Towards A Better Education

By Nattasha Stephen
2013-121890
Topic: Ministry Of Education

If I was the education minister of Malaysia, I would make very drastic changes in the education scene of Malaysia. In the last 50 years, the government of policies have changed several times, Commissions have been formed, reports have been made and received and gathered dust, but we are in the same situation that is not all enviable. Thus, I would revamp our education system by making it more interactive and bi-directional, instead of the rigid uni-directional learning currently adopted.

The main thrust I would give will be on the Primary Education. This area has been grossly neglected in the last five decades, and, that is why we find that, even after 50 years of our own rule, more than 50% of our Malaysian population is still illiterate. I would give top priority to this and encourage free education till at least up to the level of 5th Std. My resources would also channelize accordingly. This is because I personally feel that, only when we expand and improve our primary education, can we produce a fine younger generation. It is at this age when we can inculcate values in the children, and it is only at this time that we can teach them the values of the knowledge we give them. Once this age is past, no amount of sermonizing helps to teach the bigger children any values. Since this area has been neglected for so long, we have produced a generation of ill-behaved uncouth, almost barbarians. The question of preparation of text-books will be entrusted to a committee of experts and after the books have been prepared, model books would be kept available for publishers, who would give certain amount of royalty to the government and they would be strictly informed to publish the books in accordance with the government sample. The current text books have not been updated in a very long time and hence it is no longer the best choice for students. I would also encourage the teaching of all subjects in English. English is one of the widely used languages in the world and students should be taught the importance of this language at a very early age. This will prepare them for their higher education later on. Globalization is happening, so I would prefer to standardize the education system by teaching the following subjects in English; Mathematics, Science, Moral, Art, Geography, History, Living Skills, Computer Skills and Health. Moving on to the Secondary Education, I would propose teaching Sex Education in schools. Sex education will not be about increasing sexual activity among the young people but to inculcate the concept of respect and treatment of each other as human beings.
It said such a concept would bring about a healthy relationship between both genders and help reduce abuse, violence and child mortality.

Also, the educators, that is the teachers should be provided with better training and should also be well equipped in English. There were many reports that state the teachers who educate our country's future leaders cannot speak proper English and do not enter class regularly. Therefore, I would ensure that only the best of the best teachers are hired to work for the government sector. Education must also be spread in the rural areas. All long the 52 years of Malaysia’s independence, education has been the prerogative of the urban classes, and this is why there's such a huge percentage of illiterate in the rural areas. So, if I become the education minister of this country , I would lay more stress on educating the masses in the rural parts of Malaysia . Teachers would be sent there or picked up from there, and given great incentives to work  in remote areas. Their interests would be well looked after, so that, they would like teach in the rural areas of Malaysia.

A school in rural areas of Malaysia

Last but not the least, there should be more Vision Schools. Currently, there are only a few Vision Schools, also known as Sekolah Wawasan in Malaysia. These schools are a great medium to bridge the racial divide. The secret behind a successful country is a close-knit nation. As cliché as it sounds, united we stand, divided we fall. We should be proud of the diversity our nation has, and the first way to appreciate it is by acknowledging and respecting each other’s differences. And this starts with education.
Children are the greatest assets of a country. The way to ensure that they are capable of leading the country in the future ultimately lies in education.


http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/01/05/tamil-schools-do-we-care/
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/08/13/Teach-sex-education-in-schools-says-group.aspx
http://pendidikanasasintegrasi.blogspot.com/
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/09/11/Idris-Many-teachers-not-fit-to-teach-70-of-English-instructors-found-to-be-incapable-says-Education.aspx