'Get them to be properly-trained, and to motivate them, pay and reward the good teachers accordingly as per market rate and benchmark this to countries where the education system is of world-class standard.'
Red herrings and sensible solutions for education
PM Moey: To move our education system forward instead of backward, as is the case right now, we should at least do the following:
1) Let the professional educationists do their work. Also, the educationists should not be dominated by one particular race, as in the case now with our public institutes of higher education. Selection should be based on competency, experience and proven good track record;
2) Religion and politics should stay out of education;
3) Get teachers to be properly-trained, and to motivate them, pay and reward the good teachers accordingly (as per market rate and benchmark this to countries where the education system is of world-class standard) while lousy teachers should be sacked;
4) English should be the common (and neutral) language for teaching, while making Bahasa Malaysia and mother-tongue languages compulsory subjects for all students, and that a credit at SPM level is a requirement to enter university.
Kris: Ideally, we should have a single education school system so that all Malaysians grow up and learn together. They will automatically build bonds of friendship and it won't be necessary to have any more unity programmes.
The vast majority of people would prefer to send their children to secular English-medium schools similar to those we had in the 60s where the other languages were taught as subjects.
This is proven by the fact that thousands of children of all races travel daily from Johor Baru to Singapore to attend English-medium schools in Singapore and even our ministers send their children to English-medium international schools.
If you bring back the 1960s type of well-run schools and give the people a choice, you will find that there would be very few takers for the Malay, Chinese and Tamil medium-schools as has happened in Singapore.
Any political party which adopts this idea would almost certainly garner a lot of votes.
Fairplay: I strongly support the very persuasive views of Dr Kua Kia Soong. To hope that we can resuscitate the education system based on the present premise is sheer folly - not with the ‘ketuanan' agenda.
There is a deliberate agenda to skew the system to the ‘ketuanan' mentality. A survey of the teachers will indicate that instead of treating it as a vocation, it is merely an opportunity to reduce the unemployment figures.
When election time gets closer, they are all get upgraded to higher salary scales for doing less work and not getting their hands dirty.
If the attempt to learn English to teach Science and Maths was giving ‘headaches' (kepala pening) to teachers, it does not speak well of their ability and willingness to better themselves.
'Chinese don't mix with others': Dr M under fire
Gavin Leng: It is a tragedy to generalise and trivialise through the lenses of race. When will we ever be able to realise the dream of Martin Luther King - that we as individuals will be judged for the content of our character and not our skin colour or ethnic background.
Gk: When he cannot read Chinese newspapers, he blames Chinese schools. When there is racial polarisation, he blames Chinese schools. When non-Chinese enroll in Chinese schools, he blames Chinese schools. What else? He forgets to blame himself for all these blames.
Will Chan get off the hook?
Louis: Our government cannot finish what they set forth to do. All these commissions and inquiries are just for show. There was the Lingam's tape issue and now this Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) issue.
With BN in power for a few more years, our nation will go bankrupt.
Loyal Malaysian: He will be let off the hook, one way or the other. Hard to believe such an astronomical sum can be swallowed by him alone. The unseen hand will ensure his escape avenue.
