I read a book titled “An Education System worthy of Malaysia” about 5 years ago. The author wrote the book using the American education system as a model to make comparison to the Malaysian education system. His book basically concludes by saying that a lot more needs to be done to upgrade our Malaysian education system.
I did not think much of it then but now that I have two kids I am forced to think about the future of my kids and where they should study and go to school. My eldest is three years old and he is currently going to a kindergarten not too far from home. He also goes to music class twice a week and every time he comes back from kindergarten and music class he will be so happy and there will be a glow in his face which says that he has learnt a lot of things and that he really had a good time learning with his friends.
This look and glow from my son was the exact same look that I saw in my nephews face until they went to primary school. The change in system and method of teaching really shocked their system but as time past they learnt to adapt and blend into the system. This is the exact same system which I adapted to when I was a child.
Having said all that, when viewed in the context of our achievements vis-a-vis the other Commonwealth countries, it is heartening to note that our education system ranks very high in key indicators among our peers who share the same legacy, colonial past and system. It is, therefore, crucial that we appreciate the fact that we need not start from scratch. We have to build on these strong fundamentals, adjust where necessary, reform where needed and re-engineer what is not working.
The next step forward I think is to compare ourselves to developed nations where children are thought using the best techniques and methods. There was a research carried out recently by the UN with stated that the problem with Malaysian students is that they lack creativity.
A key method used by developed nations and my son’s kindergarten to make learning more fun and allow the child to be creative in thinking is to use the VAK method. The VAK method, also known as the visual, auditory and kinaesthetic is a method which allows a child to learn in a manner that best suites them. Using the VAK method a teacher will use visual aids, auditory aids and movement to teach making learning much more enjoyable for the child.
Our education system focuses mainly on the auditory aspects and it is usually just a one way conversation. The teacher will speak and the child will only listen and to make things worst they are not allowed to ask questions. It is therefore not a wonder why many kids feel bored at school and memorise facts and figures for the sake of exams. Kids should learn and study because it is fun and meaningful and not just because they have to sit for an exam.
The good news is that my wife and I still have a couple of years to decide on which school to send our son. I would love to hear comments from parents in Malaysia and abroad that are facing the same dilemma as us.
3 comments:
as long as we dont sync our edu system, we wld only be mediocre and racial integration is a far-fetched idea.
Our local system should also look at the possibilty of;
(i) creating more subjects such as speech and drama, music (at secondary level) etc; as well as
(ii) children to take up a combination of subjects (maintaining core subjects like maths of course) that they feel are their strengths;
Twenty years ago we still have teachers that were trained overseas and taught children because they love teaching and children and as a result could bring out the best in these children. Now in the absence of that our education system needs to be re-looked at.
What happens now is that students are streamed into science, arts or commerce in the govt schools where their subjects have been pre-determine for them according to the stream they take up after form 3. Some students are gifted enough to be blessed with the head for numbers and music or arts but do not have the proper platform to cultivate such interests.
In the end these students will either ended up taking 20 subjects to figure whats best for them or even worse if they didnt have the chance to even find out what their strengths or passion are. Then what we get is the a society of mediocres as they do not work for the passion of their job but just for the sake of earning a living.
It is not about how they learn in school but it's all about how they create their attitude and fully maximise their potential.
Quek Charlie
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