Education is the foundation of nation building. If we were to look for role models, we should look to South Korea and Taiwan. In the immediate period post-World War II, Korea was more dilapidated and economically backward than Malaya. .

The key lies in education.

Prior to independence, Malaysia had a head-start o­n these countries. But our Umno-led government chose the short-cut in setting bumiputera privileges, by arbitrarily setting a quota at the tertiary level instead of working o­n the primary and secondary level.

If the government paid enough attention to make sure each and every bumiputera student are well prepared and incentivised to study (by providing stipends to the poor family who put their kids in school), there is no need to have a quota system at the tertiary level. However, today's parents have no confidence in the primary and secondary public schools.

One reason is that teachers are poorly qualified - poor remuneration and long working hours a large reason in dissuading brighter candidates. We seem to have money to upgrade and build new schools but no money to pay our teachers well.

Building more schools and computer labs will not help us in moving ahead. We don't need infrastructure when there is no good individuals to fill the infrastructure.

What is the use of buying an imported LCD projector of RM20,000 - equivalent to o­ne year's wages - when we cannot even pay our teachers a good salary? LCDs will not solve our English proficiency woes.

Our government is fond of short-cuts. They have become the guiding policy for all types of activities - employment, licences, housing subsidies, share in public listed companies - which in the long-run has shown to benefit the elite.

Take for example the national car industry and the projects under the Multimedia Super Corridor. At the end of the day we are o­nly successful because of all the protection barriers surrounding us. It will take the effects of globalisation wake us up.

But yet despite calls for the removal of crutches, there is no sign of awakening. It is still not too late to start again by first addressing the education system.