Double Standard

While the Education Ministry is promoting soft skill to the students, students in school are still being advised to spend every single squeezed time studying. Thing got worse in a highly competitive premier school. Wasn’t chatting with friends about the current issue actually improving our soft skill? Apart from that, it is a way to strengthen our friendship bond. Malaysians are known for their friendliness instead of its robotic efficiency? Do we had compromise our social life in order to achieve excellence in academic? I suggested that chatting should be encouraged because this will build up our interpersonal skill. However, students should not use the time to gossip. (Eh, gossip allows students to train up their skill to pick trustable source.)

Discipline body should be headed by the lab assistants who have lighter workload and more flexible working time compared to teachers. They could also help on administration work such as filing out report book and analysis of students’ performance. Furthermore, they could help to plan and carry out the co-curriculum activities together with the committee member of the club. That should liven out our co-curriculum in our country. Effectiveness of civil workers in school is increased. Moreover, with lighter workload, teachers could concentrate on their initial responsibility, nurturing and sharing knowledge to the future leaders of our country.

Another suggestion, all above mentioned work could be done by trainee or newly graduated teachers or even those unemployed graduate. These are to prepare them for the challenge of the working world. Furthermore, experience is gained rather than idling time away for those jobless graduates. Pocket money could be earned too. Apart from that, generation gap is quite close so that they could tackle the wide array of students’ tricks in breaking the rules. With the same wavelength in thinking, their brain-storming co-curriculum activities which club’s committee member should be more appealing to students. Thus, truancy in co-curriculum time-slot should be minimized. However, financial burden to government cannot be neglected. Hence, in my opinion lab assistants could take over the job well enough. To gauge the effectiveness, implementation could be done in stages.

Currently, our school recalled all the rubbish bin in every class. While the motive is noble (to reduce waste), it is not effective. Alternative basket is added secretly and to those bolder one, openly. Some creative students actually stuff their rubbish in every possible hole and pores that could be found in our school. Reduction of waste is not happening but is recycled as 'decorations' are not recycling. Canteen operator also complained that rubbish is being left in empty dishes. Out of eye, out of mind. This increases their workload. And the prefects are supposed to stop those unruly teenagers. I shudder at the thought.

Next, in my trip to some schools, their toilets are locked. So, what is the use of the toilet then? I was informed that the toilets are locked all the time. It is only opened during recess, if you are lucky. This stretches the students' bladder to the limit. Toxic in their body couldn’t be excreted. And some students limit their intake of water. It is norm to be thirsty rather than suffering to hold their pee, even worse the indignation when you can't hold it longer. (What more, they will always be some naughty student trying to stimulate your need to pee) Even visitors are not spared. Sometimes, the school administration forgot to allocate the keys to the visitor. Visitors are not trusted as students always for visitors’ help to open up the toilet. In the end, visitors ending up had to beg the office staff for keys. What will happen if a student suffers from stomachache? I jitter at that thought.

If maintaining cleanliness of toilets is a problem, students had to be educated, not punished. Time-table is arranged so that all students had a chance to clean the toilets. After cleaning, the cleaner will have to round and check whether it is in satisfactory condition. If not, the student had to re-clean it. Let everyone had a part in maintaining the cleanliness of our school.

Smart school better than normal school?

As technology progressed like there is no tomorrow, things are being replaced constantly. Unfortunately, not all changes are to the better. In my newly entered school (a premier school), almost all of the subject I took are taught using computer or specifically, with LCD. It was interesting at first, but novelty soon wears off.

From my observation, most of the student is dozing off during lesson. For better or for worse, human had to keep pace with technology. Hence, to tackle the problem, I tried taking notes, but somehow, the sandman (goddess of sleep) prevailed. Dozing off during the discipline teacher’s lesson is a norm. Sensing our guilt and our effort to stay awake, we weren’t punished. Yet, we could sense the disappointment and sadness engulf her heart. Guilt wasn’t a good motivation for students.

From what I understood from the new circular (which is difficult to understand, why on earth can't they write in simple words, who they want to impress?), teachers had to teach using the computer for a certain amount of time. (Why restrict as long as effective teaching is done? And our teacher is not able to be creative and we as a student need to be creative?) Hence, no amount of pleading is going to work. While heart willing, circumstances doesn’t permit. It may be an isolated case, yet I feel I needed to voice out.

Thus, heading to tuition centre to keep up our studies is the top priority. White board and books is used as medium of teaching. Looking at the teacher’s scrabbling while he/she is explaining really works, especially with artistic teachers. Knowledge is absorbed like sponges. The joke about the knowledge is returned back to teacher after certain time frame is less applicable. Somehow, the chalk and is its dust is more tolerable than the technology. And do not forget, complex equipment usually spoiled often and takes ages for it to work again.

The next complain is, being the so-called smart school, the duration of its school hours is super long. With ample funding for buildings, our school conducts only one session. School hours are long (ranging from 7.30 am to 2.40 pm). Break in between is shorten due to the rush to finished off the syllabus.

With only 4 or 5 subjects offered in STPM, problems crops up in the time-table. Some subjects are taught for 4 consecutive periods which accounted to 2 hours and 40 minutes. Tiredness makes the lesson uninteresting. For quite a couple of times, everyone is on dream land. Off we went several times a day to wash up and refresh ourselves. Slowly, our eyes and mind are immune to the cold water effect. I noticed sometimes that some students are doing homework during lesson to prevent wasting their time dozing off.

Last but not the least, as one get older, physical education is being neglected. As a matter of fact, the period allocate for physical education is often used for other core subject such as Bahasa Malaysia, English and so on. Furthermore, some school placed the double period on different day, making it impossible to conduct outdoor practices. Even worse, in Form Six, it is totally wipe out from our time-table. This shows that how insignificant physical education is. Even parents are neglecting sports. One day, when we enquire teachers why are sports day allocated early of the year with such little time for sports practice, we were told that it is the parent’s wish. At the middle of the year, their child should be studying not wasting time on sports. If the school insists putting Sports Day at the middle of the year, they will not allow their child to attend the practice and the Sports Day itself. What a surprise.

I still remember that when I was young, my favorite slogan is, “Healthy Body, Great Mind.” (Badan Sihat, Otak Cerdas). Sadly, all effort to revive sport as priority is heading to dead end. That does explain why with a big pool of talents, only few sport talents are sprout from our country. Gradually, obese Malaysia is on alarming rise. While I applaud the effort made by the Education Ministry, there is still room for improvement. I would recommend that the schooling hours remain the same but is conducted in two sessions for those school with enough capacity. First session is from 7.30am to 12.00am. Next, second session is from 2.00pm. to 5.30pm. Three hour break could be used for a nap or a bath to refresh oneself. Having lunch at home is healthier. With fresh mind and good diet, absorption of knowledge is easier. For physical lesson, it could be conducted in the evening with the mild weather away from scotching heat.

Is Patriotism a solution?

When the survey done on Malaysian professionals and students who choose to remain in Britain is reported in the media, different sides had come out to defend their stand. Money has been widely thought as the main cause. Money makes the world goes round but do they?

In my opinion, apart from money, there are still a lot of factors need to be considered.

It had been reported that Malaysian professional loses out when Britain implemented work permit for the non-EU workers. Priority is given to the locals. That wasn't a bad move by the British government. Hey, they had to take the welfare of its citizen into account. But what have our government done? The quota system isn't abolished in daily account. (I pity those who enforce the abolishment, they will face backlash, but I truly salute you) If the quota is for Malaysian or non-Malaysian, that's fine (I am a Malaysian). But was that the case?

However, back in Malaysia, those professional are urged to be more patriotic and come back to serve the country that feeds and groomed them. Where is your moral values greatly instilled during Moral lesson? Why suffer in other country? Come back.

Sorry if I am in the wrong ground, but I couldn't help to think that they aren’t much better off coming back. When they are trying to secure a scholarship, it was not given. Not that they aren't good enough, that's what fuels up their frustration. When they managed to get help elsewhere and excel in their respective field. Only then, we expect patriotism to woo them back? What a naive thought.

A lot had to be done to avoid brain drain and the ever thinning patriotism. We have to treat them better to appreciate their effort and implementing equal opportunity. Lastly, don't forget those who are already back. If not, Britain is not the only one who profited in our brain drain syndrome. Our neighbors are laughing at us now.