Archive for category Education
Top Singapore student again from Malaysia
CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ does it again
By Vimita Mohandas
channelnewsasia.com
10 January 2011
SINGAPORE: The 2010 GCE ‘O’ Level examination results were announced on Monday afternoon at the respective secondary schools of students who sat for the national exam last year.
The top student is CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School’s Chia Pei Yun, who scored 10 A1s. This is the third year the school has produced a top student in the ‘O’ Level exam.
But the Malaysian, on a Ministry of Education-ASEAN scholarship, said her learning journey wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.
English and Literature were her toughest subjects.
“I started reasonably early and over the whole year I put in some consistent work for every test that we got. In the end, it paid off. (Trying) to keep a relaxed mindset helps,” said Chia.
The avid music lover has set her heart on going to a junior college and intends to do some humanitarian work in the future. Read the rest of this entry »
History syllabus and textbooks: The non-Malay fig leaf and more serious matters
Commentary
by Dr. Lim Teck Ghee
Centre for Policy Initiatives
Sunday, 02 January 2011
The Ministry of Education has finally replied to concerns raised by many Malaysians that the teaching of Malaysian history has been debased through changes in the syllabus and textbooks. However the letter by the Corporate Communications Unit of the Ministry totally ignores the allegations and makes no attempt to address the specific and general concerns articulated in the media and the internet.
Instead, the reply is a public relations job detailing non-Malay participation in the writing of text books and referrals made in recommending text book writers. This is insufficient to allay concerns or refute the allegations made of the political bias, crass nationalism and blatant Islamization that have come to dominate the history syllabus and textbooks.
Read the rest of this entry »
“Pornographic” poetry for our teens?
Letters
by Mrs. Sheela R
The study of Malay literature for students of the Upper Secondary level features a poem by Raja Ali Haji, a scholar and a prominent literary figure of the nineteenth century. Raja Ali Haji was noted for his numerous literary gems such as the “Tuhfat Al-nafis” (The precious gift) and “Syair Kitab al-Nikah” (The book of marriage).
The poem selected for study at the Form four level is an excerpt from his lesser-known literary work entitled “Syair Siti Sianah”. The foreword written in Malay includes an explanation as to whom the poem is intended for and the purported advice it contains. I reproduce this extract below:
“Syair Siti Sianah pula mengandungi nasihat yang tujukan khas kepada golongan wanita supaya mereka sentiasa menjaga maruah diri, etika dan nama baik keluarga serta tidak melanggar ajaran, norma masyarakat dan budaya”.
(Translation: “Syair Siti Sianah” contains advice which is specially directed towards women to always guard their virtue, ethics and uphold their family name whilst not going against the teachings of religion, societal norms and culture”).
Now, to the poem itself. A total of 11 verses have been selected for inclusion in the text. As an example, I reproduce three verses below with a brief/approximate translation: Read the rest of this entry »
Softening up students to Islam with History syllabus
Posted by Kit in Education, History, nation building, UMNO on Thursday, 30 December 2010
Commentary
Written by Centre for Policy Initiatives
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
Whose history is the government pushing on our students and to what effect?
On Oct 23, Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that History will be made a must-pass subject for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia beginning 2013. This puts the subject on par with Bahasa Malaysia in its degree of importance.
The ministry will introduce a revised SPM History curriculum in 2017 as in that year the cohort which started Form One in 2013 would have reached Form Five. Fresh elements to be incorporated when the History syllabus begins its new cycle are ‘patriotism’, ‘citizenship’ and ‘the constitution’, which by extension implicates the so-called social contract.
Muhyiddin said the reason for the move to expand the History syllabus is so that patriotism can be instilled in Malaysian youths.
On Dec 16 – responding to objections raised by some quarters on his proposal – Muhyiddin guaranteed that the government does not have any “ulterior motives” and reiterated that the government in its decision “only want to introduce a history education to appreciate [patriotism] to help them [the Fifth Formers] become more patriotic”.
Is this the real agenda of Umno and the Ministry of Education bureaucrats and their support group of academics or is this another Umno political lie? Read the rest of this entry »
Questionable measures taken to improve the standard of English amongst Malaysian schoolchildren
Letters
by Mrs. Sheela R
Dear Mr. Lim,
The government has promised concrete measures in improving the standard of English taught to Malaysian schoolchildren, with the demise of the PPSMI. (“Teaching of maths and science in English”) .
As a mother of three schoolgoing children, I have serious misgivings that the government is sincere in its endeavour.
To illustrate further, I would like to produce an extract from a Year 4 primary school English textbook used in Singapore (which incidentally was used by my son in his Malaysian school as a supplementary text, at the equivalent grade level): Read the rest of this entry »
Winners ignored, 5th placers lauded?
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Education, Letters, nation building on Saturday, 25 December 2010
by Ooi Chin Wah
Letters
Malaysiakini
Dec 22, 10
The World Robot Olympiad (WRO) is an event for science, technology and education, that brings together youths from all over the world in order to develop their creativity and problem solving skills through challenging and educational robot competitions.
Participating teams need to create, design and build a robot model that looks or behaves like human.
This year the task of organising the competition was given to the Philippines. The Ministry of Education and many private companies in the Philippines jointly sponsored the event.
The steering committee consists of well-known academicians from China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Singapore. 250 teams from 22 countries participated. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysian History Syllabus: Delusion, Amnesia, Inertia and Arrogance
Posted by Kit in Articles, Education, nation building on Saturday, 18 December 2010
by Dr. Lim Teck Ghee
A few days ago, two senior academics involved in the writing of history textbooks emerged from the shadows with the public allegation that the history textbooks in the country are biased and littered with errors. According to Dr. Ranjit Singh Malhi, one of the two authors, “secondary text books have been used to promote political interests”. Ng How Kuen, the other concerned author, expressed his fear that making history a compulsory pass subject would mean that students would have to subscribe to the official version of events or risk failing the entire examination.
It is said that history is written by the victors but it is also true that we get the history we deserve. The disclosure that the teaching of history in schools has been skewed and has a political agenda – besides suffering from distortions and errors – is not the first time this issue has been brought to the public’s attention.
Earlier attempts to highlight the issue of what constitutes the true history of Malaysia and what is passed off as officially sanctioned history in the schooling and larger public system such as the BTN courses may have begun with a bang but they have all ended with a whimper. Read the rest of this entry »
MIC Youth secretary C. Sivarrajah misleads public with false information to warp no-racial-quota education loans by Selangor State Government into a racial issue
Posted by Kit in Education, Pakatan Rakyat, Teresa Kok on Saturday, 27 November 2010
by Teresa Kok
Selangor State Senior EXCO and Member of Parliament for Seputeh
27 November 2010
MIC Youth Secretary C. Sivarrajah has copied MCA central committee member Ti Lian Ker to warp my good intentioned effort to openly encourage students from all races to apply for Selangor State Government’s no-racial-quota education loans into a ploy to mislead the public about how students of Indian background have supposedly been marginalized.
The fact is that in 2010, Selangor offered the education loan to 28 students of Indian background and not only 4 as Sivarrajah claims. In his quest to be a “hero”, he has resorted to deflating the true number of Selangor’s positive efforts by 7 times!
Furthermore, the total number of education loans offered by Selangor in 2010 is 525 and not the trumped up 4000 figure provided. Read the rest of this entry »
Why only 12 Chinese students out of more than 4,000 get student grants from Selangor PR State Government?
Posted by Kit in Education, Pakatan Rakyat, Teresa Kok on Sunday, 21 November 2010
Yesterday, I received an email from blogger nkkhoo entitled why “The number of study grants for Chinese students in Selangor is terrible low” and asking for “serious attention to this unfair treatment given to Chinese students by the Selangor Pakatan Government”.
In his email, nkkhoo said:
Dear YB LKS and YB LGE,
I hope both of you as DAP Supremo pay serious attention to this unfair treatment given to Chinese students by the Selangor Pakatan Government.
The total study grants given to students in Selangor is more than 4000, but only 12 Chinese students are in the list. This is terrible wrong compared with treatment given by BN in the past.
The news was released by MCA Selangor (in Chinese) at http://mykampung.sinchew.com.my/node/121939?tid=6
“I do not believe Chinese in Selangor suddenly become the rich people in less than three years after Pakatan took over Selangor.
Please do something quick before Chinese voters turn against DAP and Pakatan.
The tragic case of a lunch meal: Revisiting corporal punishment in schools
By Shazeera Ahmad Zawawi (loyarburok.com)
November 18, 2010
NOV 18 — On November 5, a mother complained to the Sarawak Education Department that her son was caned by his teacher for bringing pork to school. As you notice (of which I hope you do), I did not mention the religious or ethnic background of the boy at all. There are two reasons why I left out those layers of fact.
First, I felt sick with how recently our statesmen, bureaucrats or politicians are missing the plot to this sad incident. The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, for example, called for an investigation of the boy’s religious status before conclusions can be drawn on why he was caned. Our independent parliamentarian, Zulkifli Nordin, utilised this issue against PAS and got into an unnecessary argument with Dr Zulkefly Ahmad, another parliamentarian from the Islamic party. Apparently, the righteous fight and egoistical call to defend Islam trumps a poor child’s “wrong” selection of lunch meal.
Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysian education system in emergency
By Damian Denis
November 13, 2010
NOV 13 — After reflecting my schooling years I have to agree with my friends that those who started school in 1983 with the new KBSR format felt like guinea pigs. I did too!
Then, the Standard 5 exams were change to Standard 6 with the UPSR format. Well, I thought things were fine until they changed the year-end school holidays from December to October. We had to start our new school year in December. Remember?
I felt that was really weird starting our school term at the end of the year. Hhhmmm. Our Christmas holidays had to be cut short, and Christmas was never the same again.
Read the rest of this entry »
Hypocrisy of Ministers – appeal to rescind PPSMI policy
Letters
from Sheela R
I am a mother with three school going children. My children who have greatly benefited from the PPSMI (policy for teaching Science and Maths in English) are alarmed at the impending switch to Bahasa Malaysia.
They have been in school for some years now and the prospect of changing a language midstream is “nothing short of disastrous” to them. (I have quoted them verbatim).
There has been a great hue and cry on this issue but the government has continued to maintain a maddening silence. The reasons for continuing the PPSMI have been well elucidated in other websites and it is not my intention to reproduce them.
Instead, could you please highlight through your blogs or other means, the Ministers and politically connected persons’ children who are being educated at international schools and overseas, who have access to quality education in English? Read the rest of this entry »
NEM stillborn?
Malaysia’s Development Strategy Revisited (4)
by Dr. Mohamed Ariff*
New Economic Model Up Against Formidable Challenges
The structural change agenda presents formidable challenges. The kinds of skills that the new paradigm demands cannot be provided by Malaysia’s archaic education system, which needs a complete overhaul. At the same time, the country is suffering from a serious brain drain caused by both push and pull factors. The importance of a truly independent judiciary cannot be exaggerated: anecdotal evidence suggests that Malaysia’s tarnished judiciary and gutter politics are among the push factors. Seen in these terms, the brain drain is largely a manifestation of frustration that has led some people to vote with their feet.
All this calls for bold structural changes, including institutional reforms encompassing everything from education to the judiciary, backed by governance reforms to strengthen fiscal discipline, transparency and accountability. Nothing short of a holistic approach will set the Malaysian economy far enough or fast enough on a true development path. The politics of policy making, however, may hobble the reform process. Read the rest of this entry »
Ipoh born, Cambridge educated, Malaysia’s loss, Singapore’s gain
Posted by Kit in Education, Najib Razak on Wednesday, 20 October 2010
He did his parents proud, his teachers are equally elated, his birthplace is euphoric to claim he is one of them, and his country would have been ecstatic.
His name is Tan Zhongshan and he was born in Ipoh. He chose to read law at university because he said, “Being in the legal line gives you a chance to make changes that have a far-reaching effect.”
In June, Tan received a first–class honours in Bachelor of Arts (Law) at Queen’s College, Cambridge, one of the world’s topmost universities. Cambridge, England’s second oldest university, usually contends with Oxford for first place in the UK university league tables.
Tan excelled as the top student in his final-year law examinations, but he also won the “Slaughter and May” prize, awarded by the Law Faculty for the student with the best overall performance.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tan Zhong Shan – top law student at Cambridge University is Malaysian and latest example of our costly brain-drain
Posted by Kit in Economics, Education, Najib Razak, NEM on Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Congratulations to Ipoh-born 23-year-old Tan Zhong Shan who has emerged as the top student in his final-year law examinations at Cambridge University.
In a report headlined “Malaysian is top law student at Cambridge University”, the Star today reported that Tan obtained a first-class honours in the Bachelor of Arts (Law) in June this year at Queens’ College, which is part of the university, one of England’s oldest and most prestigious.
The report said:
“He even scored the ‘Slaughter and May’ prize given by the university’s Law Faculty – an award given to those who achieve the best overall performance in the final-year law examinations.
“Other coveted prizes he bagged include The Norton Rose Prize for Commercial Law, the Clifford Chance Prize for European Union Law and the Herbert Smith Prize for Conflict of Laws.
“Queens’ College dean Dr Martin Dixon said Tan definitely stood out among the students there.
Read the rest of this entry »
My reply to Muhyiddin could simply be: It’s the political will, stupid!
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Education, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak, nation building on Sunday, 26 September 2010
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has challenged me to show him the part of the Constitution or law where a deputy prime minister or education minister has the powers to take action against a senior civil servant with a permanent position.
Akin to the American political catchphrase, “It’s the economy, stupid”, I could have simply responded: “It’s the political will, stupid”.
But as a Malaysian, I will not do so. Muhyiddin accused me of ignorance as I have never been a government officer and worse, of being “100 per cent politician” but I will not reply by hurling the latter accusation back at him and say he is “120 per cent politician” and that he is not acting like a Deputy Prime Minister at all, let alone a 1Malaysia Deputy Prime Minister for all Malaysians.
Nobody suggested that Muhyiddin should personally take action against the two principals, one from Johore and another in Kedah, who uttered incendiary, racist and sensitive remarks to their students in school, as asking “the Chinese students to go back to China” and likened the Hindu prayer bracelets to a dog leash, but he must doubly bear responsibility as Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister for a government which for 45 days has not been able to take action against such offensive, racist and sensitive remarks, especially occurring in the education sector with two principals as the culprits!
This is for two reasons: Read the rest of this entry »
RM30m for UTAR not taken up
Posted by Kit in Education, MCA, university on Sunday, 26 September 2010
By Teoh El Sen
Free Malaysia Today
SAT, 25 SEP 2010
PETALING JAYA: In August 2009, philanthropist Koon Yew Yin offered to donate RM30 million to Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) to build hostels with recreational facilities at its Kampar campus in Perak.
But there has been no response from Utar to the generous gesture. Koon, 77, then withdrew his offer on Sept 12, this year.
However, on Sept 13, Utar’s board of trustees and council said it did not accept the RM30 million donation because of the “many conditions (imposed) such as setting up a foundation where he (Koon) will be chairman and be in full control over the spending of his money”.
Then on Sept 14, Utar issued a statement saying it did not turn down Koon’s offer but was still discussing it.
But Koon, who called for a press conference here yesterday, rubbished the claim he wanted to exercise full control over his money.
“Ever since I made my written RM30 million donation offer on Aug 18 last year, the Utar authorities have been using various means to delay accepting my offer. Now they have informed the public that the delay is because I want full control over the spending of my money,” said Koon.
“This is factually incorrect and misleading. Even if I had wanted control, common sense would dictate that I should have some control. But I did not say that,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »
August 31st Merdeka Day to Sept 16 Malaysia Day – “bumper harvest” of bad news for Malaysia
Posted by Kit in Education, Media, Najib Razak on Thursday, 16 September 2010
Never before in the nation’s history has the country been buffeted by such a “bumper harvest” of bad news in the 17 days between Merdeka Day on August 31 and Malaysia Day on September 16.
This plethora of bad news for Malaysia cannot be more detrimental to Malaysia’s ability to escape from her decades-long “middle-income trap” and the terrible fate of a bankrupt nation in 2019 by undertaking a national transformation to achieve an inclusive and sustainable high-income developed nation in 2020.
Today for instance, there are two such bad news.
First is today’s Malaysian Insider story “Investors shun Malaysia for neighbours” which reports:
“Malaysia is now the “least favoured market” in Asia Pacific for investors after nearly doubling its underweight rating from last month, according to a recent Bank of America Merrill Lynch report.
“The country slipped two spots — from 10th place to dead last — in the investment bank’s latest Fund Managers Survey, even as the Najib administration prepares to unveil ambitious economic reforms meant to boost investor confidence.
Read the rest of this entry »
Why do Finland’s schools get the best results?
By Tom Burridge
BBC World News America, Helsinki
Last year more than 100 foreign delegations and governments visited Helsinki, hoping to learn the secret of their schools’ success.
In 2006, Finland’s pupils scored the highest average results in science and reading in the whole of the developed world. In the OECD’s exams for 15 year-olds, known as PISA, they also came second in maths, beaten only by teenagers in South Korea.
This isn’t a one-off: in previous PISA tests Finland also came out top.
The Finnish philosophy with education is that everyone has something to contribute and those who struggle in certain subjects should not be left behind.
A tactic used in virtually every lesson is the provision of an additional teacher who helps those who struggle in a particular subject. But the pupils are all kept in the same classroom, regardless of their ability in that particular subject.
Read the rest of this entry »
Is Najib prepared to put his 1Malaysia policy to the test by leading a nation-wide “Say No to Racism” campaign starting with errant Umno leaders, government officials and Utusan Malaysia?
Although the Director-General of Education Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom has issued a circular dated August 26 to all school principals and teachers warning of action to be taken for racist remarks in schools, the absence of action against the two school principals in Johore and Kedah who had made racist remarks stands out like a sore thumb.
More than three weeks have passed and both principals had not yet been referred to the police, let alone the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
This is totally at variance with the “Zero tolerance for racism” belatedly made by the Prime Minister two weeks after the deplorable incidents involving the two school principals.
The Prime Minister should realize that the escalation of the rhetoric of race and religion makes a total mockery of his 1Malaysia slogan, one reason why there is so little national enthusiasm for the Natioal Month theme of “1Malaysia – Transforming the Nation”.
Read the rest of this entry »
-
You are currently browsing the archives for the Education category.
