Malaysian Education

The biggest problem with the present policy is not that teaching science and maths in English is a bad idea; it is that we simply cannot teach English properly in the first place.

The centralised nature of our education system forces us to ignore huge differences between communities with different demographics, locations and needs. Why not give local communities more say in how our schools are run?

Why not let individual schools decide how and where to use English in the curriculum, instead of setting a uniform policy?

The story of my experiences in the Malaysian education system.

For all the good the vernacular school systems do, we cannot afford to let the national school system fail.

Because the upper classes are more likely to devote thought to education, they drive the public debate in this area. However, how we consider education is seriously warped by the simple fact that most assume the typical school and typical student resembles their experience in an elite institution.

Hishammuddin Hussein has proven himself completely incompetent as Education Minister. He has no grasp of how much his Ministry spends, no sense to even do some basic calculations before opening his mouth, and worse of all, not even the knowledge of his own Prime Minister's initiatives.

We acknowledge the leaders of tomorrow by funding their education with taxpayers' money. But why do we treat them as irresponsible brats who cannot make their own decisions, if we know they are the future decisionmakers of our country?

If we don't understand the old ideas taught to us, how can we build on them and develop new things?

It is we, the people who support the present education system that separates us according to ethnicity from a young age, that are responsible for racial polarisation in our universities and our workplaces.

Instead of learning how to express ourselves, and to understand others, all we learn is how to memorise lists of talking points and phrases.

Those of average intellect can perform in this system, but everyone is being dumbed down.

Why so much money is squandered on education, and yet no tangible benefit is seen.

Why bother pouring money into tertiary education and subsidising Bumiputra graduates when the root of the problem lies elsewhere?

The leading academic at the flagship Malaysian university asserts we have academic freedom. What is she smoking?