Cheated of Future
Last Friday, a news report highlighted by The Breakfast Show on NTV7 caught my eye. The hosts were discussing a story my colleague Julia had written in the NST on the plight of Pilatus Sahajiman and Malccolm Edvin who were “talked out” of sitting for their Year 6 compulsory exams three years ago by their principal. Their parents are now claiming that they were called for a meeting with the principal, who was not named in the report.
The parents say the principal told them the boys were academically weak and that if they sit for the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), they would pull down the school’s performance and “humiliate” the school as well. Pilatus’ father accepted what the principal said, thinking that perhaps it was government policy. Pilatus went on to Form 1 but soon lost interest and now does odd jobs cleaning heavy machinery and washing tractors when he should actually be in Form 3. Malccolm has stayed on in school, but his father says the boy has low-self esteem because of what happened three years ago.
The parents have since, with the assistance of Inanam Assemblyman Johnny Goh, filed a complaint with the Sabah Education Department. According to the newspaper report, the department has promised that ”investigations are under way.”
I sincerely hope the Education Department and its director, who was just last week conferred with the second highest honour by the Head of State, will actually take action and not just offer lip service.
I also hope the department will go to the ground to gather feedback from parents, especially in rural areas, on problems they face in making sure their children get quality education. I remember visiting a rural school in northern Sabah on a Thursday … and everyone had left for the weekend. It is no wonder that today we see hundreds of children (not immigrants) working at shops, car wash outlets and in restaurants. Two weeks ago, I bought vegetables from a boy opposite the secondary school I attended. The only reason I stopped to buy vege was because I wanted to speak to the boy. He shared that he is 11, from a northern district in Sabah, and doesnt go to school because his family has no money. Then I entered a nearby shop, and saw another boy about 11 as well, carrying a box of sundry items on his tiny frame. A few months back, a colleague and I stopped at a car wash outlet in Ranau, and there were 5 boys there aged 12-13. All of them come from the same village, and say they would rather work because their parents are just too poor.
Is it just poverty that is keeping these children out of school, or are those entrusted with the responsibility of encouraging these potential future leaders to stay in school turning them away? Caring society? I dont think so.
Not just Sabah-we’ve had issues with principles in Australia doing the same. One issue is introducing the ‘market system’ into education-principles & staff are now somewhat (only to a certain degree to be fair) tested for quality by their students results. The issue for those who get posted to rural areas is is not insignificant when the initial social standing of the students already doom them to obtaining sub-standard results.
The idea of putting educators to a test is that it will reward the excellence of good teachers but if the system fails to recognise the initial background of students then the test is absolute and not relative. Students in rural areas who move from an average score of say 20% to 30% will still be classified as having failed, and the teachers get the ‘rotan’ from the market system eventhough the students have probably improved significantly. The system must take into account the quality of the school and the students at an initial point and then mesure improvements in relative terms. The principle may seem like a bastard but the real bastard is the system.
Is education in M’sia now compulsory up to Form 5? Every drop-out before that age is a blight to the country. Without question, the main cause of this drop-outs is social-poverty, bleak future prospects, poorly educated parents as well as geographical isolation in East Malaysian rural areas. I know the govt has built quite a number of schools in rural areas, but providing the necessary support to get children in schools, and to remain there is the main issue that needs to be tackled. A minimal govt handout to parents in rural areas/very poor parents in return for their children attending school at least 90% of the time would be beneficial. The initial outlay would not amount to too much and the return is massive, as the returns to basic education are very high and very well documented in the education literature (see Psacharopolous). Moving on from illiteracy to literacy improves a child’s future prospects no end. Treating teaching staff in rural areas with more understanding will also not go amiss.
interesting perspective on the market system that “rotans” teachers. as for education, i would say its compulsory till form 5 because if u dont have that cert, u really cant apply for anything. A PMR cert will only get you a job as a cleaner/guard. i think even drivers require SPM now.
The US is full of studies on how to ‘incentivise’ teachers and schools and now Australia is trying to jump onto the bandwagon. It has worked in some instances and not in others-it seems that it may work better where school boards have quite a lot of autonomy in making decisions, but I wonder also if we may simply improve educational standards and outcomes through a well thought out centralised system. If it is transparent, I see no reason why not.
i love your blog, great !
Oh boy, you’re going to get some comments on this one!
very good!