Recently, I had an opportunity to interact with some primary schoolchildren from private elite schools in Kuching. Life for them is no bed of roses. They have tons of homework to do. After school, they attend tuition classes to improve their academic performance.
When they are not at their tuition classes, they are busy with other activities such as swimming and martial arts. Some of these children fall asleep during tuition because they are too tired. For them, each weekday starts as early as 5am, and they often sleep late because they have to finish the assignments given by their school teachers or risk being asked to stay back after school.
I pity today’s kids. They don’t go out to play in the sun as much as I did when I was young. They have more things to worry in their young age; when I was their age, I had fewer worries.
Day by day, the world is getting more and more competitive. That is a fact. Life is also no bed of roses for children who attend ordinary government primary schools. They too attend tuition classes provided by their schools. There is a lot of emphasis on good academic grades because of the stiff competition for good places in top universities and government scholarships.
The emphasis on education is understandable because it is the key to success in life. If you are born to a poor family, higher education can help you break the cycle of poverty and ensure better lives for yourself and your family.
Higher education can get you a better job with higher salary.
In Sarawak, life for many rural families have improved greatly after their children went to universities and secured good jobs in the cities and towns.
But not everyone can be or want to be a doctor, a lawyer, an architect or an engineer. I know of a Primary 4 girl who is good in her studies. When I asked her about her ambition, she replied,” I want to be a baker. I love baking.” Needless to say, I was taken aback. I was surprised that she knew what she wanted at such a young age. I did not know what I wanted at her age, and I became a journalist by chance.
I wonder what the girl’s parents would say if they know that she wants to be a baker when she grows up. When I was growing up, society would frown on those who aspired to be “mere” bakers. In Upper 6, a teacher I consulted discouraged me from even thinking about taking up journalism or public relations as a career.
How things have changed now! Some university graduates in the country have quit their jobs to concentrate on agriculture or even rearing stingless bees which is more lucrative.
With Sarawak striving to be a developed state by 2020, the state government is currently emphasising technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to meet the demand for skilled workers. TVET is now the new enabler of good high paying jobs with upward mobility.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has urged TVET institutions to collaborate with industry players in order to understand their requirements. A larger skilled workforce is required in line with the expectation of Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) to attract investments of over RM300 billion by 2030.
Since Sarawak has a digital economy strategy which it hopes to fully execute by 2022, the state government is also emphasising talent development.
According to the Chief Minister, about 50 percent of the state’s total population of 2.7 million who are below 55 years old will become a driving force to transform Sarawak’s economy from conventional to digital by 2022.
Abang Johari has also emphasised the importance of English, especially with the digital economy transformation strategy in mind.
“The importance of English is a fact of life. Therefore, we must have good command of the language,” he said.
With that in mind, if you have a flair for English and thinking of pursuing tertiary studies, how about getting a degree in English?
