MOST Malaysians are passionate about education. Parents want what’s best for their children; educators want to see their students grow intellectually; students want to make lifelong friends and gain employment for a better life.
Ultimately, we all hope that an educated society will lead to greater prosperity, peace, development, and happiness.
The challenge therein, lies in the policies and pathways that lead us there.
With new (acting) Education Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, what would your education wish-list be? Here are five which come to mind:
1) Sekolah Wawasan 2.0
Having started in the early 2000s, the Sekolah Wawasan (Vision School) was aimed at bringing the three types of school streams (national, and Chinese and Indian vernaculars) within one compound.
By having the students eat and play sports together, share a library (and more), the hope was that this would foster unity as students of different backgrounds would share collective growth experiences.
Despite having been less-prioritised in recent years (necessitating Dr Mahathir to call for its revival), I believe the concept should be expanded and improved – let’s call it Sekolah Wawasan 2.0.
Students can be grouped in sports-houses across the streams; teachers can do co-teaching; and parent-teacher associations (PTAs) can collectively support (and fund) the school as a whole – yes, make the parents play nice too.
It might be worthwhile getting private institutions or boarding schools set up within it (my secondary school, Victoria Institution, was a day-school but also had a hostel), and encourage industry to support the school (and local community) with CSR (corporate social responsibility) projects.
Sekolah Wawasan 2.0 can also be the expansion ground for the teaching of math and science in English and a compulsory third or fourth language, since diverse teaching resources would be present.
Short of having a homogenous-single-national school system, which by now has become a political lightning-rod, this model could be powerful in its own right.
Sekolah Wawasan has the powerful potential of striking a balance between maintaining our nation’s unique multi-stream education system while addressing the existing race-relations gap. Unlike other education systems in predominantly homogenous societies, we must embrace the strengths within our diversity.
2) Reintroduce a Higher Education Ministry with an additional portfolio
I had the privilege to serve both the Education Ministry (2014-2015) and Higher Education Ministry (when it was split in 2015 until 2018).
When merged, it was a humongous ministry – both in size and expectation. I recall the school directors and higher education directors jostling for the-then minister’s attention in meetings. Both had distinct challenges and objectives.
The split actually brought a lot of relief and focus.
Between 2004 and 2014, the higher education space grew by leaps and bound. According to the Higher Education Blueprint, total enrolment increased by 70%, international student numbers doubled, bachelor’s degree enrolment increased sixfold and masters by 10 times.
We now have 20 public universities, over 400 private institutions, 36 polytechnics, and 100 community colleges.
In short, the higher education space has taken a life of its own.
However, I feel it should stand with a different portfolio – maybe with science, research, or technology, or even lifelong learning, the reason being that around the world, scientific research coordination, essentially the brains of a nation, needs to be done systematically.
And with technology and the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s relentless march, it could merit its own ministerial oversight.
This will also balance off the need for more autonomy, which is a dire issue for both public and private universities (from the appointment of top leadership to financial management and student empowerment), and this means less top-down regulation to encourage innovation, growth and progress.
An inter-ministerial committee can be formed to ensure that the schools and higher education sectors coordinate for seamless “cradle-to-grave” policy impact.
3) Use the Education and Higher Education Blueprints as the foundation to take stock and measure progress
It was an exciting time in 2013 when the School Blueprint was launched. Back then I was still in legal practice and like many Malaysians, highly interested in its potential game-changing prospects.
The reality, however, was that the 11 “shifts” stated in the School Blueprint weren’t exactly earth-shattering.
However, having joined the Education Ministry a year later, I came to realise that the Blueprint brought stability and clarity. The 11 shifts, from providing equal access to transforming the teaching profession to empowering parents, identified gaps and measurable targets.
Similarly, when the Higher Education Blueprint was launched in 2015, the 10 shifts it identified, from creating entrepreneurial graduates to prioritising TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) and growing endowment and Waqf, also had a clear purpose.
It made me realise that policy-making does not have to be sensational but more common-sensical. It is about taking many little steps forward.
An example: Our nation’s Pisa (Programme for International Students Assessment) results, albeit still below the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) average, has actually improved for a third assessment in a row (after 2015 and 2018).
After the wake-up call from our abysmal 2012 Pisa results, the Blueprint identified this as one of the areas that must be measured, tracked and improved upon. Simple, yet vital – assessment, evaluation and betterment.
Once our foundations are clear, then more ambitious goals, such as Sekolah Wawasan 2.0 and more, can be pursued in tandem.
4) Policy consistency
The “Education for All” campaign initiated by the former education minister was successful in its own ways; from zero rejections for displaced children and more opportunities for special-needs children, many parents felt its positive impact.
Prior to this, the higher education minister – before the change in government – championed the “Redesigning Higher Education” campaign. That too was successful with its “Soaring Upwards” chant that saw greater industry participation in higher education, continuous improvement in university rankings, and increased graduate employability numbers.
As with all Malaysians, policy flip-flops especially in education is a great fear. It takes many years for policies to bear positive outcomes, and consistency is thus key.
In this regard, the hope is that the Education Minister (and future ministers), will make the time to listen to Education Ministry officials, teachers, researchers, and students. Engage with civil society organisation and social enterprises, such as Teach for Malaysia, Arus Academy, Dignity for Children Foundation, Global School Leaders etc. Take advice from the National Education Advisory Council (NEAC), which has many experienced members.
5) Empower educators
The final point goes without saying, but I’ll reiterate it anyway – our educators are our education system’s lifeline.
We need to reduce their administrative burdens, reward them better, give them professional development opportunities, and have faith in their ability to educate our nation’s future.
Conclusion
Whether interim or permanent, there will always be someone helming the Education Ministry. And as Malaysians and education stakeholders, I believe it’s important to share our views and speak up.
So, what’s on your education wish-list?
By Danial Rahman.
Read more @ https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/whats-your-status/2020/01/28/a-wish-list-for-education?itm_source=parsely-api