It is unfortunate and very sad that in this country, education seems to have been unfairly and unjustly politicised. Like race and religion, education has turned into an ugly subject for us to argue, debate and quarrel over.
Like race and religion before it, education has also lost its purity. How can something so good and beautiful become so rotten and ugly? Isn’t it true that whenever we discuss our education policies, it would not be happy or pleasant discourse?
There is no joy at all when we broach the subject of education. What happened to the dignity and glory of education? There is a blunt answer — our flip-flop education policies suck!
We equate education with knowledge, wisdom, pride, dignity, status and glory. However, over the past few weeks, such positive traits are absent as Malaysians debate over the fortified attempt to halt the abolition of the Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English, popularly defined by its Malay abbreviation PPSMI.
I must concede that I have not been able to fully comprehend the arguments put forth by our Education Minister on his decision to scrap PPSMI from January next year.
He reasoned that the standard of Science and Maths has dropped after English was re-introduced in 2003 as the medium of instruction. PPSMI will be replaced with MBMMBI, a new policy of upholding the Malay language and strengthening the command of English.
Just what is MBMMBI? I’m not really sure. If it is aimed to strengthen English, I thought PPSMI was introduced for that purpose.
I recall Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad stating that Malaysians must improve their standard of English in order to be more knowledgeable when competing globally.
It was for that reason that he re-introduced PPSMI in 2003.
Now, why are we going backwards? In the process, we also confuse our students and subject them to further hardship and anguish by having to learn Science and Maths in a different language after their graduation to secondary school.
I honestly doubt such a policy will help our students improve on the two subjects in question. In fact, I foresee deterioration.
An email from Page (Parent Action Group for Education), which also came into my in-box this week, contradicted the Education Minister’s take on the declining standard of Science and Maths among our students under PPSMI.
The group pointed out that evidence of the PPSMI’s success could be seen in the UPSR, PMR and SPM results over the years.
“The highest pass rate in Science and Maths was in 2007 while the lowest was in 2001 before the PPSMI was implemented,” said Page chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim.
“The highest pass rate in English was recorded in 2008 while there have been no signs of any adverse effect on the pass rate in Bahasa Malaysia.”
Page also revealed figures and charts which showed a marked improvement in the performance in Science and Maths among rural students.
Page’s revelation was an eye-opener but the group’s explanation and protest to the Education Minister fell on deaf ears. On Thursday this week, he declared that the decision to scrap PPSMI was final.
The minister had earlier stated the decision was made after careful study by the Education Ministry. He also said that he had obtained feedback from various quarters.
I doubt that the minister, who is from Umno, had properly consulted even his major partners in the Barisan Nasional before deciding on the PPSMI issue. Could this be another case of Big Brother bullying its younger siblings and bulldozing through the new policy?
This week, MIC and MCA came out strongly, and rightly too, in opposing the Umno move.
MIC president Datuk G Palanivel urged the Education Ministry to reconsider its decision to scrap PPSMI and asked the government not to rush into things but to think over the matter carefully.
“We have to consider the ongoing public reaction on this issue,” he said.
On the MCA side, its president Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek stressed that there must be clear guidelines which will help to end any confusion.
“The MCA’s stand on this issue is very clear. We believe the stakeholders must have a choice,” he said.
Both Palanivel and Chua opined that one of the options is to consider teaching Science and Maths in both Bahasa Malaysia and English.
This is what Page has also suggested to the government. Many of us will readily agree that this is the best option to resolve the impasse. The Education Minister should take serious note of the suggestion.
I feel that the sentiments among students, parents and educators in Sabah and Sarawak are leaning towards the opposing side — they want PPSMI to continue.
How am I so sure about this? For one, there is no ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ sloganeering in the two East Malaysian states. Malays in Sabah and Sarawak are a different breed from those in the peninsula. There are no racists in the Borneo states and I am always proud to make this declaration.
English has always been the main language of conversation, second only to the mother tongue of the various communities. We are already 1Malaysia without the need to harp on a national language, as if learning a few languages will cause disunity among Malaysians.
At times like this, when we have to protest and quarrel over our education policies which have been flip-flopping for as long as we can remember, the education authorities in Sabah and Sarawak must seriously review the options.
Although education is a federal matter, East Malaysia should start insisting that the two states be allowed certain leeway to formulate and streamline their own education policies.
Federal leaders have often said that Sabah and Sarawak have certain peculiarities and should be treated differently. I feel that it is time for Putrajaya to include education as another peculiarity of the two East Malaysian states.
Allow Sabah and Sarawak to chart their own educational direction and let them have their own policies and system to cater for the peculiar needs of the people in the two states. National policies could also be refined and eventually adopted to suit the educational needs of Sabahans and Sarawakians.
We need an education system which emphasises thinking, creativity and innovation. It is true that too many feudal stipulations in our system are turning our students into passive clowns.
I would want my home state of Sarawak to learn from mistakes and weaknesses in our national education policies and to define and adopt its own education plans and programmes.
Giving citizens the opportunity to receive the education they desire means presenting to them a bright future. Why is it so difficult to let our students decide what they want for their future?
If I were a schoolboy today, I would appreciate the opportunity to learn as many languages as possible. If I had to choose only one, English would be my first choice.
And no Education Minister should force me to study in the language which is not my choice. Period!
People, bear in mind that ministers are politicians. They come and go. Don’t allow one to make a decision which is likely to wreck your future.
On an issue as important as education, you must dare to make a stand.
Your future is at stake!
