Can single-stream schools fix knowledge, racial gap?

That's the problem with people in Malaysia., even the so-called experts. They always jump into deep end without first identifying the root or cause of the problem. In the end, issues are mixed up and they find themselves back in square one.

First things first. What is the basic function of schools? Many would think education. But in many countries, including Malaysia, schools are also a place of indoctrination. But the real function of schools should be learning. Kids attend school to learn and to learn how to learn.

Who caused these problems which beset our education system? It's the adults. The problem is not so much on the syllabus or system or streams, but in the people. The very fact that some of these people think that schools are the solution to their problems is enough to convince many that nothing will change at best, or decline further at worst.

Which is why, adults are the biggest hypocrites. They are so prejudiced in their thinking that instead of identifying the cause, they rather do the same thing over and over again expecting different results.

Let's take the popular view of using schools to foster unity among races for example. The root cause is the adults. But the treatment is administered to the kids? The logic escapes me.

It's the adults from different races who can't get along, not the kids. Shouldn't the adults be made to attend special "single-stream" adult-schools instead? Shouldn't the adults be made to attend those National Service Training Camps, starting with the politicians first of course. Isn't it the adults who are instilling the same prejudices into their kids? The truth is, no matter how well kids mix with each other, even if some of their best friends are from a different race, each will take a different path and lead a different life in adulthood. Because Malaysian society is structured as such.

Even in countries with a homogeneous society, they still kill each other because of religion. So, do we prescribe the same solution to them? Get their kids and parents to mix with each other to "unite" them?

In terms of learning, what is the correlation between with the number of streams and the quality of education? Does having a single stream make better students, improve their learning, and expand their knowledge? Does it translate to better schools with better facilities and better teachers?

The problem is with the quality of teachers and educators, the people in government implementing education policies, the people who designs the syllabus, the people in charge of education, from top to bottom. The problems are created by people, and there too lies the solution.

We often hear about comparisons between education systems and syllabus with those from other countries. But we seldom highlight or compare the quality and training of the teachers, educators and administrators.

Focus on getting better trained people in the public education service, keep politics out & religions at home, and the problems will disappear. Simple.

Or perhaps not so simple for some of those who get mental orgasms by the mere thought of abolishing Chinese Schools :)

---

Spotlight on education: Can single-stream schools fix knowledge, racial gap?

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — Malaysia’s continuing slide down the global education pole has again reignited the decades-old debate to dismantle vernacular schools entirely and enforce a single-stream system.

However, experts at an education forum last night remain split in their opinions that a one-stream school system can repair the growing racial gap they blame for the country’s mediocre assessment in knowledge rankings worldwide.

“There should not be one stream of schooling in Malaysia,” Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of think-tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, told the 30-odd people who turned up for the talk titled “Should there be one stream schooling in Malaysia?”

He said the current education system was a “centralised mess” dogged by illogical policies and politicians who wanted to stamp their mark but did not really consider the effect on the students who would have to go through the changes.

“I believe the schooling system must be decentralised and depoliticised to get more people involved to plan its future,” he said.

The analyst believed that for decentralisation to work, however, policy-makers must first grapple with the idea that individuals have the right to make their own choices.

He also argued that if schools were to be used as a medium to foster unity, then focus should be given on the quality of the education rather than forcing everyone to conform.

“If the schools have enough quality, then it doesn’t matter what syllabus nor language is being used,” Wan Saiful said.

Panellist Zul Fikri too shared the belief that race issues must be kept out of education policies, but disagreed that abolishing vernacular schools was a practical solution to improving the knowledge levels.

“What we are looking at is a predominantly heritage and culture issue and not education,” said the founder and chairman of Teach for the Needs, a non-governmental organisation that provides tuition classes for underprivileged students.

“We have to let go of some of our fear that we hold on to now. Don’t talk about race in education. It is the content that matters and how they (students) are educated,” he said and floated an idea for a hybrid schooling system to stimulate cultural diversity to promote racial unity.

Another panellist, Lim Teck Ghee who heads the Centre for Policy Initiatives, also noted that politicians have attempted to thwart the national education agenda with partisan issues, but said vernacular schools should be seen as protecting minority rights.

He pointed out the proposal to abolish Chinese schools nationwide mooted by a junior Umno politician last ahead of his Malay party’s annual general assembly, purportedly as the vernacular schools were hotbeds for racism and anti-establishment sentiments.

“These schools have become a convenient scapegoat, particularly for the Malay public,” Lim told the forum.

He said critics of vernacular education have also not produced any study as evidence to back their claims that Chinese or Indian schools cause disunity.

Lim said that out of the 356 Chinese schools in the country, 314 have non-Chinese students; he added that in some of them, as much as 70 per cent of the student population were of other races.

“It’s not the racial sentiment that’s involved, but the pedagogy factor. How can you ensure that these (vernacular) schools are on a level playing field with national schools?” he said.

He pointed out the unequal public funding of the different existing school streams, alleging that most of the money was being funnelled into Mara junior colleges to ensure the Bumiputera-exclusive schools had the best teachers and facilities.

“This is where the disparity is, where the government has built up an elitist Malay education system that is sacred from the national education stream,” he said.

The researcher said that at the same time, the federal government appeared to be rolling back in its own initiatives to enhance unity among schoolchildren of the different existing streams and cited as an example, the Pupils Integration Plan for Unity that began in 1986 when Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi helmed the Education Ministry and was revived again in 2005 when the latter was prime minister.

He noted that the budget for the programme that aimed to stimulate racial interaction between Malay Muslim students in homogenous institutions such as religious and national boarding schools, and other ethnicities, saw its budget slashed from Rm 25.4 million in 2007 to RM2.4 million in 2011.

Independent researcher Nor Arlene Tan Khalid concurred with Lim that national schools were “very Malay-centric” but said the indoctrination of a mono-culture plagues vernacular schools too.

She disclosed that she was a product of a Chinese-medium school where students were barred from conversing in any other dialect but Mandarin.

A policy that forced the students to conform to a certain identity was unhealthy as it chips away at the diversity of Malaysia’s rich ethnic culture without necessarily improving the country’s educational standards, she said.

“There should be a single stream that can accommodate everyone,” Nor Arlene said, making a case for single-stream schools but decentralising the system by granting autonomy to the schools.

“We should be addressing other core issues such as why aren’t our students scoring in the Pisa tests,” she said, referring to the Programme for International Student Assesment conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development which tests 15-year-olds on their reading, science and math-solving abilities.

Malaysian students scored in the bottom quarter in the last assessment in 2012 the results of which were released in April this year, limping home at 39th place out of 44 countries.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/spotlight-on-education-can-single-stream-schools-fix-knowledge-racial-gap#sthash.repSeGMP.dpuf

Anti-Chinese Schools, again...

Looks like the "Close down Chinese Schools" season has arrived... again. I wonder how long do they plan to continue this 'tradition'.

Excerpt from recent aticle from NST:

Utara Umno deputy division chief Mohamad Azli Mohemed Saad said the assembly should also discuss whether the vernacular school system should be continued.

“Many are of the opinion that Chinese vernacular schools have been exploited by opposition parties to incite hatred towards other races, and spread racial and anti-government sentiments.

“We should debate on whether Chinese vernacular schools should be abolished, or to increase the intake of Malay and Indian students, and teachers to 60 per cent (in such schools).”

Isn't it funny that those who hate Chinese schools are more passionate about vernacular education than those who actually attend these schools? Granted the former's passion is in closing these schools. Nevertheless, one can't help but to wonder, do they have too much time on their hands? I would think that there are more pressing issues that should be given attention... like the economy or wealth inequality, perhaps?

Anyway, if we look closely, we will find that it's all about politics. It's all part of the standard textbook stuff played out by our politicians on a regular basis.

The 'defenders' will talk...

Probe Umno man for sedition over call to scrap Chinese schools, says MCA

MCA religious harmony bureau chair Datuk Ti Lian Ker said Petaling Jaya Utara Umno deputy division chief Mohamad Azli Mohemed Saad’s proposal went against the Federal Constitution and contradicted Barisan Nasional’s policy in allowing Malaysians to study in their mother tongue.

“Not only has Mohamad Azli challenged the rights of all Malaysians to study their mother-tongue language, but he has also questioned the legitimate rights of the Chinese community to education, and his careless call is liable to create racial tension,” Ti said in a statement today.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/probe-umno-man-for-sedition-over-call-to-scrap-chinese-schools-says-mca#sthash.BqhEHAmp.dpuf

The so-called 'experts' will talk.... alot......

No, it’s not sedition. The constitutionality of vernacular schools is indeed in question — Faidhur Rahman Abdul Hadi 

.... At a glance these two provisos would appear to protect the existence of Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools.

However, a closer scrutiny of the said provisos to Article 152 would reveal otherwise, and this could be gleaned from the decision of the Federal Court in Merdeka University v Government of Malaysia.

In this case, Dong Zong had requested the Federal Government for an incorporation order issued pursuant to Section 6 of the University and University Colleges Act 1971 for the establishment of a university, namely the Merdeka University, using Mandarin Chinese as the medium of instruction. This was rejected by the Government at the time as being against the national education policy.

Subsequently, Dong Zong sued the Government at the High Court and was dismissed. This was appealed at the Federal Court and Their Lordships Lord President Suffian Chief Judge of Malaya Raja Azlan Shah J, Federal Court Justices Salleh Abas and Abdul Hamid held, by a majority (with Justice Seah disagreeing) that if an order for the incorporation of the university were to be made, it would be, notwithstanding its privately owned nature, a public authority as it would be exercising powers under the University and University Colleges Act 1971 as the legal basis for the functioning of the university.

And as the university would be a public authority, use of the Chinese language as the medium of instruction would be for an official purpose and thus, prohibited by Article 152(6) of the Federal Constitution......

..... But do the aforementioned provisos to Article 152(1) protect the right to receive instruction in a language other than the Malay language?

To this, His Lordship Suffian LP postulated that the word “using” in proviso (a) to Article 152 does not include “teaching in” any language apart from the national language.

.... In other words, no person shall be prohibited or prevented from teaching or learning Chinese or Tamil or, for that matter, any language which is not the national language in any school as a language subject, but such protection does not extend to the teaching or learning in a school where the teaching or learning is in any other language...

- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/what-you-think/article/no-its-not-sedition.-the-constitutionality-of-vernacular-schools-is-indeed#sthash.u2yNzzTh.dpuf

 So, it is not uncontitutional to abolish Chinese Schools. In fact, Mandarin or any other language cannot be used as a medium of instruction except Bahasa Melayu.

What about English then? Shouldn't private colleges & universities like Sunway, Taylors, KDU, etc use Bahasa Melayu too?

The conclusion is, there is no point really to debate or talk about issues like this. The education policy supports abolishing Chinese schools in it's current form. They've already done it with the English-medium mission schools in the past.

Like it or not, all schools in every country are places of indoctrination. But Chinese Schools in Malaysia have been portrayed as indoctrination camps producing terribly racist and radical citizens who hate BN and Malays. According to their logic, once Chinese schools are abolished, corruption will disappear and the races will start loving each other, the country will prosper, everyone will be wealthy, cost of living and crime rate will go down, and there will be ever lasting peace, unity and happiness in Malaysia...

This is really getting old... If they think abolishing Chinese schools is such an urgent and major issue that is detrimental to the nation, the cabinet should act immediately. Just do it. Enough of talking.

The Chinese poor - Koon Yew Yin

The best thing we can do for ourselves, is to constantly seek the truth. To our children, teach and nurture them to seek knowledge throughout their lives, which will empower them to find truth.

Anyway, this article by Koon Yew Yin is worth highlighting because of the points he raised which are true. There are actually poor Chinese Malaysians. Gasp! Unbelievable? Just as there are poor Malays, poor Indians, generally poor Malaysians!

But in this country, we just love to look at everything from a racial or religious context don't we? Poverty doesn't discriminate. Many people have also highlighted the poor Indians but it is actually sad that many fellow Malaysians, especially those so-called "educated", "middle-class" ones especially who often have scant interest or worse, showed disdain.

But what if I were to highlight the poor Malaysians, the poor-class of all races, Malays, Indians, Chinese, Orang Asli, etc. The urban poor. Mind you, these are the ones whom, everyday, sees you in your luxury cars everyday, your expensive houses & your expensive clothes. things that they will never be able to afford. What do you think is their perception of you? That the world is fair?

In years to come, the gap between the rich and poor will increase. The numbers of the poor will also increase. Many from the so-called "middle class" will join the "poor class". There will ba a class struggle, but politicians will turn it into a racial or religious conflict so that they will stay in power.

Anyway, I would like to add a few comments on some points.

One of the biggest handicaps of the Chinese poor and their children is their inability to communicate effectively in other languages than their own dialects.

This is very true. Isn't it similar to what we hear about Malay youths lacking in English proficiency? I bet everyone thinks that only Malays face this problem because of the standard of our National schools. Well, it's the same in vernacular schools. The difference is, because of the worldwide Chinese diaspora, the Chinese will/can find work overseas (sometimes illegally) while the Malays here have no choice or prefer to remain in Malaysia. It's cultural also I suppose, because Indonesians (belonging to the same Malay stock) are more adventurous and industrious hence venturing out to all corners of the world to make a living. Although we always read about negative reports of Indonesian maids or construction workers overseas, I've always admired their courage to work in a foreign land. It is something that the Chinese have in common with Indonesians.

The Chinese poor are almost completely excluded from all government schemes providing skills training, income generation or educational and housing support. 

Actually, many Chinese come from small towns or villages or the new villages. Some were farmers, hawkers, trishaw pullers, factory workers, etc. Of course, some bigotted Malays online are just so fixated on the idea that the ancenstors of the Chinese here are all prostitutes and coolies.

The Chinese, especially the younger generation, should not resort to doing the same and mock the ancestors of the Malays nor other races. We should never be ashamed of our roots, and our ancestors. We should instead be grateful and honour them for their sacrifice.

It's just too bad that the Malaysian government choose to racialise poverty. But in practise, all races do get help from the government, although there may be some racial biased.

.... they are exploited by their employers, especially in the small and medium-scale enterprises and workshops where they work in dirty jobs for little pay.

This is the reason why I am always perplexed when these Malay NGOs and politicians keep harping on the low percentage of Malays employees in the private sector, especially in these Chinese-run companies. And those ignorant Malay masses, who have never worked a day in these companies, will often parrot that point like they are being discriminated and missing out of untold riches. The fact is, most of them will leave within a year (which is considered good already if they last that long), unable to take the pressure and stress. Their first choice has always been the civil service.

.... they are exploited by money lenders who many have to turn to in view of their frequent need for cash advances to meet emergencies, etc.

A good number of them actually join the underworld or involve in illegal activities. In fact, I noticed that the numbers have not decreased and they do earn good money. Of course, they are not as visible as the Indians, who have taken over the street levels.

The Chinese community also have to deal with bad habits, such as gambling, drugs and alcoholism, which also contributes to the problems with "Alongs".

.... they are exploited by the government which fails to provide them and their children with equal opportunities and regards them as “pendatang”.

This is perhaps the reality the Chinese will have to accept if they want to live peacefully in this country. It's a fact that the civil service, for example, is heavily biased towards Malays. Well, the government have to provide jobs for the Malays. This is the easiest solution to the problem of unemployment among the Malay graduates. I don't think this policy will change anytime soon.


However, I'm quite disappointed when it comes to education because I believe everyone should be entitled to it, regardless of race. Any student who qualifies should be allowed and provided with a place to further their studies. It's a basic human rights that should not be denied. And it should be free. I would rather build one bridge less in order to build 5 more schools. And don't get me started on the quality of education...

---

The less visible Chinese poor – Koon Yew Yin

April 23, 2014

Perkasa and other Malay right-wing organisations are always complaining about how the Chinese have taken over the country's economy. They use this simplistic observation to frighten Malays to unite under a “ketuanan Melayu” and “ketuanan Islam” banner against so­called Chinese domination of the economy.

But how much of truth is there in this allegation? In earlier analysis, I had pointed out that owing to the New Economic Policy (NEP), the Malays have made tremendous strides since the 1970s in the economic sphere. 

For example, they control Bank Negara and all the major banks (except for Public Bank); all the government-linked companies (GLCs); Petronas; as well as comprise the majority in the top professional and best-paying occupations in the private sector. They, in fact, control what can be called “the commanding heights” of the economy.

What about the Chinese? Firstly, we should realise that not all Chinese are successful in business. In fact, only a tiny minority of Chinese belong to the class of the super­rich or billionaires – perhaps no more than a hundred or even less throughout the country. There is a fairly large Chinese middle class though so that generally, the Chinese are on the average more well off compared to non­Chinese in terms of average household income.

But let's also not forget that income inequality is also highest among the Chinese. What this means is that much of Chinese wealth is concentrated in the hands of the Chinese super­rich and that we have a very large number of Chinese who either fall well below the urban poverty line or are only slightly above the poverty line. Unfortunately, there are few recent studies on the Chinese poor.

The government's statistical department ignores the presence of this group and the academics in the public and private universities have avoided studying them.

Although I am not an academic and have not studied the group of Chinese poor, let me share these observations accumulated through the scholarship programme that I have run for the last five years during which I have received at least one or two applications every week – mostly from the children of poor Chinese. I offer scholarships to help the poor because I was from a poor family before and I know how difficult it is to be poor.

1. The Chinese poor mainly come from Chinese school backgrounds.

2. Many are dropouts and work as unskilled or semi­skilled labour in poorly paid agricultural or urban jobs with little potential for upward mobility.

3. The Chinese poor also come from self-employed backgrounds with businesses such as hawking, food stalls, etc. unable to succeed or grow because of competition and other factors.

4. They are most vulnerable when they are unable to work due to ill health or old age as they do not have access to EPF savings or government pension safety net.

5. Because they are poor, they are unable to provide the proper environment for their children to do well in their studies. This often leads to the reproduction of poverty in the family rather than socio­economic advancement for the younger generation.

6. One of the biggest handicaps of the Chinese poor and their children is their inability to communicate effectively in other languages than their own dialects. This can be seen in the broken English or Bahasa Malaysia letters written to me.

7. The Chinese poor are almost completely excluded from all government schemes providing skills training, income generation or educational and housing support.  

The Chinese poor suffer from exploitation in several ways. Firstly, they are exploited by their employers, especially in the small and medium-scale enterprises and workshops where they work in dirty jobs for little pay.

Secondly, they are exploited by money lenders who many have to turn to in view of their frequent need for cash advances to meet emergencies, etc.

Finally they are exploited by the government which fails to provide them and their children with equal opportunities and regards them as “pendatang”.

Many of the Chinese poor have been citizens of the country for more than one generation – in some cases, several generations. They have lived and contributed their blood and sweat to the country's development far longer than many newly arrived “pendatang” from Indonesia and other Muslim countries.

Malaysia is the only homeland they know but the government continues to treat them as if they are second-class citizens. Is it surprising that they are not loyal to the MCA and the Barisan Nasional when they are treated worse than newly arrived immigrants? Is it surprising that the attitude of the Chinese poor towards the government is so different from that of the Chinese super and very rich? 

– http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/the-less-visible-chinese-poor-koon-yew-yin

RM270 million spent on English yet no results

Sometimes, I really wonder if the people in charge of formulating & executing policies are really qualified, or experienced. From the day Malaysia switched the medium of instruction from English to Bahasa Melayu, many people, including those who have gone through the system, could see that the standards have fallen. The negative perception of the various education related ministries & agencies have begun to be proven true with each passing year.

Here's the scenerio.

1. They acknowledge that our English standard needs to be raised.
2. But because they do not want to hire the local retired English teachers, they spend hundreds of millions to hire foreigners to teach those teachers.
3. And after years of dismal results, they decided to continue throwing good money after bad.

Wouldn't it be easier if they were to recruit people who are proficient in English and possess higher qualifications to be trained as teachers in the first place?

And where did these teachers studied in? The national schools.

Which brings us back to square one.

Isn't it obvious that they are going round in circles all these years?

What needs to be said has already been repeated enough through the years. Really, it seems that those in charge are not bothered to listen.

Sadly, we will never be able to find a permanent solution, like I have mentioned many times, everything is inter-related in Malaysia. We are only treating/hiding the symptoms because it is easy to do. The real cure, is too painful and I doubt it can be done.

Federal Hotel

The reality is that this country is an anomaly. Malaysia was "created" by grouping together various states comprising of various peoples & faiths, but based on shaky fundamentals. The only reason it has lasted this long is because of the wealth brought about by a strong economy which was brought about by the Chinese businessmen. Even at the time of independence, Malaysia did not have an international-class Hotel to host the delegates in Kuala Lumpur. The native Malays did not have the capabilities at that time. So, a Chinese businessman built the Federal Hotel.

Sometimes, I wonder, what would Malaya be like without the immigrants: the Sultans would probably hold more power. Or it could become a Republic like Indonesia. Maybe it would be like Brunei, whose Sultan was smart not to join the federation back then. Until today, the Sultan of Brunei is the absolute ruler of the country. Perhaps the Malays here would not share the same standard of living as the Bruneians but I doubt that the Malaysia would have prospered and developed as much either.

Anyway, back to education.

Begining this year, 2014, the PMR Form 3 exam will be replaced with PT3 school-based Assessment. Based on my understanding of the new assessment system, I have strong reservations. This type of system will only work when certain resources and conditions are in place.

1. Qualified & dedicated teachers
2. Class size of not more than 20 students per class.
3. School have proper resources and facilities.

Do we meet these conditions? The answer is no. 

In the past, the SRP (the predesessor to PMR) was used to stream students into Science or Arts streams in Form 4. For the Malays, it was, and still is, used to place the Malay students in Fully Residential Schools, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama, Mara Junior Science Colleges (MRSM) including Sekolah Menengah Teknik (SMT) and Vocational Colleges.

So, with the abolishment of the PMR centralised exam, for non-Malay parents & students, it makes little difference because they will continue with Form 4 regardless. But I wonder what will happen if the students fail?

For the Malays, well, according to an Art teacher in Pahang, they are concerned that it will be abused by certain parents when they want to enrol their kids into one of the exclusive Malay schools.

In a country where there are 2 different higher education entrance exams based on race (STPM vs Matriculation), and the grading marks are classified as State Secrets, I suppose we should not expect too much. While our rankings in international assessments such TIMMS keep falling, the number of straight A's students keep increasing every year. How do you explain that?

I wonder if the parents out there still have faith in the current education system? Going by the mushrooming of International Schools or Private Schools in the country, it's evident.

---

RM270 million spent on English yet no results

Anisah Shukry
 | March 24, 2014

The government has extended a contract for the English teachers' mentoring program in rural primary schools, even though it did not help English language UPSR results from sliding further last year.

kamalanathanKUALA LUMPUR: Despite the government paying RM270 million, a mentoring programme implemented since 2011 to improve English language teachers’ skills has had minimum impact on the quality of English among students and teachers alike.

The Dewan Rakyat was told today that the Program Penutur Jati Bahasa Inggeris (PPJBI), which hires foreign teachers to mentor local English language primary school teachers from rural areas, was unable to prevent last year’s UPSR results for the English subject plunging lower than ever.

However, the programme, which ran from 2011 to 2013, has since been extended from Oct 1, 2013 to Sept 30, 2015, at an additional cost of RM184.4 million, according to Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan.

He explained that the plan was aimed at yielding long term results.

“I don’t deny that there is a decrease (in UPSR results), but this is a long term plan. The 6,054 teachers in the programme were evaluated by their mentor based on the common European framework.

“The mentors found that the number of teachers categorised in the basic level (of English) had decreased, whereas the teachers categorised in the higher level had increased significantly,” Kamalanathan told the House during the question session this morning.

According to Kamalanathan, the percentage of teachers categorised in the lower band levels for writing skills had decreased by 7.8%, while the number of teachers who were in the higher levels had increased by 8.7%.

The teachers’ improvement in terms of reading were also similar: teachers categorised in the lower band levels had reduced by 9.92%, while those categorised in higher band levels had increased by 12.67%.

“The teachers have also shown an increase in listening and speaking. In [the lower bands], the number of teachers have reduced by 8.07%, whereas those in [higher bands] have increased by 6.73%,” said Kamalanathan.

RM21,000 per mentor

Zairil Khir Johari (DAP-Bukit Bendera) had earlier pointed out that the RM270 million allocated for the programme from between 2011 to 2013 equated to the government spending RM21,000 on a single mentor.

It involved hiring 360 mentors from three different companies: The British Council Malaysia, the British Education Group and SMR HR Group.

“This program has been going on since 2011, and now it has been extended… what is the rationale for extending this programme considering that last year’s UPSR results have shown worse results? It doesn’t look proportionate to the cost,” stressed Zairil.

But Kamalanathan stressed the programme helped expose teachers from rural schools to new concepts and theories, and had received positive feedback from the participants.

“They said when they apply their new knowledge obtained from the programme, they are able to fulfill the teaching and learning objectives in the English classes with no obstacles.

“This programme involves the participation of all English language teachers from standard one, two and three in 1800 schools,” he added.

- http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/03/24/rm270-million-spent-on-english-yet-no-results/

---

PT3 replaces PMR, says Muhyiddin 

• Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) or Lower Secondary Assessment examination would be replaced with Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 (PT3) or Form 3 Assessment, beginning this year.

• "PT3 replaces PMR. There is some form of assessment at the school level. The PT3 will be used as the basis to determine the entry of students into Form 4 whether in Fully Residential Schools, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama, Mara Junior Science Colleges (MRSM) including Sekolah Menengah Teknik (SMT) and Vocational Colleges.

- http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/03/18/Muhyiddin-PT3-PMR/

---

New Form 3 exam system open to bias, abuse, says education activist

The new exam system that will replace the PMR for Form Three students this year is open to bias and abuse, and could jeopardise the future of children from poorer families, said an education activist today.

Mohd Noor Izzat Mohd Johari (pic) said that unlike the old system, where the Form Three exam is produced and graded by an independent body outside the school, the new one, PT3 or Form Three Assessment, will be done by the teachers of each individual schools.

Since PT3 results are used by students to apply to elite schools such as residential schools and the MARA junior science colleges, richer, more well off parents could pressure teachers into giving their children better grades.

"This is the situation that we are afraid will happen. When parents come to school and ask that teachers 'take care' of their kids," said Mohd Noor Izzat who teaches art at a secondary school in Pahang.

 - http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/new-form-3-exam-system-open-to-bias-abuse-says-education-activist

Anwar Ibrahim - Kajang By-Election

Anwar has started campaigning in Kajang in his bid to save his party, and his hands on the 3 Billions purportedly in the Selangor's state funds. I have a strong suspicion that a certain faction in PKR, most likely Azmin's camp, intends to jump ship because of the feud between them & Khalid the current Mentri Besar. So, the genius people in PKR came up with such a scheme. This has got to be the most stupid, not to mention the most unethical scheme I've seen in politics in a long time.

When Anwar gets his hands on the money, you can bet that he will announce some goodies for you, but the lion's share will be gone before the next general election.

I always view that issues within a political party must be settled within the party. Conflicts must be decisively fought and the fittest survive. But no, they rather scheme and broker deals. Which is what has happened in MCA as well. The so-called "agreement" between Chua Soi Lek & Liow Tiong Lai was reneged by the latter, and this will spell the end of MCA.

Let's get back to Anwar. Apparently, Dong Zong, being the opportunistic people that they are, was quick to make their demands. Why they would even think that Anwar will help Chinese education is really baffling.

Have Dong Zong forgotten the time when Anwar was the Education Minister and what he did to Chinese schools? He tried to destroy Chinese Schools! He Islamised national and mission schools!

Do you think Anwar really likes the Chinese? Do you really think you can trust Anwar? He has gone back on his words countless times. I believe his views on Chinese & Chinese schools still holds true today.

Trust him at your own peril.

1. A leapord never changes it's spots.

2. Those who do not learn from history will make the same mistakes.

Next, Liow Tiong Lai's defense of the Malaysian Education Blueprint (MEB) is stupid. When will these MCA leaders finally grow a backbone? You guys can't even include a concrete plan for the continuation & growth for the Chinese schools into the MEB. One simple question, How many Chinese primary & secondary schools do you think will be built to accommodate the increasing enrollment? What about funds? Exam recognition? Chinese top scorers can't even get a place in public unis now, how many places will be available by the time this MEB runs it's course??

To me, the MEB is flawed, because it is skewed towards national streams. Frankly, I don't see any benefits for Chinese education in the blueprint. I say, just let the Government & MOE do whatever they want. It is getting tiring having to constantly overcome barriers placed unto the Chinese. If parents can't even ensure that their future generations are provided an opportunity to get a decent education, much less free education, you know it's a lost cause.

I read somewhere that the Chinese only got less than 20% places in pubic universities. It will drop further in the future. Sorry Chinese. Not enough places. No matter who you vote for, it will not change a thing.

There's not many years in a person's life. No point wasting it on unproductive endeavours. It has been the government's intention to have a single stream in education all these years. It will happen sooner or later.

The Chinese better prepare themselves to fund their children's education on their own. Don't depend on the government. Be proactive. Be prepared. Make sure your kids are well equipped to survive inside & outside of Malaysia. It's not something new. We, the Chinese diaspora, have done it before.

In terms of education & perhaps even work or business, the 3 top choices are Singapore, Taiwan, China. Hope these countries do not place restrictions in years to come.

---

Anwar: Deficit budget acceptable over free education

PETALING JAYA, Feb 9 ― A deficit budget is acceptable if public monies are spent for people-centric policies like free education for Malaysians, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.

Hitting out at alleged corruption and wastages in the government, the Opposition Leader suggested a holistic review of Malaysia’s economic framework, saying public funds should be better disbursed for the benefit of taxpayers and the poor instead of political cronies.

“If we have a deficit because of providing free education, that's okay, but we are in a deficit because of leakages, deficit because tycoons are profiting in the billions and the people have to pay, this is not right,” he said in his lecture at the second module of the Asian Renaissance Course here at the Centre for Reform Democracy and Social Initiatives... - SOURCE

---

Kajang: Dong Zong champions Anwar

KAJANG: The United Chinese Schools Committee Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) today expressed hope that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim can resolve a longstanding land issue in light of the latter’s bid for the Kajang state assembly seat.

Dong Zong chairman Yap Sin Tian hoped that “as the by-election is looming”, Anwar and the Selangor state government could help to resolve the issue involving the donation of a 100-acre campus land in Sepang to New Era University College which has been delayed for 14-years.

Yap also hoped that Anwar would allocate land of at least five acres for the reinstatement of the Yu Hua Chinese secondary school, and ensure that higher education institutions under the Selangor state government would recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) of Malaysian Independent Chinese secondary schools.

“The 2013-2025 Malaysia Education Blueprint (MEB) is continuing policies and measures that are unfavourable to the survival and development of mother-tongue education, causing it to face a detrimental impact and a crisis of having its nature fundamentally altered,” Yap said at an open house event here....

MCA president defends MEB

When approached by reporters at the event, MCA president Liow Tiong Lai defended the MEB and said the blueprint would “ensure the growth of Chinese education is complete”.

“It (MEB) is part of the country’s education development. Chinese education is part of the national education and this has been accepted in the masterplan,” he said.

“So now, we have to work together to ensure that our multi-racial, multi-language and multi-cultural country continues to prosper.”... - SOURCE

The Teaching of Maths and Science in English

Pix Source

Dr M slams Education Blueprint for ignoring him on the teaching of Maths and Science

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today reiterated his earlier stand that schools must teach Science and Mathematics in English.

He was commenting on the National Education Blueprint 2013-2025, which was unveiled last month by Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Dr Mahathir went on the offensive today, claiming that he had given a lot of input for the blueprint and yet, very little of what he said was used by the Government.

"The Government is focusing too much on Bahasa Malaysia. The Malays, however, are not experts in science and technology. This kind of knowledge comes from the West and the information is mostly in English," he added.

Noting that the Government had instead followed the advice of National Laureate Datuk A. Samad Said by reverting to teaching both subjects in the national language, Dr Mahathir said this would only hamper the country's development.

"He (Samad) only knows about Bahasa Malaysia. He is not a Science man. I am a Science man and I can still speak in Malay," he pointed out, adding, "This is why I keep talking about it."

Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir joked that he would like to be the prime minister again, after being told that he was recently voted the most popular Umno leader.

Malaysia's prime minister of 22 years scored 79% satisfaction level among 600 Umno supporters in a survey which was conducted last month by the Merdeka Centre.

"I financed them," he quipped at a press conference today, causing the room to erupt in laughter.

Even though he resigned as prime minister 10 years ago this month, Dr Mahathir fared better than Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who scored 69%, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (58%) and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (54%). - October 1, 2013. - Source

========================================================================

I agree with teaching Maths & Science subjects in English. It is the correct thing to do. Unfortunately, it faced a lot of objections from various quarters including teachers. I noticed that parents, in general, are quite supportive of it, in urban areas anyway. Not too sure about the rural folks. But the most vocal group are the educator themselves.

I suspect it is due to the language barrier, or rather the lack of English language proficiency of the people in the ministry & schools. Teachers in national & vernacular schools struggled with this policy. The question is, when the government decided to abolish it, was it done in the interest of the students or the adults.

Why does the government like to do things on an ad-hoc basis? It's always firefighting. Everytime a policy is changed, it involves not just huge amounts of funds, it also affects the students, parents & country. It proves that the Ministry of Education & Education Department is inefficient.

Obviously, the teachers of these 2 subjects must possess a certain level of English proficiency. Those who are lacking in this department should be retrained. Else, find a suitable candidates.

The overall standard of English must be raised. It has a direct bearing on the country's competitiveness and human capital.

I wish, for once, they would stop political meddling in education.

I'll end this post with a piece of good news regarding education.

============================================================

Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan arrive in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua

RM100mil boon for Xiamen University Malaysia campus 

KUALA LUMPUR: Xiamen University – China’s first university to be set up outside that country – received a boon with a RM100mil donation by local tycoon Tan Sri Robert Kuok for its campus in Malaysia.

Kuok, based in Hong Kong, gave the money to build a university library, which will be part of the main building.

This was announced by Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, the Prime Minister’s special envoy to China, during a luncheon attended by President Xi Jinping here yesterday.

Tan Sri Robert Kuok

Present were Kuok, businessmen and representatives from non-governmental organisations.

The Malaysian campus of the Chinese university will be built in Salak Tinggi, about 16km from the KL International Airport in Sepang.

It is expected to be operational in September 2015.

“While Chinese education is well protected here in Malaysia, the Chinese community here mingle with other races and live in harmony,” said Ong.

Xi, in his speech, said the Chinese diaspora in most countries were successful.

He joked that some China nationals thought that Malaysian singer Fish Leong was from China.

“We have 40 years in strong diplomatic ties with Malaysia and I hope this will last,” he said.

Speaking to reporters later, Ong said Xi told him that he and his wife Peng Liyuan tried durians on Thursday night and enjoyed it.

Ong said this was Xi’s second visit to Malaysia after visiting Sibu, Sarawak, 20 years ago. - source

Balik China, India - Part Deux

What can I say. Racism is thick these days.

Hot on the heels of SMK Alam Megah Principal Pn Hjh Missyati Binti Dani, is an assistant principal of SMK Engku Husain in Semenyih. Seems to be a monthly trend. See my previous post last month.

Previous post: Balik China, Balik India

Ok. Apparently this time, the kids were told to "go back" for not singing the national anthem. Before anyone scream "Unpatriotic" or "Traitor" let's put things in perspective. These are school kids. Teens. During school assemblies, there are bound to be a group of naughty kids mucking around at the back. Even if these are really unruly kids, the remarks are still uncalled-for. Where did they train these teachers?

There are many ways to discipline a kid. Making racial insults is definitely not one of the most effective way however you try to justify of defend it.

There seems to be a lot of cases like this these days. These people take out their frustration and anger towards a particular community on the kids. I strongly suggest counseling.

This is the reason why I maintain that racism & bigotry starts with adults. But many still insist that we must close down vernacular schools for racial harmony, and force school kids from different races to mix. That is a flawed concept. It's the adults who are teaching racism to the kids.

Will this go away, or will it drag on like the Sri Pristina case? We shall see...

Principal: Abdul Ghafar Kunchi Mohd

Assistant principal under probe for "balik India, China" remark

PETALING JAYA: An assistant principal of a secondary school is being investigated for allegedly telling some students to "balik India, China."

Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan said the ministry was waiting for a report on the matter from officers handling the case.

"If indeed the allegations are true then the ministry will take appropriate action," he told The Star Online.

The teacher allegedly became angry after some students did not participate in singing the Negaraku during the weekly assembly at SMK Engku Husain in Semenyih, Kajang a few days ago.

School principal Abdul Ghafar Kunchi Mohd told The Star Online that the school had reported the matter to the ministry and the Selangor Education Department.

He said a meeting was held on Thursday over the matter with ministry representatives and the school's Parent-Teacher Association where both he and the assistant principal were present.

He declined to comment further saying that the matter was now in the ministry's hands.

PTA president Prof Datuk Ali Hasan lambasted teachers who felt it was acceptable to tell students to return to where their ancestors came from.

"In my opinion they need serious re-training to refresh their minds on acceptable teacher-student behaviour," he said.

Ali said that teachers and educators who were found to racialise education should remember their roles in guiding children.

"The spirit of bangsa Malaysia should be inculcated in them, so they will extend it to their students instead of dividing issues racially."

He said that educators who caused racial issues should be dealt with, regardless of position.

The incident comes shortly after several racially-toned incidents involving schools, including a case in August when a Shah Alam school principal was made to apologise to students for telling them to "go back to India, China or Indonesia".

Another case was that of SK Seri Pristana, where headmaster Mohd Nasir Mohd Noor was accused of being racist after non-Muslim students were found eating their meals in a changing room during the Ramadan month.

- Source

Vernacular Schools = Polarisation?

 

A bigot's views.

It seems that a certain group of misguided people have found a new passion in life, which is whacking vernacular education. They are obsessed with Chinese & Tamil Schools. You can sense their deep hatred with anything that does not conform to their narrow mindset. And one such person goes by the name of Narinder Singh, who works for FMT.

What's with these people and their fixation with vernacular schools anyway? They think they know better that the communities themselves? Do they think those parents who put their kids through vernacular education are stupid? Do these bigots  think that they are perfect role model citizens?

These people are perfect examples of bigots. And they are really starting to get on my nerves...

Below are excerpts from Narinder's article, blaming vernacular schools for, what else, the racial polarisation in Malaysia. Actually he whines and complains about pretty much everything, but hardly offers any solutions.

Race-based education policy and polarisation

by Narinder Singh
Full article here.

The fragmented education system has indeed “polarised” the minds of the different communities.

.... Racial schooling

"It is baffling that despite vernacular schools insisting that they adhere to national policies in delivering the education system, then why the need for such schools which revolve around a particular mother tongue?"....

If the writer is even "baffled" by the existence of vernacular schools, why on earth is the writer even writing about something he has zero understanding of? Did he ask his Chinese or Tamil friends? If he has any to begin with...

....It is time to abolish vernacular schools. Historically, they came into play as a by-product of settlements during the British Occupation. We stubbornly held on to it and what we have today is an in-direct culmination of racial sentiments in these establishments. Deny as much as we want, but the fact remains that when one is put thorough a homogeneous system, the outcome can only be biased and it is due to conditioning.

The same can be said for the his biased and ill-informed views. Don't you just love it when these people selectively quote history to justify their points? The British left behind more than just vernacular education. ..

Imagine a six-year-old being nourished for the next six to 11 years in a system where only one majority race exist. What do you expect if “racially inclined” thought process does not breed in the mind?

It is proven that the early formative years of education is the most vital and critical in carving the minds for future behaviour. In the same tone, why the issue of racial polarisation being heavily politicised by the opposition and even the government alike? ....

It is true that the formative years are important for a child. That is precisely the reason parents send them to vernacular schools at that age. The writer tries to be politically-correct by using "racially inclined" thought process, but it just highlights his hypocrisy. Just say what you mean, "racists". 

A racist will be a racist in any environment.

The fragmented education system has indeed “polarised” the minds of the different communities. This is the root problem in our society today. Every stakeholder shoves the blame on another for the racial discontent that we experience today. Nevertheless, they are nothing short of being hypocrites.

Take the bull by its horns if they indeed dare to look into the truth. The irony is at every change of guard at the education ministry, the game plan takes a twist.

Pot calling the kettle black. The root problem is people like you Narinder. People who cannot accept different cultures, races, languages. The real bigots are people like you, who tries so hard to hide these facts, and refuses to see the truth. They want everyone to live and believe in their make-believe world. They are living a lie.

...Racially-oriented education will only blossom into race-based polemics in all levels of our society. Almost every issue nauseously has been skewed on the lines of race. ...

What the heck is "racially-oriented education"??? You mean they actually teach kids to be racists in school??? There you go... the real reason for his discontent. Race again. And it is so convenient to blame vernacular schools because kids are easy targets. The writer doesn't even have the guts to be honest. You have a huge problem with race. That is your problem. Don't blame others, ok?

....Visit any tertiary education or even primary schools; you see groups of students socialising only with their own ethnic group. Having gone through the system, racial polarisation is indeed magnified multiple folds at tertiary level. We have race-based student societies, activities and even formal social gatherings.....

Again, blaming students, the helpless... why can't he just be honest. I suspect he doesn't go out much... My advice to him; come out of your cave once in a while, and take a stroll in the real world, go to the nearest restaurants for example, what do you see? Adults mingling with their own race. What about during festivals? People of the same race again! He would certainly find it a very disturbing sight. I'm sure after that he will be running back to his cave...

....We need a gigantic, herculean scale revamp of the education system. Racial polarisation will resolve only when we have a “Malaysian Education” and not race-based especially in the formative years of the young. It may take another generation when a citizen of this country identifies himself as a “true Malaysian.”

A dish goes wrong when either its ingredients are incorrect or you have a half-past-six cook or both. In our education system, we have the perfect blend of both being lousy.....

You know what they say about empty vessels. His obsession with the Malaysian identity shows that he doesn't relate to his own culture and identity. Hence his crisis.

At the end of his tirade, he has failed to even mention the core issue with education, which is the quality and standard. All he can see is just race, race, race... Race is his real issue. Vernacular education is his excuse.

My observation has shown me that when someone tries too hard to show they are not racists and bigots, they usually are. If you are not, you will not have any issues with other races, cultures or language to begin with. You will be quite comfortable with who you are, and who the other person is.  

Kids don't form prejudices in their formative years in schools. At that age, it can only happen at home. 

It is formed in their later years, teens and adulthood, when they face the realities of life.

In life, polarisation exists everywhere. You will meet bigots or racists from every race. It doesn't mean that you have to carry racial stereotyping through life.

This Narinder Singh comes across as a very confused person, perhaps even someone with an identity crisis. And there are many of his kind running loose in this country who considers themselves as "true Malaysians". True nut-cases would be more accurate.

National Education Blueprint

Fear and anxiety under the mysterious veil

2013-08-06 15:38

By LIM MUN FAH
Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE
Sin Chew Daily

The National Education Blueprint 2013-2025 will be launched on September 6, but the government has so far not yet announced its revised version. Fear and anxiety of the Chinese community can be found under the mysterious veil. Although they are unable to achieve exactly the same view on certain issues, the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong), the United Chinese School Teachers Association (Jiao Zong), the LLG Cultural Development Centre Berhad and other Chinese education organisation, however, are all worried that the Education Ministry might try to change the nature of Chinese primary schools through changing the teaching method.

Undeniably, there is always a big gap between the government and the Chinese community in terms of views and stands on education issue. The government claimed that the introduction of the education blueprint was based on a good intention to enhance the quality of students, teachers and schools, while strengthening students' ability in mastering Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mathematics and Science, to improve the overall quality of education in the country. The Chinese community, however, pointed out that even though the education blueprint has not mentioned the intention to eliminate Chinese primary schools, it set the target to make national primary and secondary schools the first choice of all parents by the third wave (2021-2025).

The Chinese community is most worried that the nature of Chinese primary schools would be wiped off under the "ultimate goal".

Has the Chinese community been over sensitive? Or is there really a hidden agenda in the education blueprint, making the Chinese community extra cautious at every step?

Obviously, it has been a big knot between the government and the Chinese community.

As they are unable to untie the knot, they have different views over the education blueprint.

For instance, the Chinese community is unable to agree to the use of a standard Bahasa Malaysia curriculum for all students in both National and National-type schools starting from the Year 4 cohort in 2014 and a substantial increase for the Bahasa Malaysia learning time to 330 minutes as recommended by the education blueprint. Jiao Zong insists that the Bahasa Malaysia learning time should not be more than 210 minutes while Dong Zong believe that 180 minutes would be enough.

In addition, the English learning time is also controversial. According to the transformation plan, Chinese primary schools have only 120 minutes of English learning time but they are required to use the same curriculum used in national primary schools having 330 minutes of learning time. It leads to the question of how should teachers teach and how should students learn? Union of Chinese Headmasters' president Pang Chong Leong believes that such an English course schedule will eventually cause Chinese primary school students to suffer in the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR).

In short, the Chinese community's greatest worry is the "ultimate goal" of the Education Ministry. They are worried that under the "single-stream education" thinking, the nature of Chinese primary schools would be changed, or worse, eliminated. If the government has no such intention, the only way would be to enhance communication with the Chinese community and through direct dialogues, develop a policy that can eliminate the worries of Chinese community, instead of simply calling it "overreaction" while sealing the door of communication and negotiation.

The Chinese community has never questioned the status of Bahasa Malaysia and is always willing to increase Chinese students' standard of the language. It is just having a different view with the Education Ministry in terms of teaching methods. These differences should be resolvable through communication and coordination. Although it takes time and might affect the "targeted effectiveness" of the National Education Blueprint, it is more in line with the public opinion of a win-win solution and could instead enhance its "execution efficiency".

I believe that the smart government will choose the win-win solution.

-- Source

===============================================

Actually, I've been meaning to write about this for some time.

This National Education Blueprint is another issue that is precisely what I view as kids suffering for the doings of adults.

While on the whole, the blueprint sounds good, ambitious even. Unfortunately, beneath the grandiose veneer, lies elements of deceit. It's as if these 3 point are sneaked into it on purpose, hidden in plain sight.

The 3 points that will be detrimental to Chinese schools.

1. From 2014, the switch to Bahasa Melayu curriculum from Primary 4 onwards will result in poor academic scores for the students. That is a guaranteed outcome. As a result, the academic performance of Chinese schools will nosedive. Although they reviewed this, but the point that it was included in the first place is a sinister move. The final objective, of course, is to have a standardised curriculum in Bahasa Melayu for all schools, a one school system. With that, it would spell the end of Chinese schools. It would defeat the purpose of studying in a Chinese school when less resources are available for Chinese language.

2. Next is the subject hour for BM & English. The proposed drastic increase in BM hours means that those hours will have to be taken from other subjects because other subjects are currently taught in Mandarin. This would also result in a drop in the students' academic scores. This, in my view, is a veiled attempt to undermine Chinese schools. Even under the present curriculum, there is already a marked decrease in Mandarin subject hours. The problem is, increasing hours for the sake of it is not a solution at all. It's quality, not quantity that matters. The problem that need to be addressed is actually the quality of these language teachers. Some are not very proficient in their respective language subjects.

3. One Secondary school system. Under the blueprint, although vernacular primary schools will still be allowed, the secondary school level are consolidated into one national stream. What will happen to the Chinese Independent secondary schools? If the Chinese language proficiency drops in Primary level, students will have a hard time in Chinese Independent Schools.  So, effectively, the plan is to close these schools.

Looking at the points above, anyone with half a brain can see that one of the objectives of this education blueprint is to eliminate Chinese education.

It seems these people are still not done mucking with education after all these years. They are determined to close the Chinese Schools. If not directly, then indirectly. Mahathir tried it. Anwar tried it. Now it's Muhyiddin's turn. I would even hazard an informed assumption that most Malays share that view. Chinese schools are made out to be a torn in the flesh, with plenty of reasons and justifications, but none are true. It's made out to look like these schools are the cause of all of the nation's problems.

Let me offer a better solution. First, make those national schools to be the schools of choice. Improve them. Just like the days when the mission English-medium schools were the schools of choice. Those days, Chinese schools were not popular at all. Let's just be truthful and honest for once. Can it be done? How long will it take for the current system to be improved to the level of those English-medium schools? More than 40 years have passed since the switch. That is 40 years of decline. So, don't blame me for my skepticism. I don't think they can be brought back to it former glory in 15 years. Improvement, perhaps. Somehow, I do not have much faith in the ones who will actually be implementing it; headmasters, teachers, MOE, LPN, etc.

Those who attended mission schools back in the days have nothing but praise for the system, environment, students and teachers. From the day the English-medium system was replaced with the current system, it was downhill all the way. Besides the low quality of teachers, Islamisation began creeping into the school syllabus and school environment. The same can be said of the country as a whole.

Why do you think we have embarrassing incidences like the shower room & 'balik china' remarks recently, and the years before? It is real. Only when we acknowledge the real problems, will we be able to come up with concrete solutions.

Unfortunately, I find the blueprint lacking in honesty. While I do agree that on the whole, the blueprint looks good, and that kids of various races should be encouraged to mingle, I don't see the current situation in schools as the cause of the racial issues mentioned. I see words of 'unity' peppered throughout the entire proposal. The proposal, in it's current form, will not solve those problem because the root cause is not in schools. It is in adulthood. It is the adults today that are the problem. The adults don't even mix. They live and work in largely homogenous environments. Be honest. The adults are the racists.

Racism and prejudices starts in adulthood, not childhood!

Let's say for the sake of unity, everything spelled out in the blueprint is implemented, with this One School system. Applied from Primary 1 to Secondary 5. Wonderful. What happens after that? Will these students be attending the same colleges? Will all institutions of higher learning be open to all races, based on merit? And what happens after they graduate? Will the government also ensure that these young adults have a fair chance of mixing in a multi-racial environment? In government & public sectors?

You see, when you start to muck around with people's lives, make sure you also think about the results and consequences. You must see it through, all the way. Not half-way and leave it to someone else to clean up the mess, and certain communities to suffer the consequences. The most cruel thing, is to give false hope to a kid, only for him/her to find out later in life that it was a lie. By then, it will be too late. And the cycle repeats itself.

So, it is not just a question of whether the Chinese opposing it or not. Most importantly, is society, all communities, ready and willing. Of course I, like everyone else, would like to see everybody enjoy equal opportunities. But is it feasible and realistic?

The Chinese Malaysians view Chinese schools as their safety net. The language allows them to explore and learn about their culture and identity. Make no mistake that the Chinese Malaysians are acutely aware of their origins. How could they forget, while some of them are now already the 3rd or 4th generation post-independence, are constantly reminded of their roots from young.

Every generation, are instilled in them from young, to be prepared in case of any eventualities. Every parent, preparing their young the best they could, so that they have more options in life.

This must not be construed as being unpatriotic. It's being pragmatic and realistic. This is how insecure the Chinese feel in this country. Were the Chinese Indonesians who flee the country in 1998, unpatriotic? No. They fled because they had to.

Why is it that enrollment in Chinese schools are increasing every year? Why do some of these parents, who went to national schools, are enrolling their kids in Chinese school. These parents can't even speak, read nor write in mandarin at all. They studied in a multi-racial environment, mixed with all races. So, is their decision racial? No. It is has nothing to do with race.

Disunity happens in adult life. It is here, that the solutions are needed, urgently.

Education issues could never be solved with political solutions. If the aim of any education transformation plan is to raise the standards of education, then why the constant threat to vernacular education, specifically Chinese education when these schools have been consistently maintaining and improving their standards?
As history has proven, when politicians meddle with education, we all know how it will end up.

Well, we'll just have to wait and see...

Ruling a big country is like cooking a small fish (治大国，若烹小鲜). When you're frying a small fish, too much poking will ruin the meal - Laozi

 So the meaning is: create general policies and direction, but do not micromanage. To do this well, you must understand the ways of your people and not go against the grain.

SK Sri Pristina (Update) - Student ostracised

Student ostracised after mother’s exposé

August 5, 2013

The Year 3 girl is coming home in tears, refusing to return to SK Seri Pristana following her mother's exposure of the makeshift canteen in the school's changing room.

PETALING JAYA: The nine-year-old daughter of whistleblower Guneswari Kelly who first highlighted the makeshift canteen-in-a-changing room at SK Seri Pristana in Sungai Buloh is facing tremendous pressure in her school, forcing her parents to even consider transferring her to another school.

“This poor child is being victimised for what her mother exposed. She is being isolated by the teachers and even her classmates,” said a parent who is close to Guneswari.

The parent added that the ‘attacks’ on the Year 3 student started the very next day after the issue hit the national spotlight following wide media coverage.

“Her teacher blamed her in front of her classmates that it was her fault for the school to be in the limelight. The girl was very distraught and embarrassed by this finger-pointing.

“And then when the education authorities conducted an inquiry on the makeshift canteen, this girl was told that she was not required to take part in the fact-finding session.

“But it only got worse as even her friends started staying away from her. No one is speaking to this girl and she is very heartbroken by the whole incident,” said the parent.

The parent further said that Guneswari only found out about the problems her daughter faced when she saw her child taking pencils and highlighters from home to her school.

“When asked, she had told her mother that she wanted to give them to her classmates so that they become her friends again. But when the child came back from school on Thursday, she told her mother that she didn’t want to return to the school again,” said the parent.

FMT learnt that both Guneswari and her husband are now mulling the possibility of transferring their child away from the school.

“They feel their daughter needs a fresh start and that she can’t continue studying in the hostile condition. It is sad that teachers, who are supposed to educate our children, are behaving in such a manner,” added the parent.

Both Guneswari and her husband have decided not to speak to the media right now. However other parents close to them said they are waiting for the whole issue to cool off over this AidilFitri break before making any decisions.

HM refusing to meet parents

Another parent, meanwhile, lashed out at the school headmaster Mohamad Nasir Mohd Noor for refusing to meet them to discuss the way forward from this issue.

“We are still waiting for him to meet us and to move on. This issue can’t continue to linger. The school must stop blaming the non-Muslim students and turn this into a race issue,” said a father of a student in the school.

He added that there were also other incidents of teachers mocking non-Muslim students, intimidating them and ridiculing them for the makeshift canteen exposé.

“We (the parents of non-Muslim students) are waiting to see the HM as well as the Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG) to solve this issue but to date, we have been given the silent treatment,” said the father.

He said that the PIBG was also making several misleading statements over the canteen issue, including saying now that the PIBG had discussed and agreed to have the makeshift canteen.

“This is not true as we have some parents who were in the said meeting and this matter was not discussed. This is one of the issues we want to raise at the meeting,” he said.

Apology from ministry

FMT could not reach the school HM or the PIBG chief for comment. All parents quoted in this story are unwilling to reveal their names for fear of their children being ostracised in the national school.

SK Seri Pristana had come under fire after Guneswari highlighted in her Facebook two weeks ago that it was using a changing room as a makeshift canteen, ostensibly due to some minor renovation work at the canteen.

Parents however said it was done to keep away the non-Muslim students from eating in the open.

Following a national uproar over the matter, the school and the Education Ministry apologised to the parents, with the school headmaster saying that he had set up the makeshift canteen as the school canteen was too small.

The ministry had then approved for the canteen to be renovated.

- Source

Well, this was sort of an expected outcome. I don't believe for a moment that the parents are that naive to think that things will be normal after all that has happened. Well, looks like the only option left is to change school and move on. Pity the kids though.