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5 Wishes for Education in Malaysia For 2013

As we enter a new year, we reflect back on a year full of trials and tribulations.From the pending abolishment of PMR to the flitting about of PPSMI, from

theRawang school of terrorto the plight ofOrang Asli education, Malaysianshave had their fair share of drama in the education scene.

Which is why, we have to look forward and strive to do much much better thisyear. Here's a list of 5 things everybody from the government to the ordinarycitizen should look into for the sake of our children.

1. A revamp of the History syllabusThe issue: The History syllabus as it is, is too myopic in its scope. The Russian

revolution, Ottoman Empire, Alexander the Great, Kublai Khan all used to be partof Malaysian history syllabus. It is little wonder that a complaint against freshMalaysian graduates is that they lack general knowledge. Important figures of

history like Yap Ah Loy have also been reduced to a mere footnote. The HistorySyllabus is also incredibly rigid: the textbook lists a few factors causing an event,

and anything out of the book is usually considered wrong. History becomes anexercise of pure memorization. I highlighted many of these failings in greater

detail in another articlehere.

The proposal:We need to broaden the syllabus to reflect an increasinglyglobalized world. It is ironic that while the rest of the world has become moreinclusive of other cultures and histories, Malaysia the melting pot of cultures,

better positioned than many others to take advantage of globalization has gonethe other way.

The increasingly insular nature of our education is most apparent in Geography.In-depth learning is restricted to Malaysia and superficial discussions of weather

across vast swathes of land in Europe and Asia. Again, the lack of generalknowledge is disconcerting. I probably learnt more about the world through TV

than Geography!

2. A less rigid, more flexible style of education The issue: This was mentioned briefly regarding History, but I think perhapsMoral Education is a far better example of the sheer frustration of the system.

Moral Education is an exam-based subject, where students memorize the

definitions of various values such as responsibility and tolerance, and regurgitatethem word for word. Should there be a mistake in terms of the specific wordsused, even if they carry largely the same gist, marks are deducted. By doing this,Moral Education becomes the one thing it should never be: a theoretical exercise

in futility that has no practical applications.

The proposal: The problem is widespread in the education system. Rigid markschemes and teachers fearing to make their own decisions make the safer choicethe premier choice. Certain syllabuses need to be restructured: Moral Educationbeing one of them. For example, Moral Education should include community

service and discussion of current ethical issues such as the crime rate in Malaysia.And for crying out loud, don't make it a SPM exam subject.

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3. More opportunities for allThe issue: There is the perennial problem of scholarships for tertiary education.While those are important and certainly should be maintained, we should alsorecognize that university-going students are a minority in Malaysia and that it

will likely remain so. We need to offer opportunities for vocational education and

improve the capabilities of our skilled workforce. To offer an anecdotal example,my father's mechanic finds it increasingly difficult to hire good mechanics. Thereason being that many graduates are given little practical experience, or have a

poor command of language that rules them out from reading car manuals.

Students at Benz Training School.

The proposal: In Germany, a rich and relatively egalitarian society, only16% ofthe population has university degrees. Bear in mind also the fact that universityeducation in Germany is virtually free ( for the average German) at500 euros per

termwith easy loan terms and scholarships abound. Their secret, and the realdriving force of the German economy are their skilled workers, who go throughvocational education centres that are partnered with firms like Mercedes Benz.These companies send trainers to these schools, as well as offer top studentsapprenticeships with the company.

Malaysia should do the same. The government should encourage companies topartner up with vocational training centres, and incentize these companies insetting up training centres of their own. Perhaps some CSR tax benefits may be inline. This way, the government reduces unemployment, companies get tailor fitand capable new recruits, and we all benefit along the way.

4. Resolve the PPSMI debateThe issue:Whether its BM or English, let's just get it over and done with. Thisflitting about in the span of a few years has thrown everyone from parents toteachers to book publishers in disarray. As seen in theTIMMS survey, Malaysiahas had a huge drop in rankings, with deterioration in both Math and Sciencesubjects.

The proposal: Education reform is a long, grueling process. Teacher trainersneed to be hired, teachers need to be trained, book publishers need to write,examiners need to reach a standard of largely uniform marking. With Math andScience reverting back to BM after only a few years, one can imagine the dismay

of fresh teaching college graduates who trained for PPSMI. The whole systemneeds time.

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The same goes for the new school self-assessment that is to replace PMR. Theremedy is simple enough: choose a system, and stick to it, at least for 10 years orso. And if there is to be a change, all stakeholders must be informed, consultedand planning must commence way before.

5. A more holistic educationThe issue: PE class has been reduced to a young substitute teacher givingchildren a ball and letting them do whatever they want. Art class has degeneratedinto teachers giving random assignments and uninterested students messingaround. Our education system emphasizes the superiority of the Science streamabove the "dumb" Arts stream.

The proposal: In its current state, our education system is skewed. How are weto nurture the next generation of artists, sportsmen, skilled workers andaccountants if they are told at every turn that they are not as important as Sciencestudents? Again, it boils downs to the same issues: better teachers, better

syllabus. For example, PE teachers should be properly trained to teach vital andbasic issues such as warming up before exercise, proper rules of games playedand how to deal with a pulled muscles etc.

At the end of the day, many of these issues have been highlighted again and again.My proposals are far from comprehensive, I am young and still learning, but Ihope that as we enter this important year of change, we will bear in mind theseissues. Whatever your political inclinations, I'm sure we can all agree thateducation for our children is an important thing, so make sure you ask your MP/ADUN what they intend to do about it!

Originally published onEducation In Malaysia.

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