed parentage? Its up to him to decide on his ethnicity.
To attack him for his ethnicity and his forefathers’ origin and focus all attention on his ancestry, instead of his politics and his government policies is to lower oneself to his level – its cheap politicking.
Another Anak Bangsa Malaysia
December 30, 2012
Joe Keegan,
Political activism is relatively new to the average Malaysian.
Yes, personal attacks against Mahatir and others of his ilk is cheap, tacky and immature politicking but if that is what it takes to get more Malaysians interested in the welfare of Malaysia right now, I’ll take it.
Political maturity WILL come with time. The politicians themselves will, undoubtedly have no choice, but to lead the debate in politics and policies as we, the rakyat, hold them to account.
K. B. Singam
December 30, 2012
Absolutely 100% right in what is said about the Education System & Policy specially after 1957 onwards. So, I toiled day and night to earn extra money to educate my 3 children at
the University in US. Today two in Spore and in Germany doing extremely well, which I strongly doubt they would NOT be able to reach half way in the ladder otherwise. Thank God
C.J. Lau
December 30, 2012
I totally agree with you and it’s good to know that your children are doing well. 🙂
I just hope that one fine day I’ll be able to send my son for oversea education.
Ellese
December 30, 2012
This is typical haris screwing up the conclusion. When the debate whether we should use Maths or science raged previously, professor Ishak haron of UM used the same stats to argue that we dropped drastically in PISA since we introduced Maths and science in English. The rural area which forms the major part of the schools surveyed under PISA could not score better as they could not grasp it in English. So this drove PR leaders in the like of Hadi and Anwar marcheing down to demand that we be taught in BM. Dah lupa ke episod ABU tu?
Sometimes you purposely screw up the conclusion just to support your ABU. You intently mislead and deceive. You can’t use this stat coz it shows we need to BM to teach our youngs. We’re not stupid anymore. We don’t have selective memory like you do. You must write more intelligently with concrete support. This school like essay with non sequential unsupportable conclusion is a testament of how low level thinking we need to employ to easily mislead people. ABU must have some modicum of intelligence. This is ja disgrace.
Another Anak Bangsa Malaysia
December 30, 2012
Ellese,
Eeerr… firstly, the author of the article is Singa Terhormat.
Secondly, it was difficult trying to work out what you were trying to say but it does seem you are agreeing that the Malaysian education system DOES have problems.
Thirdly, I have noticed lately that your writing style has changed considerably – I suspect you are now a different person using the same handle.
Ellese
December 31, 2012
You seem to respond in similar fashion. I have reservation that you’re sincere and thus have not responded in clarifying my comments in the past. For this ill give you the benefit of doubt. This is straightforward issue. The argument to show our education is screwed by haris is due to PISA. But if you care to study carefully, the PISA stats as pointed out by prof Ishak harun shows that our science and Maths are weak because we did it in English than BM. Please look when we drop ie when we introduce English for science and Maths. We were very competitive before.
But we all know haris and PAGE do not support bm. So haris write is non sequitor. He use a different premise for a different conclusion. Pisa has nothing to do with quotas or lowering the standard. In fact Page believe that Mahathir was right that by using English it will improve the standards. But pisa showed to the contrary. funny betul the basis of argument. That’s when i say haris is screwing all of you.
So please develop more intelligent argument. You seem to be one. On bm or English what’s your stand and why? Don’t argue cheaply like haris using off the surface argument. In other words if haris write is to be marked he is to get an F for unsupportable or illogical write. The basis does not support the conclusion. All because of stupid ABU first base mentality.
You know this. You know PR has no clue on our education. You know Hadi and Anwar wanted bm for Maths and science. Why do you think they do that? ABU kan. Its not about our childrens need kan?
Education is a serious issue. ABU simply does not have the depth to resolve this. Changing government to PR who does not have any clue or stand on education will only make it worse. We can debate this if you’re sincere. But the moment I sense you’re fully partisan I will respond in kind my friend.
And please I’m still ellese. Don’t impute many people write using this handle without proof. I defend my repute as you know me.
Ellese
December 31, 2012
AABM,
Just to make clear on my statement. My third line of the second para should read:
Pisa has nothing to do with quota or lowering of standard as alleged by haris.
Taipan
December 31, 2012
The one important thing that is obviously lacked in you is your ability to read correctly. You seem to have this habit of shooting blindly with all your flawed comments. Yours is a good example of everything that is wrong with our education system. That’s the trouble when you study science and mathematics in Bahasa!
Ellese
December 31, 2012
You don’t know my educational background and this Abu mindset has restricted you from applying your logical faculty properly. Put it this way if you say my educational background is flawed, all I have to say then is that 99% of the worlds education is flawed. There’s so few universities which rank higher than my university. And going by your inability to comprehend probably you’re much much more flawed than me. It’s speculative though but not improbable.
wandererAUS
December 30, 2012
Joe Keegan;….who named him and what was his given name? Care to check before oozing out rubbish from your mouth and accused us unfairly. Don’t we identify a bloke of his ethnicity by his given name? This mamak was quite happy to use his registered name when he was studying in Singapore Uni. Just because he has a peeled d*ck and spoke the malay language he can change overnight by the stroke of a pen to become a Melayu….and offered a seat in the gravy train?
Farida
December 30, 2012
I worked in the Examinations Syndicate a long time ago. I left for several reasons, one of which was because my straightforward question to two bosses : ” Do we want quality of passes in English or quantity?” was met with this answer: “Quantity.”
James
December 30, 2012
Really ! DPM’s statement that Malaysia education is one the best in the world, why did he send his children to international school which uses Canadian syllabus ? As education minister he should example by sending all his children to national schools.
shakuntala
December 31, 2012
So sorry Haris……excuse that and late apology!!!
Ellese
December 31, 2012
Since we’re so concern about education, what is PR thinking on education? What is its blueprint and what do they intend to do?
We know for sure, Anwar and Hadi are for Maths and science in English? We know for sure DAP wants it in Chinese for vernacular school? Lagi? How does ABU help. Will we get better or worse? Why? Is it because right or wrong depends on who does it? If bn it’s wrong but if PR does the same then it’s right?
So Maths and science in English or not PR? Or does PR believes that we should fragment further our racial based education policy? As is DAP is already firm on instructional using our education based on race so we fragment further based on language pula? So what’s the PR stand?
I know the answer. Zilch kan.
If you want we can do a discussion taking out partisanship. You must know what you want and demand it. It matters not who you support but make clear what you want out of our education. ABU reasoning is pure stupidity for it does not get us anywhere.
RPK student
December 31, 2012
If bn it’s wrong but if PR does the same then it’s right?
What has PR contributed to Malaysian education.
While BN is not perfect,At least they tried their best.
The reality of an independent person is that he will not even cast his vote in the election for he cannot see the nature of the imperfections on both side of the divide.
Will you cast your vote?
Another Anak Bangsa Malaysia
January 1, 2013
Ellese,
Fact – the Malaysian education system is broken. I am quite open to suggestions on how to fix it.
Personally, my preference is for English to be re-introduced across the board but this is merely pure selfishness on my part – my first language is, yes, you guessed it, English.
Notwithstanding that, it is essential to encourage the use of Bahasa Malaysia in the curriculum.
Anybody who pretends that they can resolve the education debate here in Haris’s blog is kidding themselves. The problems are deep-rooted and despite your not wishing to mention partisan views, you have 🙂
K Das
January 1, 2013
Have maths and science taught in English for a start. If segments of Chinese and Tamils want their children to be taught these subjects in their vernacular language, let them to do it.. Over time most,if not all parents will shift their children to the first option schools, leaving vernacular schools in the doldrums. This is what Singapore experienced. All chose to go to English medium schools and there is not one all Chinese or all Tamil schools today and the Singpore schools are highly ranked globally.
clearwater
December 31, 2012
You can score all the straight A’s you want in SPM, STPM or GCE A levels in Malaysia but the proof of the pudding is when you enter a top university and have to compete with the world’s best. My own child was an A* student at SPM/A levels, even won a free fees scholarship from a top overseas university to do engineering but is now a B student in her first year struggling to compete with the world’s best. What a humbling experience for her, and a damning indictment of Malaysia’s appalling standards and its current education system.
Another Anak Bangsa Malaysia
January 1, 2013
clearwater,
I hope you are giving your daughter all the encouragement you can.
I don’t mean to be condescending but I am sure you do not let her feel as if it was her fault for not doing well.
Good luck.
Matthew Ho
December 31, 2012
Ellese, I never knew any of our local universities to be one of the top in the world rankings. I must’ve read the wrong ratings report..probably one published by ABU. Or did you mean you’re not a product of our great local education system?
My opinion is, it should not matter if the subjects are taught in English or BM, but lets not dumb down the syllabus, or lower the academic standards as alleged in the article. More importantly keep politics out of the education system.
Is there a conspiracy to actually dumb down the masses? Only those in government will know and the only way the people will ever find out is when PR forms the next federal government. That will be the day when we find out the allegations to be true or false. Heck, if none of these cans of worms are uncovered lets vote PR out after their term. The country can’t get any worst than this. Or can it? Some may call my views irresponsible citizenship but hey this is democracy.
RPK student
December 31, 2012
Politics is partisan by nature.
ABU is partisan by its name.
Ellese,Which elite university you are coming from?What a pity that you do not know what ABU stand for .
Why ABU? It is for those who are deeply convinced that after 55 years of BN rule ,only a change of government will make Malaysia a better place.
You talk like an independent with pseudo independent tone who are not convinced of a change.You ignored the fact that the party with vested interest is BN.They carry with them heavy burden of change,what amount of change do you expect from them?
(latest example,We asked for permits, but they gave tyres).
shakuntala
December 31, 2012
Mad…….dam Ellese!!!!. …….me, am surprised you come on Haris’s blog at all. Bravo to Haris for tolerating your pieces of garbled messages.
“there is pleasure sure in being mad, which none but mad men know”
S. Menon
December 31, 2012
Ellese – I have found most of your posts quite fascinating. You usually submit very long comments, and use a lot of (big) words that project very little by way of meaning or cogenncy. Verbosity seems to be your particular forte.
Taipan
December 31, 2012
@Ellese…..Quote: Put it this way if you say my educational background is flawed, all I have to say then is that 99% of the worlds education is flawed. There’s so few universities which rank higher than my university…..UNQUOTE.
That, my friend, speaks so much about you. You must be an insult to that University if this is the case. How could they produce a graduate that can’t even read properly???
At least, I have no need of that hypothesis for I know I can very well think out of the box since my graduation long before you were even born.
thor
December 31, 2012
My dear Ellese, the present regime’s dismal record whether on education, public transportation, security, the administration of justice or corruption is out there for all to see. Plain as daylight. Arguing that we must continue to down the same ruinous path and more of the same is utter insanity.
It’s time to change. If you can’t hack it and are, in fact, making things worse after decades on the job, then it’s time you got the boot. Moreover, if Penang and Selangor are any indication, we will do better if we rid ourselves of the gallery of rogues. The damage though will take many years to undo.
But of course, none of this will have any traction with you because it would seem you are but a cyber-trooper. Sigh.
Ellese
December 31, 2012
This is typical reply. Education is such a big issue and you see the responses above all touch on my university lah, my verbosity lah, my language lah etc but none touch on the education. It’s a typical partisan response I get over the years.
Put it this way. You want to vote PR its up to you. Your vote. But my issue is we have masses of unthinking partisan followers who don’t know what they want. Who doesn’t know between right or wrong. The end result is we get no better solution and might even retrogress. Let me give an oft quoted example of mine: Our national budget. Both bn and pr presented similar deficit budget with huge handsout. In fact pr had taken into account corruption losses and still come up with a deficit budget. How come one side say we’re going to be bankcrupt with deficit budget of one party and not the other. This is pure stupidity. At the end none of our political party commit to a surplus budget and will incur more debts.
Similarly with this education issue based on PISA. PISA shows that we need to teach Maths and science in BM but most who write here want English. And worse our political parties PR (led by Anwar n Hadi) n BN pushed for BM. Kan kerja bodoh ni. Partisanship of ABU has no meaning at all. Say what you want out of hatred but it will not move forward and in fact retrogress. Always off the surface argument. Article with an F grade like this pun taken as a good write. Malaysians are dumb. And we have people like taipan masih tak sedar diri. He thinks arguing on my university add value to education argument and when caught flat footed came out with another insensical save.
Rcaim
December 31, 2012
Insensical? Insensical? Hahaha! Insensical or nonsensical? Hahaha! Have to excuse me. I cannot stop laughing. Obviously he is another one screwed by Barisan. Hahaha!
Taipan
January 1, 2013
Rcaim ~ I would not have taken the trouble with the correction so that others may have a good laugh over it. Haris, I am sure, had a good one. So did I. There are so many flaws I could think of beside this.
Remember, this is a product from a 100% ranked University. The rest of the 99% in the world is flawed. A creme de la creme that could not read and write as well. How marvelous!
The one thing I did learn from my alma mater and, that is, to always use simple English for it is easily understood and to get the message across. The other is to stay away from fools because you will never learn anything from them. Happy New Year, folks!
Taipan
December 31, 2012
Y………………….AWN!!!
RPK student
January 1, 2013
This fake independent have no honesty issues with BN.
This honesty issues is 55 years old.
This non partisan ignore deficit target by PR .
While deficit budget is a concern ,honesty issues is massive problems.
This independent idiot deny the fact that BN put the country into a massive debt.
Another Anak Bangsa Malaysia
January 1, 2013
Ellese,
You did brag about your university being amongst the best, so you should expect some flak 🙂
BTW, I was being nice to you by not mentioning anything about my own tertiary education. Believe me, I do have stories to tell there 🙂
On other more serious matters, I am quite surprise that you are implying that PR should be coming up with a surplus budget – this is absolute madness. How could you expect this?
Also, did you really expect BN to admit that Malaysia is being bankrupted by the shoddy economic policies BN is implementing?
I dunno, Ellese, I can’t speak for the others but I have always tried to extend you the courtesy of a polite reply but you do make it difficult.
Your claims of being non-partisan are starting to wear very thin with me.
I am really starting to think that you are not the original Ellese who started posting comments here some time ago.
Matthew Ho
January 1, 2013
I think the word you are looking for is democracy. If you want to change to a more fascist or dictatorial form of governance then by all means topple the existing government and suspend the constitution. The people are given a vote each..they may vote for the opposition’s non sensical policies but hey it is their Democratic right. If you want to persuade the voters to remain with the BN then you got to do more than this you are doing now. Prove to us BN is for the people.
Matthew Ho
January 1, 2013
And why do you believe Malaysians are dumb? Is it because their education is flawed? Dumbed down by the education system? By the way do you consider yourself a Malaysian too?
wandererAUS
December 31, 2012
Ellese, you are a mistake of human beings…no amount of education will improve your sub-par intellect. Please Taipan, don’t yawn give this bloke a chance to ooze out his shit!…although, we are not entertained by his craps but at least, let us give democracy a chance to work.
K Das
January 1, 2013
Have maths and science taught in English for a start. If segments of Chinese and Tamils want their children to be taught these subjects in their vernacular language, let them to do it.. Over time most,if not all parents will shift their children to the first option schools, leaving vernacular schools in the doldrums. This is what Singapore experienced. All chose to go to English medium schools and there is not one all Chinese or all Tamil schools today and the Singpore schools are highly ranked globally.
Ellese
January 1, 2013
Dear AABM,
I’ll give you the courtesy of respect since you have written civilly.
One, on my alma matta, I’ve gone through this many times. When unable to respond many a times they attacked my educational background. So I write just to put a bit of perspective. This statement was a response to Taipan. To me Taipan is a typical person who use ad hominem to thumb down a person. If you read carefully, there’s not an iota of substance. I’m used to this. Dont worry. As I say I will respond in kind and usually this does not require much thought.
On a serious note, the basis of the article is PISA. I’ve written many times above. If your argument is based on PISA then ipso facto you must support the teaching in BM. The evidence is damning. The rural students had difficulty in understanding. This was the major problem we had when we used English.
I’m for English myself, but when I read prof Ishak argument it set me aback. Then I queried how they were taught in rural areas. And I think for the sake of most Malaysian children we’ve no choice but to go for BM. PISA showed that teaching in a language that children can understand improves your knowledge acquisition.
That’s why this article is flawed to the core. Of course I don’t expect we resolve everything on education here at this blog, but when you put a position it must at least be credible. It’s a contradiction when you complain that our education system has gone down as evidenced by PISA but refuse to change English to BM for Maths and science. PISA itself was used by academicians and politicians (including PR) to favour BM.
And who use my handle please go to my blog hakbersuara. WordPress. It’s one of the style ive used. For those who need a knock on their head I’m brutally upfront aggressive. Those who are rational will be responded accordingly.
Joker
April 30, 2013
to Singa: Yes, I agreed with you. The standards should be risen instead of lowering it.
to Ellese: I would prefer subjects such as mathematics and science to be taught in english
rather in Bahasa Malaysia because these knowledge can be used in world-wide.
Of course, I understand the difficulties some students who live in some particular
areas may face.