Education reforms hit brick wall of outdated policies

Khoo Gek San Khoo Gek San Updated 6 years ago · Published on 12 Jul 2019 7:00AM · 7 Comments

When implementing education reforms, it is important for teachers and pupils to participate in the process. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, July 12, 2019.

AN outdated system and unsound policies have become stumbling blocks for Malaysia to implement effective education reforms, said educationists.

They also expressed disappointment with the new government’s failure to embark on reforms and instead tinkering with existing policies.

For educator Yoong Suan, the government’s policy announcements also lacked clarity in terms of the reforms to be carried out and the practical implementation measures.

“It is difficult to see whether the new government can make a breakthrough in education reform or, as always, it’s just short-lived and finally ending up as a failure,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

The former associate professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Department of Education also referenced the move to teach maths and science in English by Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his previous stint as prime minister as an example of a decision made without proper research.

Later research highlighted its shortcomings, which prompted the Education Ministry to discontinue the policy.

“Wrong measures are not only wasting the country’s money and resources – in the long run, the victims are still the pupils,” he said.

Education reforms should be planned systematically, he added.

First and foremost, policymakers should understand the aim, reason and need for reforms and the targeted stakeholders.

Such moves should also be backed by research and analysis, said Yoong, who also recommends surveys to collect feedback.

Policymakers should understand that schools are not guinea pigs and they should offer long-term solution to problems, say educators. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, July 12, 2019.

“It is also necessary to refer to relevant foreign models, have open seminars and invite domestic and foreign professionals to brainstorm ideas in order to come up with reform blueprints with specific descriptions of programmes and strategies. It must also include implementation time frame,” he said.

Yoong said policymakers should also conduct a test run before fully implementing any policy.

He added that data should be collected during the test run period to gauge its effectiveness and address any weakness.

However, participation of teachers and pupils is equally important when implementing education reforms.

The government should bring back curriculum development and allow other experts to help develop policies, he said.

For academic Tan Shi Yong, many education policies are theoretically sound and idealistic, but not practical.

The decentralisation of power by the ministry, allowing school management more autonomy and principals given decision-making powers, is in line with world trends, whereby creativity takes centre stage, she said.

“Of course, the main policy should be formulated by the Education Ministry but at the executive level, principals should have more autonomy rather than passively accepting instructions from above as in the past.” – July 12, 2019.

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Comments

  • What education reform? Not with this education minister!!! Changed the shoes color from white to black so that children can wash their shows once per year. We train future generation of even more lazy than now. This is called plan to fail. I don't see any good plan from the minister, so we should not expect any reform lah.

    Posted 6 years ago by James Wong · Reply

  • This level of performance by the education minister is actually better not to have one. At least it won't create more problems especially changing the shoes color. This kind of policy change can leave it to a school boy with primary education.

    Posted 6 years ago by James Wong · Reply

  • This is in line with the obscurantism that both minister Ms wanted. Why complain so much? Go to private school if you want proper education. All the kampung folks still "worship" either Najib or Mahathir, so what's the problem here? Why need to educate them and let them know what's really going on here?

    Posted 6 years ago by J w · Reply

  • reform? with this govt? na. wake up. not wt umno and not with harapan. tun is a failure...

    Posted 6 years ago by . . · Reply

  • In 1957 my literature teacher taught me Oliver Goldsmith's 1770 poem The Deserted Village in which there is something excellent about the village school master. 'He loved learning'. This continued to become an inspiration when I became a primary, secondary, college and university level educator. If a teacher loves learning he not only improves the children, he also improves himself. I did both and that is why my students still keep in touch with me and visit me.

    Posted 6 years ago by Citizen Pencen · Reply

  • Changing from white shoes to black shoes is not a transformation, it can hardly be called a reform but a sign of tentativeness. Introducing more religious classes in our national schools will not make us an Oxford in the Islamic World. Reform demands meticulous planning, deep and open analysis of the problems to get at the facts and making bold political decisions to make real and necessary changes for reform to happen. Sadly, this is what is sorely lacking in a Pakatan Harapan more interested in the rhetoric of race, religion amd quotas than making meaningful progress in our children's education..

    Posted 6 years ago by Roger 5201 · Reply

  • I do not think it is correct to say that ours is 'an out dated system with unsound policies'. Do you know that the Maths method of our days is out dated because both present teachers and children do not understand even though with our method we can also get the correct answer. Malaysia's problem in education is, we have included unnecessary variables that makes important subjects get diluted with unimportant subjects. Our Edu. Ministers take great pride in announcing high level passes in public examinations without realising that too many passes reflect on the Q papers standard set for the examination.

    Posted 6 years ago by Citizen Pencen · Reply