YOURSAY 'No amount of education blueprints can work if meritocracy is not practiced and institutionalised discrimination exists in our schools, colleges and universities.'

'Urgent overhaul needed to our education system'

Oldman57: When we got our independence, we also inherited the British education system, considered among the best in the world.

In the early 70s, the education minister started to meddle with it and all subsequent education ministers follow suit - until we get a ‘rojak' education system today which is professed to be the best by our current education minister.

Unfortunately, we have screwed up our children's futures for years to come. That is why international schools are flourishing now for students to sit for ‘O' and ‘A' levels exams - but only for the ultra-rich five percent.

Ratbatblue: There seems to be two systems in education in place here. One is for the elitist few who get grants to study in the very best overseas institutions from a very young age (boarding schools), or who are given scholarships to study there.

The other, the majority, who are your kids and mine, are in the mainstream schools and subjected to mediocre guidance/teaching. It is pretty obvious who is getting the good deal here. The rest are left to rot and fend for themselves.

Hence the frenzied tuition classes and extra coaching. In our day in the 60s, there was no need for any tuition. We paid attention in class and came home and revised. Our teachers were excellent.

We could take on any job; go for any further specialisation/postgraduate courses, without difficulty. Now International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed tells us the students are not geared for industries. I think they are not geared for anything at all.

Justice Pao: No amount of education blueprints can overhaul our education system as long as meritocracy is not practiced and institutionalised discrimination exists in our schools, colleges and universities.

We will fall behind all the countries in Asean at the rate our education system is deteriorating.

Factnot Fiction: We employ teachers based on race rather than qualification. We use Malay as medium of instruction even for Science. We have English language teachers who can't speak proper English. We teach History based on lies.

We set examinations then leak the questions. Our passing mark is 18 percent, and then you ask why our standards are so low. The solution is to stop kidding ourselves. We are ‘murdering' our children.

Bamboo: With passing marks being lowered and increasing passing percentages every year to make Umno education ministers look good, we are brought to this juncture.

The deluded Malaysian standard is exposed with international tests like Pisa (Programme for International Student Assessment), where we are even behind Vietnam.

It will take a few generations and real tough work to undo the damage done to our education. For political expediency, the schools are producing misguided, ignorant, and low skilled students who are dependent on handouts and are a vote bank for Umno-led government.

Intheair: Beg your pardon, Mustapa. How dare you?

Deputy Prime Minister cum Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has been constantly reminding us that our Malaysian education standard is among the best in this world, even ahead of Germany, United States, etc.

Are you suggesting that our DPM has not been truthful to us?

CiViC: The only one who is not commenting on the education system is the education minister himself.

SpongeBob: The education system has been screwed up in the past 30 years to such an extent that any intervention to correct the system will equally take years to reach the expected standard.

Firstly, keep politics out of education system.

Secondly, bring back English medium schools and make Bahasa Malaysia compulsory. Make all schools single session. Double sessions have some negative effect on primary and lower secondary students.

Provide teaching training scholarships abroad for batches of young graduates. Select the best who are genuinely interested in teaching rather using Umno's criteria based on racial politics.

Anonymous_3e86: BN can't afford to educate the rakyat. An educated rakyat means people who can think rationally. BN does not want that.

BN wants a rakyat who just swallows what they want the rakyat to swallow. That way, BN stays in power.

But didn't our education minister aka deputy prime minister say that our education system is world class?

Dalvik: After spending millions on consultants to come up with Education Blueprint 2013, is this all you can say?

No, an overhaul with the entire cabinet will fix the problem. This time, don't engage consultants, please.

Kilgore: On a recent trip overseas, while discussing Malaysia's woes with a friend, I found myself having to explain the meaning of 'meritocracy'.

They didn't need a word for it there, it was simply considered 'normal'.

Our students need 'to learn how to learn'

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