"I spent a whole hour with the students and it gave a glimpse of what is wrong with our education system. It was not just one student who did not have a chair and desk – three other students carried desks and chairs from the next class...
If a Form One student is unable to write his own name and has to take out his identity card and copy his name, it is a reflection of the gross malaise in the basic education that had been provided in his formative years...
When these teenagers, who will step out into adult life in a few years, are unable to read a simple sentence and unable to know the meaning of simple words, the conclusion is inevitable – our system has failed them...
All these show the foreseeable: These students have not been given the basics – reading and writing – at primary school level. No serious attempt is being made at this level to ensure that they have these skills before even attempting to teach other subjects like mathematics and science.
The figures from Pemandu tell us the story. The Education National Key Economic Area (NKEA) research shows that only 4% of the population is enrolled in pre-schools. A total of 46% of students pursuing tertiary education are enrolled in private higher education institutions. Equally baffling is that Malaysians make up nearly 43% of students enrolled in international schools. Is it a case of having no faith in the local education system? Urbanites must surely account for all of this small percentage of pre-schoolers because parents are willing to spend sometimes up to RM6,000 a year on pre-school or kindergarten.
But what is there for the poor and the rural kids? They spend six years in primary school and "cruise" along. No special attention is given to slow learners or the "disadvantaged" lot and at the end, they become mere statistics when the UPSR exam results are announced. ...
I asked if anyone reads newspapers. Five hands went up. How many watched television. All 39 hands went up. How many watched the news over TV? All hands went down. So, if they don't read newspapers or watch news on TV, how do they know that Datuk Seri Najib Razak is the prime minister of Malaysia? There was utter silence...
Later, I was told that some of them can't afford to buy text books, let alone a dictionary. So, what is happening with the book assistance scheme for poor students? Shouldn't a simple dictionary be on top of the list?"
More:
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/356836
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If a Form One student is unable to write his own name and has to take out his identity card and copy his name, it is a reflection of the gross malaise in the basic education that had been provided in his formative years...
When these teenagers, who will step out into adult life in a few years, are unable to read a simple sentence and unable to know the meaning of simple words, the conclusion is inevitable – our system has failed them...
All these show the foreseeable: These students have not been given the basics – reading and writing – at primary school level. No serious attempt is being made at this level to ensure that they have these skills before even attempting to teach other subjects like mathematics and science.
The figures from Pemandu tell us the story. The Education National Key Economic Area (NKEA) research shows that only 4% of the population is enrolled in pre-schools. A total of 46% of students pursuing tertiary education are enrolled in private higher education institutions. Equally baffling is that Malaysians make up nearly 43% of students enrolled in international schools. Is it a case of having no faith in the local education system? Urbanites must surely account for all of this small percentage of pre-schoolers because parents are willing to spend sometimes up to RM6,000 a year on pre-school or kindergarten.
But what is there for the poor and the rural kids? They spend six years in primary school and "cruise" along. No special attention is given to slow learners or the "disadvantaged" lot and at the end, they become mere statistics when the UPSR exam results are announced. ...
I asked if anyone reads newspapers. Five hands went up. How many watched television. All 39 hands went up. How many watched the news over TV? All hands went down. So, if they don't read newspapers or watch news on TV, how do they know that Datuk Seri Najib Razak is the prime minister of Malaysia? There was utter silence...
Later, I was told that some of them can't afford to buy text books, let alone a dictionary. So, what is happening with the book assistance scheme for poor students? Shouldn't a simple dictionary be on top of the list?"
More:
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/356836
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