We are students of words: we are shut up in schools, and colleges, and recitation — rooms, for ten or fifteen years, and come out at last with a bag of wind, a memory of words, and do not know a thing.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist and philosopher
Our education system has constantly been in flux for several decades.
The uncertainty this causes to the teachers, parents, and, most importantly, our children is unsettling. It is also counterproductive towards having a nation of creative, knowledgeable and dynamic people who can effectively contribute towards nation-building on a mass scale.
Education in Malaysia has become a political football. On the face of it, social media portrays it as either incompetence by some ministerial buffoons or a game being played at the whims and fancies of some self-serving and inconsiderate politicians.
However, if you cut through much of the smokescreen of politics, some elements of our so-called educational policies could be seen as pandering to the voices of bigotry.
The constant U-turns in education policy has led to inconsistencies in our education system. Using education as a political tool to win votes and propagate racial and religious agendas have dramatically diminished the quality and standard of education.
Whatever your opinion or the truth of the matter is our children’s future is endlessly kicked around at the end of the day.
I hope the current unity government continues to promote the mastery of English in our education system, particularly in learning Science and Mathematics.
The latest round of twists and turns in opinions about our education system now relates to the debate about a revival of the Primary 6 School Achievement Test (Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah — UPSR). This debate for a revival of exams also includes the Form Three Assessment (Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga — PT3) exams.
This has become an issue to some after the announcement by the Ministry of Education last year of UPSR and PT3 examinations.
For once, this debate on reintroducing an examination-based system in Primary 6 and Form 3 does not have political or racial overtones. From this perspective, at least, it is a refreshing change.
Some academicians and parents in social media posts have recently voiced to the newly-appointed education minister to bring back UPSR and PT3.
Some parents felt the exams should be reintroduced. According to some, it would provide a yardstick of their child’s academic progress or a feeling that it would be better in the long run. This is a subjective reason rather than an objective one.
However, some parents fear a drop in academic standards if there are no exams in Primary 6 or Form 3.
Some academics have advocated the return of UPSR and PT3 or at least UPSR.
Various credible sounding reasons have been given by them. Some people support public examination systems because they went through it themselves and see no reason why others should not face the same trials and tribulations.
I would support the present enhanced School-Based Assessment (PBS). These are comprised of three components, namely, classroom assessment (PBD), physical, sports and curricular activities assessment (PAJSK) and the psychometric assessment (PPsi) as a suitable replacement.
In an era when creativity and application of knowledge are prized and essential for the future, I would advocate the fine-tuning of the current PBS system with built-in mechanisms for the continuous evolution of education to suit the future needs of the new generation of students.
I am sure that during such a transformative process teaching methods will go through some changes and consequently reskilling and up skilling of teachers is also required to better implement the PBS scheme.
The reskilling and upskilling of teachers will enable them to implement cooperative and active learning among students and allow the students to apply what they have learned to real-world problems and including developing their potential.
Students should have an enjoyable collaborative learning and development environment rather than being pressured to sit for a memorisation or rote learning biased and based examination environment.
I do believe that we do not need traditional forms of examinations as a necessary evil to gauge students’ performance.
It is reassuring that Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said her ministry will continue with the current education policies and will carry out improvements to the delivery and implementation of the policies to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the country’s education system.
An assurance has been given that the education ministry is focusing on efforts to strengthen PBS instead of an examination-oriented mode to improve and develop skills and knowledge among students in the country.
The dialogue on the merits and demerits of having public examinations will no doubt continue for a long time.
Ultimately, all those who hold the reins of political power and all strategic partners involved in the educational transformation implementation role in shaping our academic structure have a strong moral obligation to ensure progressive and relevant educational policies and systems.
Regarding Sarawak, it would be good to see the return of educational autonomy. This would bring a more global and world-view-type approach to educating our children.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
