I would like to contribute my two sen worth regarding the issues surrounding our local education system.

From time to time, I have been reading letters sent in by readers who are not only hoping for a revamp in the education system but also hoping that English as a medium for teaching science and maths subjects will remain. I wholly agree with those readers and would like to share my thoughts.

Time and again, some Malaysians, be they online readers or expatriates overseas, have lamented that our local education system is considered to be too rigid and does not follow the times. I agree not only after listening to their opinions but also when I caught up with the recent news that states the education syllabi at the primary level will be more holistic and less exam-oriented in the near future.

It is true we do need an education system that encourages our children to be thinkers and also have the ‘hunger’ and drive to learn and never be afraid to ask questions. What is the use of having straight-A kids who can only memorise facts from textbooks when the global market is now seeking graduates who not only have brains and qualifications but also the ability to think outside the box?

Isn't it time we need to do away with the rote learning method we have been putting up with for so long?

Since there has been a call to make our education system more holistic, how about if we can give more emphasis to the arts? There has been an overemphasis on the sciences for too long and this has to stop.

Who could forget the time when we wanted a ratio of 60:40 to balance the arts and the sciences among our students? In Australia, there is a balanced ratio between the arts and sciences and my fellow Australians believe that less emphasis on the arts will do no good for the progress of society and our future generations.

They are right and so I would like to ask this question: Without the arts in our life, would it be possible for our country to have beautifully designed high-rise buildings standing tall in our country for our locals and tourists to admire them with awe?

Or would it be possible for us to be able to appreciate music and the fine arts like how the Europeans having been doing for centuries?

There was a recent report that two Malaysian schools has finally allowed their students to sit for the International Baccalaureate (IB) exam as an alternative before officially completing their Form 5. How about if the IB is made available to all private and state schools around Malaysia?

The IB is not just globally recognised by many universities but is also considered a perfect alternative for students who cannot fit into the mainstream education system just because they are gifted or unable to follow the exam-oriented rote learning method system.

Moreover, many people would tell you that the IB offers various subjects from which our children can choose from, subjects the local education system does not offer such as visual arts, photography, ethics studies and anthropology.

Lastly, many parents and care-givers have been hoping that English will be retained as the medium for teaching Maths and Science like how it was during my parents' era. I agree with these parents and we all hope the Malaysian education system will retain English for the teaching of Mathematics and Science for our children and the future generations of Malaysia.

Using English as the medium for maths and science has nothing to do with encouraging our children to neglect their mother tongue or the national language, Bahasa Malaysia. Having English as a medium will enable our children to be able to compete at a global level in the arena of maths, medicine and the sciences.

We all know that English is the lingua franca for not just commerce, media and literature but also for information technology, medicine and the sciences be it architecture or engineering. Who can deny that English is now used everywhere in the world right now?

Isn't it about time we make the local education system not only holistic but also one able to keep up with times like how Australia and Europe are doing?