Some Suggestions On Education Revamps

This is definitely a positive development from the authority taking charge of education, and as usual, who will get it done? what will it be done? when will it be done? how will it be done? 

No matter what happens to politic, education shouldn't mix with politic. Education is crucial to the national development, and therefore is of national interest, or future security. It's not just the interest of a particular group, or some majority groups; it's simply a matter of people's interest.

The initiative of change should start from the recruitment of teachers (strictly based on merit, and not on quota); they must be of high quality to start with. If necessary, get some good teachers from developed nations to teach in the country so that some local teachers can learn from these foreigners too.

Secondly, take out those less competent teachers from teaching posts, and transferred them elsewhere.

Setup an independent Parent-Teacher association in each school to provide much needed feedbacks from public. The existing PTA is an internal unit of the school, and definitely not effective in improving the standard of school. (note: it renders more as rubber stamp).

A good structure with more interaction with the Board of Director & PTA in each school on the direction of school teaching methods and environment, will be the answer.

Lets' concentrate on producing good quality and regular supply of teachers, and subsequently graduates from primary and secondary schools, and then universities. Particular attention should be on the emphasis on matured teaching staffs where students are typically looking up for leadership and as a model of learning.

With quality human resources, only then our nation is ready for the challenge from the world in terms of national developments, modern businesses, agriculture, and foreign investments etc.....
Without good quality human work force, we will be continuing to rely on labour intensive industries, and subsequently, our foreign neighbours.

Let's hope that this is going to be put into action very soon as time is running out, and it could be too dearly to pay by keep hesitating on the reformation/transformation.

Teachers cum Politicians?

I read with disbelief of what is reported in The New Strait Times today that teachers are to be allowed to take part in politic. (http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/2518471/Article/index_html)

The idea was introduced during a speech in the recent UMNO General Assembly by Datuk Seri Hishammuddin, the Education Minister and newly elected UMNO Vice President.National Union of the Teaching Profession secretary-general, Ms. Lok Yim Pheng follows suit by saying "It is a good idea to allow Group A teachers to take part in politics. These are people with lots of ideas."

She said, however, those in administrative positions should not be involved in politics
“experienced teachers could further help develop the country if they are allowed to participate in politics”.

The government should not accept this proposition as the idea, if implemented, is going against the basic principle of “The Three Pillars of Governance - Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary.”

The result of mixing politic and education is, in one word, “Mess.” They should also know that their advantage of being impartial is long lost as a result of joining the politic.

The teachers are civil servants, and should belong to the Executive arm of the government system. There will be conflict of interest in involving teachers in politic, besides, will they be allowed to join opposition parties?

If teachers are allowed the privilege, what about other civil servants like Police, Military personnel etc.?

Their involvement in politic, if given, will not only violate the regulations and rules, but also depriving our children to proper education due to distraction from the main task accordingly.

I’d suggest that, if they think they have the acumen, they should only consider joining active politic after they’ve left the service. You can’t have both at the same time as it’s obviously conflicting with each other.

The Education Minister should instead making sure that the current education system be completely revamped where these teachers’s “expertise” are really needed. He’d do us parents a big favour if he could care to go down to the field and see for himself the “mess” that these educationists been doing to the children, parents, family, and the society at large. Schooling is no more fun, it’s simply “torture”. Parents have been complaining for years but fallen on deaf ears. If you asked the parents, 9 out of 10 are the silent complainants on the education topic.

If history can be manipulated, twisted by dishonest historians, then it’s not a matter of having history class or subject introduced in the primary school, but simply is a matter of getting the fact right and getting people to be righteous. They (UMNO) shouldn’t worry that the children do not know the history as most voters are mostly ignorant in history too.