The Latest Education Hoo-Haa to remove UPSR and PMR

This by no means is the first time the government has raised the issue for the abolishment of two age-old education examination practices in the world(reminiscent to the favourite English/Malay language issue); the examination conducted prior to primary students advancement into secondary schools, and the selection or preparation of students into the stream of studies deemed most appropriate for each based on their interest/capabilities and results.(The selection at this and any other stages, though, can still be changed by the students themselves at a later date or through other exams, again by their own performance).

I will not dwell on the usual arguments presented by most parties about the good and bad, pros and cons of having or not having these examinations.

Lets examine the bigger picture and consider the argument that the current system is too exam-oriented. Then let us consider the alternatives. What kind of changes would you like to make in order to have it otherwise. I personally could not imagine how else if not through examinations that we can ensure these students at the tender age, whether they are either in primary 6 or secondary third year, and around the age of 11-12 and 14-15 years of age respectively, be able to gain the knowledge, to enable them to pursue their education and career in the future. Perhaps our current minister of education would like these children(by any standard, they are still considered to be children, or does anyone choose to differ?), be sent on the streets to practice or learn their skills, if any?(Remember the smoking and lepak issues?) Is that what the education minister meant by practical?, so much so that they can still pursue their studies in their later years at universities. OK, maybe not on the streets but consider the alternatives and define what can be learn through practice for these adolescent kids at school, need I repeat "adolescent kids"?

If our education minister meant co-curricular activities, that again cannot, by any means, be the foundation upon which these children will gain knowledge sufficient to prepare them for their future, academic or otherwise. I do sincerely wonder if the education minister has even given it a thought, or has his recent outburst on the subject matter, some ulterior motives given the proximity of the coming general election? Say something controversial, take away or threaten to take away something beneficial from the public and then turn around and give it back, so as to appear benevolent to the public or appears sympathetic to the publics' opinion in order to gain their support. Holistic is a word thrown around like garbage in everybody's rubbish bin to justify the rationale behind the proposal to removal both exams. Perhaps someone ought to define the word holistic and what holistic education really means.

Again, on a bigger picture, is it because our education standard has fallen so far for the majority of the younger populace that the only way to keep them from ending up roaming the streets(after failing all these exams and failing to secure a place to further their studies) and to keep them in the system, at least, until they are old or mature enough to find decent work when they actually leave, in this case, at the age of 17? If that is the case then the education department has failed in its function and purpose !

Assuming that these examinations were abolished. Then, what would happen is a situation where every child, irrespective, will be able to pursue their studies, at least, up to secondary fifth year and at the age of 17.(Old enough legally to find work if necessary) That does sound good if one's child is a poor performer or does not do well in examinations(who else would fear examinations if not those who are poor in their academic performance?) but then what would happen to those children who does perform well? Would that not demoralised the good performers? I doubt very much that removal of these exam will, in any way, make the poor performers work harder in order to do better. After-all, it no longer matters if you do well or not. Every student will proceed right up to the fifth form anyway, able or unable. Would removal of these examinations also better prepare all of them for the outside/working world? Would that not make all the children become less competitive, more lazy? Ultimately, at the end of the day, the education system will be producing large number of secondary fifth year school leavers, all of whom are either below average, or at best, average performers into the nation's workforce. Is that not against the nation's objective to produce high salaried knowledge workers to achieve the 2020 vision?

I leave you with the final question. Would you change what has being proven to work through the ages, a process(education system) even the ministers themselves have gone through, and replace it with an unproven system on the whims and fancies of a minister who probably have some motives/agenda behind his outburst? Or perhaps the government is taking us, the public, for fools? But then again when you look at the kind of ministers that the old system is producing, perhaps we all should support the change!!! The way I see it, this is a simple case of, typical to Malaysia, when a department or the persons assigned a task failed, blame it on the system!

27th June 2010

The latest development and proposal to pass the buck to the education institution themselves to conduct their own assessment shows the inability of the education ministry/department to manage what they were meant to do in the first place.

So now, the schools are expected to conduct their own examinations. I wonder what is the underlying rationale for this. Imagine a common scenario where the standard of one school is higher than another. Who then decides on the level or grades for passing those exams or is there any homogeneity in the grading of these students coming from different schools with different quality? Is the education ministry trying to manipulate the passing of poor students who cannot even read or write at third year secondary into higher forms ? Does that mean the ministry is henceforth absolve from all responsibilities if there were unfair or fraudulent practices conducted in some schools for the sake of having a decent and reputable number of passes? But then again if the ministry is going to be monitoring these exams, why then, should they not be conducting the exams as well. It like the ministry is hoping to manipulate the results but letting the schools take responsibilities if they were caught.