Here’s Why I Think Malaysia Should Have Just One Type of School, Instead of Three
With the recent appointment of our new Education Minister, Dr. Maszlee Malik, I’ve been feeling really hopeful about the future of our education system. I grew up in a Sekolah Kebangsaan environment. At that time, there was criticism already of the syllabus but it was nothing unlike the criticism we have now.
These days, both international and private schools are booming and more affordable options like homeschooling are in place. When I talk to any parent, it seems like most (Chinese) parents are either aiming to send their kids to international or private schools, or SJK(C), if affordability is an issue. SJK(C) otherwise known as Chinese schools are gaining popularity, (no) thanks to the perceived poor quality of kebangsaan (national) schools and the rise of China.
I’ve registered my 5-year-old for Chinese school in primary one but, here’s the thing.
I am not sure if I will go through with it.
I’m still unsure if the pros of attending Chinese school outweigh the cons. I’m usually a very positive person but there are just too many hesitations when it comes to our children’s education.
It has come to a stage where I think I would be really happy if my kids didn’t have the choice of attending a Chinese school.
Here’s why:
1. Racial polarisation
This really struck a nerve when I mentioned it on one of my Facebook posts. But let’s call a spade a spade.
It’s true.
Racial polarisation is getting worse in this generation. More Chinese are flocking to Chinese schools leaving kebangsaan schools to consist of even more Malays and Indians.
I believe that to be truly progressive AND Malaysian, we need to stop any further possibility of racial polarisation or any attempts at dividing us. I felt really frustrated before GE14 when certain politicians used race to stir up emotions and incite negative feelings.
Back then, Chinese schools were established because our forefathers from China wanted to stay true to our roots and preserve our culture. Perhaps it was the best way then, but is it really the best way now? Is there no other way to learn Chinese? We’re Malaysians - does racial segregation really benefit us as a whole? And is it worth the price of being excellent in Chinese language but being weak in diversity, analytical skills and English?
This brings me to the next point.
2. Analytical skills and self-expression
When I first started working, I had my first taste of inferiority. As someone who had studied locally my entire life, I found that I was lacking from my peers who had at least the experience of attending tertiary education abroad. I was less exposed, less daring to question and less independent when it came to approaching unfamiliar tasks. I’ve come a long way since then but it’s taken me a long time to grow into who I am today.
I’m probably going to anger a lot of people by saying this but I think Chinese schools are even worse than kebangsaan schools when it comes to analytical skills or self-expression. Perhaps it could be due to command of language, given that we’re all mostly required to use English when we join the workforce.
However, I think most people would agree that the Chinese education system focuses on rote learning and discipline. Both perhaps, are necessary in a Chinese environment by virtue of a language which is difficult to master, and our legacy as Chinese, but, I really don’t think rote learning is going to serve us very well in this century.
Of course, our children may be excellent in Chinese and eventually land high-paying jobs in China or with companies seeking to do business with China, but surely, money is not all that matters. A sense of self-fulfilment, the ability to probe, understand and decide and communication skills are crucial to personal growth as a human being.
3. Poor command of English
Woe to you if you attend a Chinese school and your family does not speak English. I’ve personally seen a family member struggle with this her entire life. It has cost her promotions and eventually jobs.
Thankfully for me, this is the part which I’m least worried about since English is our primary language at home, but for many others, especially those on the fringe and outside Klang Valley, this is a very real, lifelong deficit.
By now, you might start to think that I’m anti-Chinese or a banana who has forgotten my roots. I humbly beg to differ.
I stayed in Beijing for 3 years and I have a very healthy appreciation of Chinese capabilities and progressiveness.
In China.
With a single race.
With a single language.
Here in Malaysia, I strongly feel that if we continue to isolate ourselves with a segregated education system, we - meaning the Chinese - will end up as half-half, neither here nor there.
So if I’m seemingly against Chinese schools, why then, did I enroll my son into a Chinese school?
Firstly, I want my son to be fluent in reading and conversing in Chinese, and after looking around, I have yet to find out a better option than Chinese schools. I’m hoping to make up for the shortcomings of the Chinese-school syllabus by actively complementing his learning when he’s home and immersing him into extra-curricular activities.
It’s going to be an uphill battle because environment has been found to have a stronger influence on children than parental guidance, but I’ve been dealt really tough cards and this is all I have to choose from.
My wish list for a better education system from our new government is to consolidate all our schools into one single system.
Every student should be required to learn their mother tongue as a compulsory subject. In the case of orang asli, they should be provided learning options to enable them to learn their mother tongue. By doing this, we’d be really inculcating harmony, tolerance and respect for a multi-racial society from a young age.
With a single system, our Education Ministry can finally focus all their efforts into injecting real quality and meaningful revamps into the education system. Implementation then would be more focused rather than trying to pacify the different groups. Looking towards Finland as a model system is all fine and good but that’s only half the work done. The other half (or perhaps even more) comes from effective execution, which unfortunately, has been our bane. For instance, upskilling our educators...but that’s another story for another day.
I’ve never been more excited about the future of our education system than now. Here’s to my harapan (hope) of a truly beneficial revamp for our children, rather than a populist, politically-driven change.
