Education, had and always will be the most important value in ones life. I had a 'Wonderful' 17 years being in the supposedly self-claimed world class Malaysian educational system, if you take constantly indecisive and frog jumping policy of the ministry as a plus point. I trust many would agree if I said that our country educational system was and still is, messed up. The different stream, the forced choice, the jumping policy, different enrollment policy entering higher education and many, many more. I would more than happy to share my own experience. I wished those who plan to had kids or having kids now, to have a thought, upon going into this 'proud' system. Is not that you could not go in, but have a thought. Cause you could not expect the bull to change its attitude towards red cloth in just a few years. (I am just being cynical.)
I start off gleefully entering my first class in primary school, anxiously. (I purposely omit Kindergarten which I thought made me play more than I learn). I was being place in a partly-governmental governed Chinese based school, where Chinese language was the main medium of educating and communicating. It was a brilliant move by both of my parents on their part, as I am a Chinese descent, I should learn Chinese. I still thank them now for making that choice then, as I can now communicate in Chinese language, read some of the Chinese character, but sadly I lost my ability to write Chinese somewhere during my secondary school. I still remember the look in my mum eyes worrying if I can get through the first day in school smoothly, first day was never easy for most children and even worst for the parents. Saying they are overprotective, was an understatement. Thankfully after two weeks we would be free from our parents sights, while the teacher take a sigh of relieve too. Then it started, every students are placed in different groups (classes), obliged to study all the same sorts of subject, english, chinese, malay, morale, science, maths and a few more.
One year pass by too fast, then It was my second year. Here the segmentation started, where good result were kings, and the non-performer was placed in a rather lower rank group. And this would happened for many years to come during my six year tenure as a student there. Every year we will be ranked, the first group of 40 pupils who got the best result would be placed in the first class, the next 40 pupils will be place in the second class, so on so fourth. The first class would so called be thought by teachers with better teaching capability, having better experience, more strict and result oriented as compared to those that thought in the lower class. You can say we pupils, was branded. Only those who had the better results would further be groomed or enhanced, who always had that chance to go for school competition and seminars. While the ill-performed pupils be left rotting in the lower classes, having the least chances with educational enhancing activities, mostly being involve in disciplinary problems in school. Too early we had been polarized, too early that we had been spoon fed with the 'Rich get richer, the poor get poorer' mentality. The funny part, the parents compete among themselves too! Ever wonder the idea of putting pupils of different results level in the same group, being given the same quality of teachers? Where healthy competition would be promoted, while the strong help the weak, in curricular and extra-curricular sense?
Then there was the semi-annual report I need to fill up. The column I remembered the most was the one where you need to fill the profession you want to be. And how we always took back home to asked our parents for answer. I bet 80% of people of my age would filled those within these: doctor, teacher, engineer, scientist, architect, businessman and lawyer. Worse, without knowing what each of them do. Please, the picture of a man in a safety hat and holding a few long scroll of blueprints do not quite explain what an architect do! We need explanation on what we choose. And if it is still early for us to choose, open us up to the option we have, the vast option of how we want ourselves to be in the future. Let the pupils try, as much as possible, as early in their life as possible. The system always strive to develop whatever talent of a pupil had, but lose out in helping the pupils discover their own talent.
Then my six primary school years had passed by, I am ready for my secondary stage of my a-la-Malaysian education. This time, I am place in a national school where Malay language was the prime medium. In my first day I was surprised to see that was not only Chinese pupils in my class, there was the Malay and the Indian pupils too. I was even shocked to find out that we all came from a school, where our 'mother tongue' language was the prime medium to be use. There was the National primary school- Malay language; the Tamil primary school- Tamil; and my Chinese counterpart- Chinese language. The results, pupils sitting with pupils of their own origin of school. What do the system expect us to do? In an estranged environment we first step into, of cause we will mingle around with people we known. That was the natural thing to do at that point of time. And because of the things happened at that point of time, it almost defined friendship, companionship and circle of cooperation throughout the five years in secondary education for most pupils. And the sad thing to find out now that the idea of a united, one prime lingual primary school always go to drain because some party wanted that extra political point, with the expend of our children future towards a united country. Thankfully my uncommon valor and smooth talking broke the racial barrier at that time, and I go on to have some really good friends from all race.
I go by my form one, two and three wonderfully. Being involved myself in many extra-curricular activities, being a prefect, while keeping up with my curricular. Aside from getting gang bust by a bunch of badly-influenced kid during form two, I live through a fun-filled three years. Sadly, being fun-filled was not the case for the next two years. It all started right after I getting my PMR results (for those who did not know, this is an examination which would decide where you will be place in your fourth secondary year). My results was good, the best one pupil can get, I scored a straight. Then come the time where we will be place into different streams, majorly the science or art streams. I was place in the science streams, majoring in biology and physics. But my heart was always towards arts, towards business learning. Not that I liked them that much (I love them now!), but I liked them more than going for a science streamed class. Then when I request for a switch of class, I was denied. The reason given to me was my results was good, that I belong to the science class. Sadly, I obliged. Not till now that I found out that moment defined my future. The fight that should be fought, defined me. Is funny to say that, I did my best in my examination, just to limit myself to one option. I thought being a good scorer would grant me freedom to choose what I like to study, but that was never the case in our educational system. The system choose for you. The system decides that, I should be a scientist, an engineer, perhaps a doctor, or maybe a biologist. The same thing happened in primary school happened again! I could not judge what I want to do in the future, based on the paycheck they would be receiving in the future, or how bright this profession would be in the future. Come on! At that time, I just want to do what I like. And liking it does go a long way.
Too often the system decides for us, deciding which of us need to be in which profession, and utterly sad, based on a evaluation and education where they had planned out. I did not see any major examination about drawing, or examination about baking, on swimming, or even sculpting. The system always treated such activities as hobbies, never a true profession. Always just something to do during our spare time. What are we to have the say to want them to be our passion for life, our way of living, our own future- that we chose. Hey, is not a matter of whether we will or will not be successful in the future, is the matter of choice, making the choice for our own. Guess what, in the future that is now, we got way too much professionals, which flooded the market until they are less valued, while those artistically related profession are much sought after. Hahhhh! Take That Now! I believe a happy living adult doing things he/she love in his/her own choice is better for the society rather than an unhappy adult doing things he do not like. Maybe is high time a subject - How to decide what you want to do for your future- be included into our primary and secondary syllabus. I do not want more people to become that dumb race horse with it's eyes covered from side to side, running straight getting whack in the butt by its trainer, not knowing the greener grass just beside it... :)
To be Continue...
Preview of part two:
- Doing what you can, sometimes is not what you want.
- The worst or perhaps the best time of my educational term- the form Six!
- The University days.
- A funny photo perhaps!!
The above article was of my own view. NO INTENT to offend anyone. If you feel offended, grow smart and think over it!
Stay tuned,
Live well people,
Shian
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