There is much discussion and considerable anxiety over the poor performance of bumiputra students. The angst is understandable. The discourses however, are long on pompous opinions and wild speculations, but woefully short on solid facts and empirical data. They muddy rather than clarify the issue.

A generation ago there was comparable consternation over the lack of Malays in higher education, especially in the sciences. Then too, there were endless congresses and seminars to address the issue, culminating in a royal commission of inquiry.

Regretfully the commission, with its less than illustrious members, merely echoed the prevailing canard. I was bemused that they were not even interested in discussing the issue with the few of us Malays then in science. No surprise that their ensuing policies were ineffectual.

As an example, in my rural high school there were 22 Malays in a science class of 35. Because of the severe shortage of sixth form slots only four were admitted, of whom two were Malays. Six of my Malay classmates who were not admitted, managed eventually through the circuitous route of technical and teachers' colleges to get their degrees.

One received his PhD and another, her Ivy League master's. Thus, had there been adequate sixth form space then, the number of potential Malay science undergraduates would have been eight instead of just two - a four-fold (400 percent) increase!

Additionally, given the right circumstances, another six of my Malay classmates could have been potential college material, making the increase that much more dramatic. Alas, those opportunities were lost.

Quick, dirty way

Rida (Mara's predecessor) rightly sensed the problem and set up a number of sixth form classes. But instead of taking those who just missed the mark (like my dozen classmates), it recruited from the very bottom of the pile-third graders - as if to prove its supreme ability to turn any student, no matter how un-industrious, into an undergraduate.

The results were, as expected, disastrous. For the first few years none of its students matriculated. But the program expanded, with more funds poured into it. The man responsible was duly promoted, to continue his incompetence at a higher plane and with far greater consequences.

Lacking rigorous research and proper planning, I fear the current frustration will lead to similar ineffective policies. Already we are seeing such idiotic moves as reducing the intake of students into our universities because of the lack of qualified bumiputra, while well-qualified non-bumi were denied admission because of the rigid quota.

The difficulty with the present dilemma is that the behavior of our students is both predictable and rational. Bumiputra do not excel because they don't have to. Unless we change the milieu, the pattern will continue.

Non-Malays, with no paternalistic government to look after them or a cushy civil service job waiting, rightly opt for science and technical training to improve their marketability. No Tamil Studies or Confucianism for them.

In China, during Mao Zedong's heyday, its youths were similarly obsessed with the Red Book and chanting 'Thoughts of Chairman Mao', rather than studying quantum physics or calculus because that was the way to advance.

As a result, a generation was wasted. Malays today, with their fondness for Malay and Islamic Studies, are behaving just like their counterparts in China during the Cultural Revolution. They are also consumed with politics because they view that as a quick and dirty way to wealth and power.

And they are right. Look at our leaders; few have solid accomplishments outside of politics. No wonder they hang on tenaciously to their positions.

To achieve excellence we must actively encourage and generously reward it. Tolerating mediocrity only encourages it. With a glut of Malays in the arts stream it is appropriate to dispense with quotas and scholarships in that field.

Greater competition

Our universities must emulate leading American colleges by mandating a year of science, mathematics and English for all. Our students may find that since they have to take these subjects anyway, they might as well continue in them.

Who knows, they may even discover that reading and doing experiments are much more interesting and rewarding than demonstrating in the streets or participating endlessly in puerile debates on how to improve the lot of Malays.

Last year 8,000 Malays sat for the Islamic High School Certificate and another 12,000 for the arts stream. Lamentably, this meant there were 20,000 fewer Malays to pursue the sciences.

In my recent survey of Malays attending top American colleges, to my surprise a disproportionate number came from racially mixed schools rather than our supposedly elite and exclusively Malay residential schools.

Used to competing with non-Malays in Malaysia, these Malays from mixed schools readily adapted to America's highly competitive colleges. The lesson? Expose Malays to more, not less, competition, and at the earliest age.

Another startling finding was that these bright students felt that our schools did not adequately prepare them, a shocking indictment of our system.

To attract Malays to science we must enhance the rewards. Scholarships and loans must be easier to get and more generous. Our universities too, must be encouraged through appropriate funding mechanisms.

For example, for every bumiputra scientist and engineer they graduate, the university would get extra bonuses. Given such incentives our institutions would respond.

Similarly as most Malays end up in the public sector, our civil service should appropriately reward those with science and technical training.

Upper levels of government must be open to them. Unfortunately today, even ministries with high technical components like Public Works and Health are headed by arts graduates. The government is short sighted in limiting entry into the administrative service only to those with arts degrees.

In striking contrast, senior American and Japanese civil servants and executives have science or engineering backgrounds. Thus they are fast to grasp the latest scientific and technological developments without having to be exhaustively briefed by their technically trained subordinates.

School woes

The problems of our undergraduates are rooted in our schools. Good high schools produce good undergraduates. The appalling state of our schools is obvious - crowded classrooms, demoralised teachers and dilapidated facilities.

Double session is a permanent feature. Much has been said on the shortage of teachers in rural schools but precious few remedies instituted. I venture that with doubling the pay, the shortage would be alleviated very quickly.

The leadership of our schools is also sadly wanting. Headmasters are often off campus, preoccupied with trivia and endless meetings. Our schools need stable and dedicated leadership.

It is pathetic that the Malay College had more headmasters in the last 25 years when locals took over than in its first 75. One lasted barely a few months, just long enough to put an entry into his resume!

In contrast, GED Lewis, the last expatriate principal of Victoria Institution, and his counterpart at the Malay College, NJ Ryan, devoted their careers to the schools and retired in those positions. They left a significant legacy and touched the lives of many young Malaysians.

Their present day local counterparts are but seat-warmers on their way to be under-secretaries for procurement at the ministry.

The problems of bumiputra in education are long standing and complex. Solving them requires careful study, imaginative strategy, and rational policy. We can do without the endless exhortations and clich criticisms.