Jottings

Education Minister, who is also the country’s Deputy Premier, says that there are more positives for limiting the number of SPM subjects to just ten.

He was quoted in The Star, “It all comes down to how we want to manage our education system so that we can produce students who are capable and not only in exams […]There are 111 electives, and some of these are not taught in school but require tuition outside of school. This means only those who can afford the tuition will benefit”

I did a piece for Global Voices on this issue and the blogosphere in Malaysia have mixed reactions for the government’s recent move. One main concern has to do with awarding scholarships.

Every year, as I read the mainstream newspapers, I see it as a record-breaking event. People are often curious, who has the most A’s? Who beat the previous record? Is he/she going to come out with a motivational book on “How to Get Straight A’s” or “Do’s and Don’ts Routine”. As these record holders are seen as prime examples, students then are ‘motivated’ to achieve the same level of success. Then parents will send their kids to tuition as they are led to believe that the more A’s you have, the better of you will be.

I agree with the government’s decision as I think there are more to life than just studying. These youngsters should experience life. As much as studying is important, getting ‘life’ experiences is important so that they can be a dynamic person. From there, they can develop their interests and what they really want to do in life, other than getting a lot of A’s. It’s a great way for them to know what they want to study at tertiary level and the career path they want to choose. Scholarships should not be awarded solely based on the number of A’s but also based on the candidate’s personality as well as their interest in the course of choice they are taking in pre-university and university.

What do you think?