Pemimpin juga perlu peka kepada SATU BAHASA kebangsaan

Semua kaum perlu sentiasa guna bahasa Melayu untuk berkomunikasi — Berita Harian

June 30, 2012

30 JUN — Pendirian tegas kerajaan untuk terus memperkasa bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa pengantar utama dalam sistem pendidikan negara adalah satu jaminan untuk membela, memelihara serta memartabatkan bahasa Melayu, sesuai dengan statusnya sebagai bahasa kebangsaan.

Dalam mengharungi era globalisasi, bahasa Melayu berdepan pelbagai cabaran bagi menghalangnya menjadi bahasa ilmu.

Pelbagai bentuk pencemaran bahasa akibat ledakan teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi (ICT) memburukkan lagi keadaan, sekali gus menuntut usaha bersepadu semua pihak bagi menjadikan bahasa Melayu terus relevan sebagai bahasa ilmu seiring perkembangan semasa.

Walaupun kedudukan bahasa Melayu dijamin Perlembagaan sebagai bahasa kebangsaan, usaha memastikan bahasa Melayu digunakan secara ilmiah di samping dapat menggambarkan citra Melayu perlu diperkukuhkan.

Toleransi dalam bertutur menggunakan bahasa ibunda mengikut kaum di negara ini memang sudah sebati, namun alangkah lebih manis jika semua kaum di negara ini menjadikan bahasa Melayu sebagai medium utama dalam berkomunikasi tanpa sebarang prejudis.

Komitmen ditunjukkan kerajaan untuk mempertahan bahasa Melayu tidak sepatutnya dipandang serong atau diiringi dengan perasaan perkauman kerana bahasa lain juga bebas dituturkan di negara ini.

Selepas 57 tahun Malaysia merdeka, rakyat sepatutnya tidak lagi memandang negatif terhadap kemampuan bahasa Melayu menjadi bahasa ilmu tinggi seperti digunakan secara meluas dalam bidang sains, teknologi dan perundangan termasuk digunakan dalam dokumen perjanjian serta surat-menyurat.

Hakikat sebenar yang mungkin kurang diketahui umum ialah kita sebenarnya mempunyai ribuan istilah dalam pelbagai bidang seperti sains dan teknologi di dalam kamus serta glosari yang diterbitkan Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP).

Panduan penggunaan bahasa kebangsaan yang dikeluarkan Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) dalam pekelilingnya adalah antara formaliti yang harus dikekalkan, manakala kelemahan yang masih wujud adalah satu isu yang harus ditangani dengan berkesan.

Namun demikian, mengangkat martabat bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa tinggi akan terkubur sekiranya rakyat sendiri tidak peka ke arah itu.

Sekiranya bahasa Melayu tinggi dipraktikkan dengan meluas dalam kalangan rakyat, maka amalan itu akan meningkatkan martabat bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa kebangsaan dan bahasa rasmi negara.

Amalan penggunaan bahasa Melayu rendah, seperti bahasa khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS) dan bahasa rojak wajar dihindarkan dengan harapan martabat bahasa Melayu terus terpelihara.

Sebagai rakyat yang terdedah dengan bahasa Melayu, semua pihak perlu bersikap positif untuk menggunakan bahasa Melayu tinggi dalam semua urusan tanpa mengira status atau keturunan. — Berita Harian

 

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

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Sememangnya Pendatang

 

Posted by Junah

Bahasa Kebangsaan, unable to use it or refuse to use it?

Is Kit Siang prepared to declare that those who cannot and refuse to speak the Bahasa Kebangsaan when communicating with other Malaysian on TV and on daily basis are anti-national and must be condemned by all patriotic Malaysians and will have no place in Malaysian politics and public service?

In trying to downplay the Bahasa Kebangsaan, those irresponsible is admitting to a couple of things;

1. Firstly, refusal to speak the Bahasa Kebangsaan when interviewed by local TV and on daily basis hence, ironically they claimed that they have lived here for generations.

2. Secondly, refusal to write in Bahasa Kebangsaan in official blog even though their party was registered in Malaysia and purportedly claimed to champion all Malaysian regardless race.

3. Thirdly, keeping mum over extremist demand to promote segmentation and division in certain school by neglecting the importance of the Bahasa Kebangsaan as agent of unity.

In actual fact, the failure to speak common language is most potent proof of the failure of Malaysian nation building in the past five decades, as it is not confined to one or two non bumi but infected the nation as a whole.

Everyday on local TV, when the non Bumi are interviewed, little that they were recorded speaking the Bahasa Kebangsaan wheras the subject oft local and little to do at the international level, so for what reason that they speak in English when addressing fellow Malaysian.

Malaysia will be celebrating our 55th National Day on August 31. Is Kit Siang prepared to send out a clear and unmistakable message that those who continue to undermine the Bahasa Kebangsaan are aliens per se, positively anti-national who must be condemned by all rational and patriotic Malaysians in unequivocal terms and who should have no place in Malaysian politics or public service?

Junah: twitter.com/opshield
(The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist)

In order to build a nation, first build a school

NATION-BUILDING VS KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION: Graduates of the system should be able to think for themselves

ON the eve of the formation of the nation state, the government set up a committee under Datuk Abdul Razak Hussein (later Tun) to come up with a national education policy after the first federal elections in 1955.

Its 1956 Razak Report stated that the national education policy’s main objective was national unity.

Until the present, parents have never considered nation-building a priority in education. Even education authorities have spoken more of the importance of science and technology, while the system increasingly has given priority to examinations.

After August 1957, the authorities announced that the education policy would give priority to knowledge of the nation and began by rejecting the approach of the so-called colonialists in order to inject the spirit of patriotism and nationalism.

It was no longer geared towards the acquisition of knowledge or the education and socialisation of each child in the school.

But it was also not possible for the British to establish a uniform system, as there was agitation in favour of the perpetuation of the vernacular system. Finally, it was settled that the vernacular system could be perpetuated at the primary school level.

All children should move into national schools at the secondary level, but the government would allow private vernacular schools to exist. English-medium secondary schools were also allowed to exist but no private Tamil secondary school was established.

The younger generation of Malaysians did not become more curious and more concerned with scientific explanations. With the de-emphasis on the non-science subjects, the younger generation has become less inclined towards intellectual exercises.

The acquisition of language skills also declined. Although Bahasa Melayu has been widely taught, teachers of more recent times do not measure up to those trained in the past in the Sultan Idris Training College or the Language Institute.

English has continued to deteriorate while globalisation has changed the whole perspective of international relations, not just politically but, perhaps more importantly, economically.

The first English-medium school — the Penang Free School — was founded in 1816. The Cambridge School Certificate was introduced by the last quarter of the 19th century and students were pursuing tertiary education overseas.

When plans were ready for the University of Malaya (which materialised in 1949), pre-university education was introduced. These classes were called post-school certificate classes, later Higher School Certificate classes, but not long after 1957, they became known as Sixth Form.

In the pre-Sixth Form days, students were treated as pre-university students. But as Sixth Formers, they were treated just like other schoolchildren.

They were not given the freedom to use their initiative; in due course, they became dependent on their teachers for notes. The schools did not make attempts to build up the library to ensure that all students with aspirations to study in universities would have the opportunity to acquire research and essay writing skills.

There were further setbacks when local universities decided to adopt the American semester system and dispensed with the term system, which had been in vogue since the University of Malaya opened in 1949.

The latter enabled students to participate in extracurricular activities during the first and second terms before focusing on examinations in the third term.

Students now face three examinations a year. They also find it difficult to do research in the library and have become dependent on notes.

Students also have little time for all other forms of activities and few, if any, are able to represent the country in sports today.

Since the early 1970s, they have been prevented from organising activities of their own and in the process, learn to be more independent when they graduate. They have come under the total control of the deputy vice-chancellor for student affairs.

Now the authorities, ironically, talk repeatedly about the importance of “soft skills”. Much time is now spent trying to help students acquire soft skills without realising that soft skills cannot be learnt by attending lectures. They need to be allowed to have actual practice.

Education is best understood by those who have had years of exposure to the handling of school-children and university students.

And it must be realised that culture plays a crucial part in the ability of students to adjust to a particular system of education. Asian students are different from Western students.

The latter are far more independent. They are used to having dialogues with their teachers and expressing their thoughts and ideas. In Asian societies, there is a long-standing tradition which asserts “the teacher is always right”.

The time has come for the authorities to ask the simple question: “What is the purpose of education?”

Is it to produce students who will all give the same answer to a particular question, or should it produce young men and women who are not afraid to think for themselves?

They should be able to distinguish between answers which are logical and answers which are merely assertions. More importantly, differences of opinions between two parties are to be expected and should not lead to conflict. If such an understanding could prevail among students, in the larger society, differences of opinions would not lead to political instability.

Education may not solve all human problems but can help produce a society that allows the majority to live in comparative harmony.

The famous Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore, said long before India achieved independence that “in order to build a nation, first build a school”.

Satu BANGSA yang terdiri dari pelbagai kaum atau etnik – Jangan biarkan rakyat Malaysia terus berada dalam kesesatan

 

Penyalahgunaan istilah yang berleluasa dalam Bahasa Melayu

June 23, 2012

23 JUN — Banyak istilah yang terang-terangan salah dalam bahasa Melayu. Contohnya Amerika Syarikat. Saya yakin ianya diterjemah langsung dari bahasa Indonesia yang menggunakan “Amerika Serikat”. Syarikat dan Serikat adalah dua perkara berbeza. Syarikat adalah “company” dalam bahasa Inggeris manakala Serikat ertinya “Union”. Jadi, terjemahan yang paling sesuai untuk “United States of America” adalah “Kesatuan Amerika”.

“Malaysia adalah sebuah negara yang mempunyai rakyat dari pelbagai bangsa seperti Melayu, Cina, India, Iban, Kadazan dan ramai lagi”. Ayat ini pasti anda akan temui apabila membaca pengenalan tentang negara kita. Sebenarnya, ayat diatas seharusnya berbunyi begini, “Malaysia adalah sebuah negara yang mempunyai rakyat dari pelbagai etnik atau kaum seperti Melayu, Cina, India, Iban, Kadazan dan ramai lagi”.

Melayu boleh dipanggil bangsa Melayu jika Almarhum Dr. Burhanuddin Al Helmy adalah perdana menteri pertama dan bukan Tunku Abdul Rahman. Dalam bukunya yang bertajuk Perjuangan Kita, dengan jelas Dr. Burhanuddin ketengahkan konsep “Melayu sebagai rakyat kepada Malaya”.

Pada ketika itu, konsep “Melayu” masih lagi diperdebatkan. Melayu seperti yang dipanggil pada hari ini masih belum wujud dan terpecah kepada Bugis, Banjar, Jawa, Minang, Darah Keturunan Arab (DKA), Darah Keturunan Keling (DKK) dan pelbagai lagi.

Hari ini, Melayu adalah kesatuan kepada Bugis, Banjar, Jawa, Minang, DKA, DKK dan pelbagai lagi. Oleh itu, Melayu itu adalah etnik dan bukannya bangsa. Bersesuaian dengan konsep Melayu pada hari ini. Begitu juga Cina dan India. Cina boleh dipanggil bangsa Cina apabila ianya merujuk kepada rakyat China. India juga lebih sesuai jika kita merujuk kepada rakyat negara India. Etnik atau kaum lebih sesuai digunakan jika kita merujuk kepada Cina dan India di Malaysia.

United Malay National Organization (UMNO) lebih sesuai digantikan kepada United Malay Ethnic Organization (UMEO). UMNO adalah sebuah parti yang mewakili etnik atau kaum Melayu dan bukannya bangsa Melayu. Jika tetap mahu menggunakan istilah “Bangsa”, UMNO perlu mencadangkan agar berlakunya sedikit perubahan dalam perlembangaan persekutuan. Ambil konsep “Melayu” sepertimana yang dibawa oleh Dr. Burhanuddin Al Helmy. Lebih jelas menggambarkan sebuah negara bangsa.

Apabila menteri besar Kelantan, Datuk Nik Aziz, menghentam UMNO, beliau seringkali menghentam “faham kebangsaan” atau dalam bahasa Inggeris nya merujuk kepada “Nationalism”. Beliau terkeliru dengan penggunaan istilah. Sebenarnya, ia merujuk kepada fahaman politik etnik atau kaum yang menjadi ideologi UMNO.

Tidak ada masalah dengan fahaman “Nasionalis”. Seorang nasionalis akan meletakkan kepentingan negara melebihi dari kepentingan politik atau diri sendiri. Kita boleh huraikan dan bahas lagi mengenai nasionalisme dalam penulisan akan datang. Istilah-istilah yang salah dalam bahasa Melayu perlu dibetulkan semula. Pakar-pakar bahasa perlu mula membuat kerja. Jangan biarkan rakyat Malaysia terus berada dalam kesesatan. Apalagi apabila bahasa Melayu itu adalah bahasa kebangsaan bagi negara.

* Pandangan di atas hanyalah pandangan peribadi penulis.

Penggunaan Bahasa Kebangsaan yang dahulunya lebih diutamakan dari zaman sekarang

Need to uphold importance of Bahasa Malaysia

Posted on 20 June 2012 – 05:28am
Last updated on 20 June 2012 – 09:35am

Song Sook Kin
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

KUALA LUMPUR (June 19, 2012): The lack of confidence among the Malays in the importance of the national language was raised at a discourse on issues in the national language held at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Berita Harian reported today.

UKM’s Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu (ATMA) deputy director Prof Dr Teo Kok Seong raised the issue in an effort to create awareness of the importance of the language among Bahasa Malaysia speakers.

“The effort to uphold the national language among Malaysians becomes even more difficult when Bahasa Malaysia speakers themselves doubt the significance of the language.

“This can be seen when people call for the restoration of English stream schools,” said Teo, adding that it is as though those people have forgotten how the country has achieved much socio-economic success through the usage of Bahasa Malaysia.

“Those who request that the government restore English stream schools need to be educated on the values of Bahasa Malaysia. They have to realise that every Malaysian plays a role in preserving the language,” he said at the discourse.

TV3 personality, Ahmad Fedtri Yahya, agreed there was a lack of awareness among Malaysians of the significance of the national language.

In a comment on the usage of Bahasa Malaysia in social networking sites, he said: “Maybe they (Bahasa Malaysia users on social networking sites) just want to simplify what they want to write. However, at the same time, it is as if they have ignored the proper usage of the language.

“This is a worrying matter as most of those users are youths.”

He hoped measures would be taken to help the younger generation use the language properly.

Susah sangatkah bagi pemimpin untuk memahami perkara ini?

Artikel Terbaik Bernama – 1Malaysia Harus Bermula Dengan 1Sekolah !

• Terkejut tapi suka bila terbaca satu artikel dari BERNAMA yang mempromosikan Sekolah Berbilang Kaum sebagai tempat TERBAIK bagi memupuk Perpaduan Antara Kaum rakyat Malaysia. Walaupun tidak dinyata secara spesifik, tapi apa yang digambarkan BUKAN merujuk kepada mana-mana sekolah yang bersifat vernakular dimana majoriti murid terdiri dari satu kaum saja.
• Inilah maksud SATU SEKOLAH. Ini maksud SATU yang sebenarnya sebagaimana terkandung dalam slogan  1MALAYSIA ! Logik akal menyokong konsep Satu Sekolah sekiranya 1Malaysia menjadi wawasan.
• Tapi sayang ….. bila politik menjadi perkiraan, SEGALANYA DIPERTARUHKAN ! Termasuk masa depan perpaduan rakyat negara kita. Semakin hari semakin terpisah kaum2 yang ada. Semakin bercambah sekolah vernakular maka semakin luas jurang perpaduan generasi akan datang.
• Bom jangka perkauman terus berdetik …..

KLIK

Sekolah Tempat Terbaik Pupuk Persahabatan Berbilang Kaum 1Malaysia

Oleh Mohd Hisham Abdul RafarKUALA LUMPUR, 20 Jun (Bernama) — Banyak sekolah di negara ini mempunyai pelajar berbilang kaum, yang menjadi tempat mulanya perkenalan kanak-kanak dan remaja dengan rakan-rakan daripada kaum lain.

Awalnya di sekolah jugalah mereka belajar dan mula tahu mengenai adat resam, budaya dan agama rakan-rakan daripada kaum lain. Namun, persahabatan tetap terjalin mesra dalam pergaulan mereka tanpa merasa harus ada pengasingan atau peminggiran atas dasar kelainan itu.

“Kanak-kanak dan remaja memang sentiasa ‘innocent’ dan ikhlas dalam berkawan. Bagi mereka Ah Choon adalah kawan dan bukannya seorang Cina dan Eh Tiang juga adalah rakan dan bukan orang Siam. Begitu juga Razali dan Santhia bagi Ah Choon dan Eh Tiang,” kata guru kaunseling Azli Abdullah kepada Bernama.

Katanya pengalaman berkawan dengan rakan daripada kaum lain di alam persekolahan itu membina perspektif unik dalam diri kanak-kanak dan remaja sehinggalah dewasa apabila mereka mudah menerima serta mesra dalam pergaulan dengan rakan sepejabat atau jiran di kawasan perumahan.

“Bagi saya, sekolah merupakan tempat terbaik memupuk semangat 1Malaysia, yang sangat penting sebagai faktor utama untuk menjamin keharmonian masyarakat kita,” katanya, sambil menambah bahawa sejak merdeka, keamanan dan perpaduan kaumlah yang menjadi tarikan pelaburan ke negara ini selain taraf pendidikan rakyat dan kemudahan prasarana.

Di alam persekolahanlah tempat terbaik untuk menyuburkan semangat kekitaan, tolak ansur dan saling menghormati serta menerima keunikan sesuatu kaum tanpa diskriminasi.

Bagi bekas pelajar di Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tanah Putih (SMKTP), Kuantan, Wan Huzaimi Wan Abdullah, 30, seingatnya beliau dan rakan-rakan tidak pernah mengenali seseorang sebagai orang India atau Cina, melainkan sebagai kawan sekolah dan rakan sepermainan semuanya.

“Sememangnya sekolah adalah platform terbaik untuk mewujudkan perpaduan antara kaum dan ia selaras dengan konsep 1Malaysia yang diilhamkan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak,” katanya kepada Bernama.Belajar di sebuah sekolah rendah yang pelajarnya semuanya kaum Melayu, pada mulanya menimbulkan was-was baginya apabila terpilih untuk belajar di SMKTP pada tahun 1995. Namun, setelah memberanikan diri bercampur gaul dengan pelajar Cina dan India, akhirnya beliau mendapati rakan tetaplah rakan walau apa pun bangsanya, yang tidak pun pernah dipersoalkan.

Penjawat awam itu berkata hubungan antara kaum ketika zaman persekolahan boleh dikatakan amat erat seperti bersaudara di mana tidak pernah ada sedikit pun rasa anti perkauman.

“Malah seronok pula ketika melakukan aktiviti pendidikan jasmani dan berpersatuan serta hari kantin. Kita melakukannya tanpa mengira kaum…semuanya bercampur gaul tanpa masalah,” katanya.

Apatah lagi pengetua sekolah ketika itu adalah Koh Cheng Buan dan banyak guru lain juga keturunan Cina dan India selain Melayu yang tidak pernah memberi layanan berbeza sedikitpun terhadap siapa pun muridnya.

Bagi Alif Ezwan Abdul Razak, 30, jalinan hubungan erat antara kaum di alam persekolahan wajar terus dipupuk dan disuburkan sehingga ke alam pekerjaan dan dalam segenap aspek kehidupan.“Janganlah kita hadkan pergaulan kita dengan satu kaum sahaja. Kalau di sekolah, kita boleh bergaul dengan bangsa lain tanpa masalah janganlah setelah menginjak dewasa, kita menyisih dan meminggirkan pula mereka.

“Ini tidak betul. Saya ingat lagi ketika bersekolah di SMKTP, rakan-rakan baik Melayu, Cina dan India amat terbuka untuk saling membimbing dalam subjek yang kita tak faham. Kita pula membantu mereka dalam subjek yang kita lebih arif,” katanya.

Beliau percaya hubungan akrab berbilang kaum yang dipupuk di sekolah perlu terus diperkasakan dalam mencapai status negara maju menjelang tahun 2020 supaya Malaysia bukan saja maju malah kekal sebagai negara teladan dalam aspek perpaduan rakyatnya.

“Ibarat kata pepatah melentur buluh biarlah daripada rebungnya. Dengan cara itu, barulah nampak hasilnya seperti matlamat 1Malaysia,” katanya.

Menurut Azli pula, tugas memupuk dan menyuburkan perpaduan kaum selaras 1Malaysia tidak boleh dibebankan kepada guru atau dalam persekitaran sekolah sahaja, malah mestilah disokong dengan bimbingan ibu bapa juga.

“Bukanlah susah pun untuk dilaksanakan hal ini. Ibu bapa yang mengetahui akan-anak yang mempunyai kawan daripada kaum lain, hanya perlu mengambil inisiatif mengenali keluarga rakan anaknya itu yang tinggal berdekatan dan sesekali saling berkunjung bersama anak-anak,” katanya.

Katanya kejayaan semangat 1Malaysia bukanlah impian perdana menteri atau kerajaan semata-mata malah setiap rakyat juga, yang mahu mewariskan Malaysia yang kekal harmoni, aman dan makmur kepada anak-anak.

— BERNAMA

 

BOM JANGKA MALAYSIA

 

 

Has the national school become the ‘step-child’ of our education system?

 

If a Chinese Malaysian can pursue his entire education in Chinese, from primary to university level, how much exposure would he have to Malaysian students and teachers from other communities? How would this affect his attitude towards, and outlook on, the other? What would be his notion of a Malaysian identity?

Chandra Muzaffar

• Electoral politics in multi-ethnic societies sometimes undermines the quest for national unity.
• We are witnessing that in Malaysia now. As the battle for votes in the coming General Election intensifies, the major competitors for power are going all out to project themselves as the champion of this or that ethnic constituency. This is obvious in their approach to Chinese education.
• While Chinese primary education is integral to the national school system, the push for secondary education in the Chinese language beyond what is provided for, at present, has become more pronounced. The clamour for an independent Chinese language secondary school in Kuantan is part of this. Political parties in the Opposition and in the Government are now in the forefront of this demand. If the limit upon independent Chinese secondary schools — there are 61 now — is set aside, it is quite conceivable that the number would increase dramatically in a short while. Would this lead to the emergence of a complete Chinese secondary school system that would parallel the national secondary school system in Bahasa Malaysia? The implications of such a possibility should be understood within the context of the Government’s recent recognition of most universities in China.
• If a Chinese Malaysian can pursue his entire education in Chinese, from primary to university level, how much exposure would he have to Malaysian students and teachers from other communities? How would this affect his attitude towards, and outlook on, the other? What would be his notion of a Malaysian identity?
• It is not just the silo that an exclusive Chinese education would create that is a challenge to us all. Many urban Malay parents are now opting for Islamic religious education at primary and secondary school level for their children. With the proliferation of Islamic universities and colleges in the country, they could choose to continue their tertiary education in a largely mono ethnic, mono-religious environment. Needless to say, this will also have a negative impact upon inter- ethnic, inter-religious ties in the future.
• There are other current developments that will also impact upon the national school. The Government has made it easier for Malaysians to enrol in private schools which ipso facto will be patronised by those from the upper echelons of society. Thus, a class division which is already entrenched will be further exacerbated. A handful of Malaysians want the authorities to allow for English medium education, without much concern for what it will do to a school system that is already dichotomised in so many other ways.
• It appears from all this that there isn’t that much commitment to the national school. Has the national school become the ‘step-child’ of our education system?
• Since the Malaysian Constitution recognises Malay as the national language, it follows logically that the national school with Malay as the main medium of instruction should be the pivot of our education system. The Razak Report of 1956, the only comprehensive education report that the nation has had, acknowledges this. It is emphatic about the role of the national school as the channel for promoting national unity.
• It is not widely appreciated that the Malay language had for hundreds of years served as the lingua franca— the language that facilitated communication among diverse ethnic communities— of a vast region that is today described as the Malay world. It created a sense of cultural unity and forged an identity— the Malay identity— that transcended ethnicity, making the Malays one of the most cosmopolitan people on earth. In contemporary times, Malay, as Bahasa Indonesia, has also helped to develop a national identity out of tremendous ethnic diversity in Indonesia. Malay can play that role in Malaysia too, if the national school becomes truly national.
• To become national, the Bahasa Malaysia based school has to emerge as the school of first choice for all Malaysians. Its quality has to improve significantly. Bahasa Malaysia, English and other languages should be taught well. This also applies to other core subjects such as Mathematics, Science and History. Parents will also be impressed by the school if student discipline is strictly enforced within a caring environment.
• Competent, dedicated teachers would be the essential pre-requisite for such a school system. They should not just impart knowledge and skills but also try to mould the young under their charge into honest and trustworthy human beings. Teachers should treat all students, regardless of their backgrounds, with fairness and a sense of justice.
• The national school teaching community should be much more multi-ethnic and multi- religious than what it is today. More non-Malays and non-Muslims should be appointed as School Heads and Senior Assistants. At district, state and national levels, the education office or department should reflect the multi-ethnic composition of the nation. Qualified Dayaks and Kadazans should be given administrative roles outside Sarawak and Sabah.
• What this means is that within the three component elements of the education system — administrators, teachers and students — ability should be recognised and rewarded. It is only when the education system is perceived to be promoting ability and excellence that parents will have the confidence to send their children to the national school. At the same time, the national school should extend a helping hand to the disadvantaged student, irrespective of cultural or religious affiliation.
• In a nutshell, there has to be a total transformation of the national school. The Ministry of Education, I am sure, is working towards this goal. It is a transformation which will have to be carried out in tandem with other fundamental changes to the education system as a
  whole.
• For a start, let us try to reduce the impact of electoral politics upon education and national unity.

  Dr. Chandra Muzaffar is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Yayasan 1Malaysia.

Angry with Bahasa Kebangsaan

Why do we have to propose it when we already have Article 152 of the Constitution and strengthen it even more with The Official Language Act?

At the the time of posting, there seems to be many FMT readers felt “angry” with the article below. Just who are these readers? Where do they come from? Are they Malaysians?

Source – FMT

 

Our pre-1970 education system

Revamping The Education System

• First the sms. Out of the blue I received this sms yesterday from a Datuk friend of mine. Cannot reveal names but these are not any ordinary folks. These are senior people who headed major institutions in our country. Anyway, he said the following
• “The key to Singapore’s success story is English-based education & zero tolerance on corruption. LKY consistently mentions these 2 factors. How not to believe him? S’pore has zero natural resources, zero drop of oil or water, doesn’t plant a grain of rice. Always coming out tops for all the positive statistics.”
• To which I replied :  Dato can we start talking about reverting to our pre 1970 education system?
• He replied : “Brilliant. We abandoned what is a time-tested & proven success formula that produced so many fine men & women all bcoz of what we believe is political expediency but it doesn’t serve us well in terms of producing First World manpower. U can start the ball rolling. Change the law if necessary, almost 2 generations hv been made to go thru this existing edu system that’s simply not good enuf.”
• My reply : Ok Dato. Will Blog today. I hope we can get good support.  (So folks please do support us.)
• He replied again :  “The bottom line is put more English based learning into the system like the old days. Look at Spore with over 80% Chinese it didn’t adopt Mandarin as medium of instruction. It goes for a language universally accepted as the language of world class knowledge.”
• 
  
• I have had the same conversation with four other people, two Datuks and two Tan Sris – semua Melayu – who said the same thing. They all said “Just bring back the tried and tested education system that we had in the 1970s”. It was English based and the curriculum prepared our students to the same standards  as the Cambridge and London University’s “O” and “A” Levels.  The same system that Singapore followed.
• Yes folks, Singapore and Malaysia followed the same education system. There was no differenece at all between the Singapore and Malaysian schools. Singapore maintained their education system. It is we who went ahead and changed our education system. Kita ingat kita lagi pandai.
• And what happened after we changed our education system? 
• In the 1960s and 1970s,  both our per capita incomes (Malaysia and Singapore) was not too far different.  Now, 30 years later (after we changed our education system) Singapore has the third highest per capita GDP in the world at over USD57,000 or RM171,000 per annum.
• This is according to the IMF and World Bank ranking – using PPP or purchasing power parity.  In economics, purchasing power parity (PPP) asks how much money would be needed to purchase the same goods and services in two countries, and uses that to calculate an implicit foreign exchange rate. You can read more here)
• In comparison, Malaysia is ranked No. 58 by both the IMF and World Bank. You can surf this site and see for yourself.  Sedih juga kekawan.
• Folks, here are some other countries whose per capita GDP is higher than Malaysia :  Botswana, Gabon, Chile, Croatia, Trinidad & Tobago.  (Malu lah – Botswana is ahead of us)
• 
  
• Now we want to move to a higher income economy by 2020. Here is our ETP target statement :
• “To lift gross national income (GNI) per capita from USD6,700 or RM23,700 in 2009 to more than USD15,000 or RM48,000 in 2020”
• 
  
• OK folks, there is some gobbledygook involved here aka high fallutin language. Purchasing power parity, per capita GDP, Gross National Income have to be understood.  Other than studying management and engineering (and modern jazz dancing) I did study some economics at University ok (good old liberal arts American education). Not an expert but here goes :
• 
  
• Purchasing power parity is useful. It tells you how many Big Macs you can buy in Malaysia with your Ringgit Malaysia salary compared to say how many Big Macs a Japanese guy can buy in Tokyo with his Japanese Yen salary.
• Per capita GDP is also useful because it takes the total amount of goods and services produced by all Malaysians inside Malaysia and divides that by the total population figure. Here is the Wikipedia :
• 
  
• “Gross domestic product (GDP) refers to the market value of all officially recognized final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country’s standard of living.”
• 
  
• Now Gross National Income or GNI  is slightly different.  GNI includes all goods and services produced by Malaysians inside Malaysia PLUS goods and services produced by Malaysians outside Malaysia.
• 
  
• To me this means only one thing – they want to include Petronas foreign earnings.  
• 
  
• In 2010, Petronas earned about RM240 Billion of which 40%  (RM96 Billion??) was earned  overseas. Now in 2012 (and 2020) these numbers will be much higher.  So Petronas’ foreign earnings will also go into our GNI calculations.   (Plus maybe Tabung Haji’s property play in London plus EPF’s  investment in the Battersea power plant redevelopment but that is peanuts compared to Petronas).
• But despite including Petronas’ foreign earnings, the ETP’s projected per capita GNI by 2020 is  RM48,000.  Presently the per capita GNI is RM23,700.  Considering that there are eight more years before we arrive at 2020, it  means our incomes must  jump 102% in eight years or 12.75% per year. Boleh ke?  Bank Negara says our economy will only grow 4% to 5% this year.
• So folks, if the economy grows 4% or 5% per year, can our incomes grow by 12.75% per year? I did not spend all my time in jazz dancing class but even my basic economics tells me that this is a tad too ambitious.  (For those arithmetic wizards, yes this is a straight line division but even if you use the compounded method, at 5% pa growth in income, you get about RM35,000 pa in eight years).
• 
  
• And if we minus Petronas’ foreign earnings (of between RM100 billion to RM200 billion per year) the ETP may not achieve the targeted ‘high income status’.  Why do we have to minus Petronas foreign earnings?  Because not all of us work for or do business with Petronas – which only employs about 40,000 people across 103 countries.
• How many Malaysians in Teluk Intan are involved in generating the overseas portion of Petronas income? How many Malaysians in Belimbing (near Kuantan) are suppliers to Petronas in Sudan or Kazakhstan? Not very many.  So the growth in Petronas’ huge foreign earnings may push up our total GNI  (Gross National Income)  but the average you and me may not have a  part to play in their growth.
• Yes I agree that the Gomen will use Petronas money to build more universities, roads and almost free hospitals but it is not a direct increase in your wallet.
• But lets get back to Singapore. They will also be aiming to move to an even higher income economy. If high tech, high income Singapore can match our projected 12.75% p.a. income growth between now and 2020, then by 2020 their per capita GDP would have reached over RM340,000.  Some apples and oranges here but still our target per capita GNI for 2020 is only  RM48,000 –  potentially seven times less than Singapore (GDP) !! Alamak !!
• And  dont forget Botswana, Gabon, Chile, Croatia, Trinidad & Tobago.  They will also be ahead of us.
• But we can catch up. Yes even in eight years. I feel that an English based education will make the difference between our success and failure. We need to make drastic changes to our education system. It is not too late. We need to do it now. The quickest and easiest method is to switch back to a strongly English based education system. Just bring back the English education system that we had up to the 1970s.
• And one more thing that I must state is to reduce the amount of religious education in all schools and also remove religious influences on all school, college and university campuses.
• Religion must be made a private matter. Parents who so desire can spend their own money and their own time and educate their children in religion.  Whatever religion.
• Too much religion will make us backward. Remember religion will make you poor. Why? Because in religion “kita tidak perlu menggunakan akal”.  Tak pakai otak pun its still ok.  Unfortunately (or fortunately) to earn a higher income, you must gunakan otak dan akal.

Yang perlu ditekankan oleh DS Najib adalah penggunaan Bahasa Kebangsaan, bukannya sekolah vernakular

Source : NewStraitsTimes

KUALA LUMPUR: The government must be more proactive in getting non-Malays master the Malay language befitting its role as the national language.

The national language ideology should be created so that the the younger generation better understand the role of Malay language as the official language of the country.

Malay language sociolinguistic expert Prof Dr Teo Kok Seong said many young Chinese cannot speak Malay well due to negative attitude and upbringing that the mother tongue is superior.

“The Malays must set a good example by appreciating the national language as only then it will encourage the non-Malays to master it.

“Positive attitude of the Malays will give rise to confidence and place the national language on the right track,” he said in the talk show ‘Dalam Radar’ by Bernama Radio24.

Teo who is also deputy director of Institute of Malay World and Civilisation,  Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, did not deny that lack of articles to empower the Malay language in vernacular newspapers was also responsible.     — BERNAMA

Lagi mengenai DS Najib dan pendidikan vernakular:-

• Muka diberi, lalu cacing naik ke mata
• BN sahabat sejati pendidikan sekolah Cina – kata Najib. Dan inilah hasilnya
• Pendokong Tegar dan Juara Sekolah Vernakular
• Kemanakah Arah 1-Malaysia Di Dalam Sistem Pendidikan Negara?
• Najib Tun Razak dan Pendidikan Sekolah Cina
• Kerajaan Di Saran Lagi Supaya Menghapuskan Sekolah Vernakular – Apa lagi yang DS Najib ingin pertahankan?
• Najib Is Mad, Confirmed!.
• Lagi Mengenai Perdana Menteri & Sekolah Vernakular
• Batu Penghalang Pembinaan Negara
• Apa komen “BAPAK VERNAKULAR”?
• DS Najib Yang Masih Tidak Mahu “Nampak”
• Pencabulan Asas-Asas Negara

Sejarah – “Kedaulatan” Yang Diputarbelitkan

 

‘Ketuanan Melayu’? What is it?

June 12, 2012

FMT LETTER

From Anas Zubedy, via e-mail

The notion of ketuanan Melayu did not just appear in recent years. It has historical basis, existing in Tanah Melayu since hundreds of years ago. In Malay historical culture and language, the term ketuanan Melayu originates from the word ‘Tuanku’ – a title reserved for Malay rulers since the early days of our society. Ketuanan Melayu thus can be seen as a contraction of the phrase ‘ketuanan raja-raja Melayu’, the sovereignty of the Malay rulers.

To get a clearer sense of ketuanan Melayu, it is more helpful to use the phrase kedaulatan Melayu – sovereignty of the Malay nation-state symbolised by our supreme institutions. Ketuanan Melayu, ‘Malay supremacy’ or ‘Malay pre-eminence’ – the core notion is the same; it is not about the supremacy of the Malays, but it is historically about the ‘kedaulatan’, the sovereignty of the Malay homeland. It will be more accurate to translate it as ‘Malay sovereignty’ – kedaulatan Melayu.

It encapsulates the place of honour for the unique characteristics that form the identity of our nation – the traditions, culture and symbols that identify Tanah Melayu as a unique, sovereign entity. This includes our supreme royal and social institutions and the traditional customs of budaya Melayu and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak.

Why has there been a sense of Malay dominance about ketuanan Melayu?

There could be many possible reasons. At the level of the general masses, I see ignorance and lack of understanding as the main reason for this misinterpretation. Presently, not many Malaysians are actually aware of the evolution of Malaysian history. So when a phrase like ‘ketuanan Melayu’ is used, especially in a political context, it is simply misunderstood by the mass public.

The word ‘tuan’ is equalised with ‘master’; and sentiments affect how we react. Some respond defensively because they see it as a statement that the Malays are superior and non-Malays are subsidiary. On the other end, some Malays perceive this question as an attack to their position in society. At the same time, this lack of understanding by the general public makes it easy for some to use it politically for selfish purposes.

Do the Malays see themselves as dominant?

Not at all! I have strong convictions that the Malays do not see themselves as dominant. To begin with, the notion of any superior community is totally against Islamic teaching. In Islam there is a tradition about the first bilal, the one who calls believers to prayer. Bilal Ibn Rabah was an Ethiopian slave. When he went up to make the first call to prayer, some of those in the community asked that the honour be given to someone else.

But Prophet Muhammad reminded them that God does not see the physical manifestation, but judges the purity of the heart. In Islam, there is no preference between Arab and non-Arab, slave or no slave, black or white. Later, a Quranic verse confirms Prophet Muhammad’s position in Quran 49:13. Most Muslims, if not all, are familiar with this story. And to this date, the person who calls for azan is known as bilal, an honour given to him.

I see that what is important to the Malays is kedaulatan Melayu. This devotion to the sovereignty of the homeland is deeply rooted in the Malay psyche. We can see this clearly in the historical development of our society. It was the main crux of nationalism in the early days of Malaya. The 1930s nationalist movements, the 1946 movement against the Malayan Union and the nationalists who worked towards Merdeka between 1946 and 1957 all had kedaulatan Melayu – the sovereignty of the Malayan nation-state – as their cause.

What does kedaulatan Melayu mean for us today?

For us today, kedaulatan Melayu still plays a huge part in our identity as a nation. The royal and social institutions, cultures and traditions that characterise our land must still be held supreme. It is core to what makes us unique as a nation, and to disregard it would be unwise. Since Independence, our social composition has changed and we have been finding ways to adjust to how we all relate to our national identity. While the nation is now made up of several communities practicing different customs and traditions, kedaulatan Melayu today means that as people of this land, we are all bound together by the supreme traditions which have characterised this land from the very beginning.

In today’s terms, it means that Chinese and Indian Malaysians integrate Malayan language, culture and traditions along with their own. For example, while we speak a myriad of languages and dialects, we all should also know how to speak, read and write Bahasa Malaysia adequately as a common language. Though every group has their own colourful, beautiful costumes, all Malaysians should own and wear traditional Malay costumes; for example, now it is quite common for women of all races to own at least one baju kurung or kebaya.

During official ceremonies, supremacy of Malay culture means that the ceremony follows Malay customs, using traditional Malay arts and symbolic objects, and those present wear Malay traditional attire as official garb. This is applicable for example in ceremonies like the opening of Parliament or Dewan Undangan Negeri.

This does not mean that the local culture overrules any other culture, but as ethnic cultures and ethnic identity are held intact, they are integrated along with Malaysian culture in practice while we belong in this nation.

Why budaya Melayu?

Budaya Melayu is a good unifying culture. As earlier discussed, it is entrenched in the historical basis of the land, not just here in Malaya but in the whole of South East Asia which was known as the Malay Archipelago. The Malay civilisation has been around for more than 2000 years – not many are aware that it is one of the oldest civilisations in the world. It is a rich, vibrant tradition with influences from Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.

As mentioned earlier, we cannot and should not disregard this indigenous culture which has shaped our people from the start. At Independence, we did not emerge from nothing – Independence marks a momentous point when three major communities came together to form one nation, but this development follows a long history of social evolution of the Malay civilisation.

In other words, while as Malaysian citizens we are the same, in terms of culture the Malay and indigenous cultures are preeminent. We can say that as each ethnic community practices our distinct cultures and we accommodate and value each other’s customs and traditions, the banner that unites us is the Malay and indigenous cultures.

We embrace the different ethnic identities, but take our indigenous cultures, budaya Melayu, plus our ethnic culture as the unique brand of our national identity as Malaysians. At a more micro level, in Sabah the Kadazan culture historically has cultural preeminence. Similarly in Sabah, we should not equalise any other culture – not even the Peninsular Malay culture – with Kadazan culture. The uniting culture and identity in Sabah is the Kadazan culture.

Why does the notion of one culture being preeminent bring out wariness in many Malaysians?

One of the main reasons why people respond defensively – or at the very least – cautiously, is because in this country, the Malay culture is tied so closely with religion. When we talk about Malay culture, it is perceived as Muslim culture. When we say we should integrate Malay culture, it is perceived as having a Muslim agenda. People feel the need to defend their race and religion from being compromised.

In other words, we have not brought enough awareness to the universal, non-religious aspects of Malay culture. One can practice Malay culture without having to adopt Islamic practices as they are two separate things. There are many universal elements in budaya Melayu, such as language, attire, traditional games, crafts, music and arts that all Malaysians can integrate regardless of ethnicity, religion, locality or background. These are the elements that if adopted, will not take away anything but be an added value to one’s own ethnic culture.

What are some universal elements from the Malay culture?

In terms of traditional wear, the baju kurung is a great example of an inclusive cultural symbol for Malaysians. Most women have a pair or two, and it is an added value to them alongside their cheongsams or saris. However, the tudung is not necessary, because its connotations are more Islamic – or to be more precise – Arabic. Similarly, one may wear baju Melayu but choose not to wear a songkok. The baju Melayu is cultural, it is not religious – the Hindus in Bali commonly wear it, as well as in Myanmar.

We have Malay literature – sajaks, syairs and pantuns; we have arts like wayang kulit, dikir barat, dikir laba; traditional dances like ngajat, sumazau, mak yong, zapin, joget; crafts like keris making, batik printing, wau and gasing making. We have traditional instruments like gamelan, angklung and sape. These are amazing, unique elements of Malay culture we all can know and share.

Let’s share the elements of Malay culture that are universal, not exclusive. We cannot say we want a banner culture and brand to unite us, but push elements that exclude others. For example, we can promote and share Malay cultural traditions, crafts, literature – but we should not make it compulsory that Christians, Buddhists or Hindus must learn about Tamadun Islam to pass their first year of university. Understandably, this puts them off.

How can we get people to value and integrate the Malay and indigenous cultures as our shared national identity?

We must start from the ground level, at our kindergartens and schools. For a start, once a week we can get students to wear a traditional Malay costume. During my school days, it was compulsory for students to wear ties as our education was British-based at that point. Now that we want to promote a shared Malaysian culture, let’s get our students – including those in Tamil and Chinese vernacular schools – to wear baju Melayu or baju kurung once a week in the Peninsular, and the indigenous cultural costumes in Sabah and Sarawak.

Secondly, we need to incorporate our cultural traditions into our school syllabus, from kindergarten right up to the older stages of our children’s development. The Balinese have a good model of this – by the time Balinese children are eight or nine years old, they know how to sing, dance or perform something from the culture because they learn it in school. We need to do the same here with the Malay and native cultures.

For arts lessons, instead of teaching them generic arts, we should incorporate our traditional arts into it. Let’s teach them things like how to make a wau, making a gasing, or batik printing. We can incorporate arts and dances into lessons, for example, learn the wayang kulit, mak yong, dikir barat, dikir laba, zapin, joget, ngajat or sumazau. In music lessons instead of learning the recorder, let’s teach them gamelan or angklung, kompang, rebana or gambus.

We should ensure that by twelve years old our children should be able to at least know how to do something from the culture. And not to forget, as we incorporate cultural traditions into our classroom lessons, we should also include universal elements from the Chinese and Indian culture. When we incorporate traditional values into our schools, it will not only build a sense of national identity and pride; it will add value to the personal and social development of our children. Learning culture has the effect of enriching a person’s sense of self and values. I think that the more culture we embody, the more patient, accepting and adaptable we are.

Another great element that can forge Unity is the peribahasa. It is open, practical, and encompasses universal values. There are similar types of sayings in Indian and Chinese traditions as well. We should incorporate peribahasa into language or civic lessons, and when we do so we can integrate it with Chinese and Indian sayings – something to get our children to see how we relate to each other.

The beautiful thing about peribahasa is that we can also easily incorporate it in our day to day speech, whether at home, with our neighbours, at our workplaces, in official and public events. It is appropriate whether in formal or informal events, whether we are young or old.

When we start practicing universal aspects of Malay culture in schools, homes and workplaces, we will start to see how it can add value to us, individually and as a society. We will see each others’ culture as an added value to our identity whether as Indian, Chinese, Kadazan, Iban, or Malay. Then we will learn to understand that the history of our land, the beauty of our indigenous and Malay institutions and cultures belong to all of us as our banner identity and collective brand.

 

 

Who REALLY needs to be educated?

 

 

I recently met with a retired teacher and we were engaged in a conversation about teaching. It seems like a simple topic, but there are some perspectives that you normally do not see as a student, or a parent. She spoke with flair, and was reminiscing about her days in a reputable national school for over 20 years. I was taken aback when I was told of how different the education system is compared with the days I was in school back in the ‘90s. It clearly shows the perspectives of a teacher and a naïve student are worlds apart. And all I was concerned about when I was in school was popularity among my peers.

Smart School or Wasteful School?

The school that the retired teacher taught in was (or is?) a highly acclaimed “Sekolah Bestari” or “Smart School” in English. It is one of the identified Malay elite day schools chosen to follow a new system of education called the “Teaching & Learning” concept, which was apparently adopted from Kings College of London after a government officer attended a course there. The irony is that it turned out to be just an empty concept without proper guidelines given to the teachers other than the use of computers in teaching four subjects namely Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mathematics and Science.

Millions of ringgits were spent on establishing the T&L software and books where information in books were extracted and transferred into computer software. Unfortunately, these materials were not used for long as the medium of teaching Mathematics and Science were changed to English. These books and software were kept in the storeroom for years and were eventually sold by school janitors to the recycling centers as side pocket money! I don’t really know the exact amount that was spent, but I would think it was significant enough for the janitor to bring home a larger loaf of bread to his dining table!

Being an exemplary “Sekolah Bestari”, the school was equipped with computers and other modern infrastructures provided by the Education Ministry. The school was then promoted to be the “Premier School” in Malaysia and was the de facto benchmark of other similarly chosen schools. As such, the school was frequently visited by education ministers and officials from many countries to showcase what the ideal smart school should look like.

Besides being blessed with free computers and other modern infrastructures, the school is also given RM 1 million each year, on top of the normal education grant. The responsibility of a sum this big landed on the shoulders the school management board, which then became the responsibilities of the teachers on how to distribute the funds to different needs of the school. Some of the funds were for buying additional books and teaching aids, but eventually, the teachers ran out of ideas on what else to spend the money on.

So, school excursions (lawatan sambil belajar) were organized on a yearly basis. I’m not talking about half day visits to the National Zoo. The students were sent on international trips to countries like New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, Bangkok and England, chaperoned by their teachers, all expenses paid using this million ringgit pool.

Many teachers who are true believers in justice and fairness feel that it is misappropriation of funds, unjustified and unfair to the less fortunate neighbouring schools who are still to this day struggling to have proper amenities (notice boards, tables and other basic school facilities) while the more affluent schools are splashing tax payers’ money on luxury trips overseas. Many of them have poured out concerns on these issues but their concerns fell on deaf ears.

Teaching Generation-Y

The education ministry has recently introduced a new school assessment method called the Continual Assessment (PBS) in place of public exams (UPSR, PMR, SPM and STPM) or mid-year/year end exams. This continual assessment system has recently been implemented this year for all Standard 1 and Form 1 students, designated as the pilot group for initial implementation. Students are assessed on their academic ability as well as soft skills such as mannerism, working habit, moral values, ability to work as a team, tidiness, systematic and discipline in daily work, etc.

It is a formative test, meaning after each lesson, students are tested of their understanding through exercises and quizzes. A teacher will assess the student from his/her exercise books or through questioning and observation. Teachers are to inform students of their weaknesses and if students show improvement in the next exercise or test, the teacher will put them in a higher band for this learning area. Tests can be in the form of daily exercises, quiz, project, laboratory experiment, presentation and so on. Students are given chances after chances to improve themselves.

Initially, schools were told that there would be no examinations for these students. However, the regional education department submitted a contradictory directive to schools stating that mid year exams are compulsory to students. The basic organizational structure of the education ministry is as follows :

Very often, the directive from the state education department and regional education department are different, in fact contradictory, which results in confusion among teachers.

There is no PMR exam for this year’s Form 1 students. However, there is still no news on SPM. Most probably SPM will be retained, with maybe 30 to 50% formative test and 50 to 70% summative test. No matter what the education department decides, Chinese schools have their own way in governing their system by adapting the conventional method, which is examination-based.

Teaching & Learning strategy (T&L) is also changed to be more student-oriented. Teachers are no longer the content provider but more of a facilitator. Teachers are not supposed to teach (chalk & talk or lecture method) with students listening passively (monologue), but they are required to play an active role in learning and acquiring knowledge through discussion, demonstration, hands on experiment, discovery method, problem-based solving method, field trips and so on. Students can learn beyond the limit of the syllabus set by the education ministry.

Teachers are motivators who bring immediate change in their students’ lives from being knowledge receivers to knowledge seekers. They should be able to seek knowledge from books and the Internet. Schools are equipped with computers and Internet services so that students are able to learn and obtain raw information from the Internet. Teachers are also trained to design lessons and put up notes on the Internet, so that students are able to learn at anytime and anywhere (E-learning, something that is popular in today’s Generation Y).

Teachers are instructed to make learning fun and interesting. They are required to provide a conducive learning environment more in-tuned to the current needs of this generation of students. As such, there are many T&L strategies to suit various learning capabilities. According to Howard Gardner (an American developmental psychologist), there are 7 types of learning capabilities: logical-mathematical, linguistic-musical, kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal & intrapersonal.

For example, students who are kinesthetic, unlike linguistic students, will not be able to learn well if the teacher lectures with chalk and talk. The student will need to move about and is able to learn better through hands-on, practical lessons. Musically inclined students learn well by interacting with others as opposed to textbook-based learning.

Teachers are supposed to make these changes in schools but many teachers themselves are not willing to change. They are the main obstacles that hinder the success of the new education system. When the syllabus for Mathematics and Science was changed to English in 2003, teachers were provided with ample opportunities to learn English and fundamental ICT skills. Teachers were also given allowances to improve their skill sets. Sadly, because of a lack of a control system to provide check-and-balance and tracking, the allowances given were unfortunately misused for individual personal benefits by some teachers. This becomes a form of small scale corruption.

Many teachers are also not committed in their work, and many are more into making the extra Ringgit by giving personal tuition. Skipping classes are frequent occurrences in schools among teachers and even the school’s management.

In some urban schools, some teachers including the head of school has never marked examination papers. What is more alarming is that students are told to create and key in their marks online to be sent to the education department. Coursework which are developed by the education department are sent to schools at the last minute together with answers. Some teachers especially those who give tuition will post these papers and answers on the Internet for students to modify the answers before submitting their papers, which are obviously not marked. At this point, you’re probably feeling less respectful of teachers in general, but it’s really the horrible few teachers who give good teachers the bad reputation.

Some science stream students have never been to laboratories, even if they were in Form 4 and 5. Only theories and principles were taught. The reason being is that it is “too dangerous” to have students in the laboratory and after all there seemed to be no real reason since practical examinations have been abolished in SPM.

In summary, although all is not lost, and there are many admirable teachers, the system seems to be flawed. There are some good efforts by the government to provide a more wholesome environment for learning, but unfortunately, the intentions are not followed through to each school and their teachers. Some teachers still have passion to see their students excel, but other teachers just want to pass the day and collect their paycheck. The government needs to provide strict enforcement with accountability along with the funds given so that quality of education is maintained and integrity is preserved. What has been told above are not lies but a way of life for some schools in Petaling Jaya. One will be left to think of what is happening in rural schools. Perhaps there are many other shocks and surprises, which are left untold.

DAP & educational policies

 

Ideological weaknesses of DAP leadership (Part 2)

 

DAP has no constructive educational policies. Since its founding years, the party’s policy has been one of opposing for the sake of opposing. When MCA initiated the Tunku Abdul Rahman College, the DAP in 1968 “accused the MCA of using education to produce a race of fanatics who were prepared to sacrifice ordinary laws to the party machinery (source: NST 16th September 1968)”.   [JMD – very much like the DAP law-breakers we have now..] 

It further slandered MCA by saying that TAR College teachers would be “indoctrinated with the beliefs of MCA and that text books would be written to glorify MCA”. The DAP compared MCA’s proposed TAR College to schools in Germany turning out Hitler’s Youth who graduated into the Gestapo.

This is the type of opposition leadership within DAP of yesteryears and the quality of its leadership has since deteriorated by employing new political gimmicks, malicious methods and destructive means to keep the DAP afloat. Not only does DAP wants to do nothing to the cause of Malaysian education, the DAP leadership also wants “others” not to do anything worthwhile towards education our younger children. Envious and jealous of MCA initiating the TAR College in 1968, the DAP spread malicious lies, sowed seeds of suspicions and doubts among the community just to sabotage a beneficial community project. If DAP had been successful in sabotaging the TAR College project, hundreds of thousands of Malaysians would be deprived of educational opportunities and careers. To be exact, 40,500 TAR College graduates would be deprived by DAP of their educational opportunities and thousands of careers wiped out at the costs of nation-building.

Today, DAP lies have been proven to be malicious and has further proven that those DAP leaders who made such lies are liars. None of these graduates has been ‘indoctrinated” by MCA and not a single graduate turned out to be a Hitler Youth! [JMD – but these days it is alleged that most students in UTAR are pro-DAP. Irony.]

There is a mentality among voters who support the DAP for the very reason that the opposition was needed to “voice their grievances” and to provide “checks and balances” in government. In reality, DAP is “morally and ethically incapable of voicing your grievances for the very simple reason that DAP leadership is no longer capable to protect your interests. DAP is predominantly occupied by protecting its own political survival.

Recently the dAP has adopted “new political technologies” to survive. It has mastered the art of “claiming credits” to its name. Never mind, whether the achievements are economic, political or social related. Malaysia’s development progress is attributed to DAP’s existence! And DAP hopes to “hoodwink” the voter in the street even though it might be an insult of intelligence to the man on the street. Another “political technology” employed by DAP since Tanjong Two failed to materialise was to “beg” for sympathies by threatening to “resign”.

Lim Kit Siang during his 25 year political career as DAP Secretary General has threatened to resign no less than 50 times either within DAP or to the electorate, an average of two threats per 12 months of his political office. His practice of using “tricks and threats” to solicit sympathies is synonymous to Lim Kit Siang’s norm and childish prank he endears to, in order to keep absolute power.

 

 

read the full article by JEBAT MUST DIE, here….

Orang Malaysia?

IRENE FERNANDEZ, BETULKAH MALAYSIA TERUK SANGAT; NEGARA ASING BAIK SANGAT?

Irene meludah Negara sendiri

1. Isu Irene Fernadez (IF) mengkritik, mengutuk dan meludah Malaysia, negaranya sendiri, berhubung layanan terhadap buruh asing nampaknya sudah reda. Tetapi, selepas membela buruh Indonesia dan Bangladesh, dia mungkin pulak membela buruh India, Kambodia, Vietnam dan lain-lain lagi. Manalah tahu. Kan Negara kita ni sebuah Negara demokrasi… boleh bercakap apa saja dan berdemonstrasi apa saja. Contoh laporan kutukan IF itu boleh dibaca di sini.

2. Tentu ada yang bersetuju dengan IF tetapi ramai juga yang tidak setuju dengan cara IF memperjuangkan isu tersebut. Antaranya ialah ulasan YBhg Tan Lee Lam Thye.

3. Cara IF meludah Malaysia seolah-olah layanan yang diberikan oleh majoriti rakyat Negara ini amatlah teruk sekali manakala layanan serta keadaan kehidupan di Negara-negara berkenaan, seperti Indonesia dan Bangladesh, seolah-olah jauh lebih baik dari Malaysia. Anehnya beliau hanya berpijak ke atas 6 kes rasuah sahaja sedangkan pekerja asing di Malaysia melebihi 2 juta orang! Jika terdapat 100,000 kes pun, ia hanyalah 5% sahaja dari jumlah pekerja asing yang ramai itu.

4. YAB DS Najib sendiri tidak menafikan perbuatan rasuah berlaku di Negara ini dan beliau telah memberikan komitmen untuk membasmi penyakit tersebut. Ia telah dipahatkan di bawah NKRA sebagai salah satu daripada 6 +1 agenda beliau. IF dan semua penduduk Malaysia, termasuklah saya, hendaklah berkongsi iltizam murni ini dan sama-sama membantu beliau merealisasikannya; bukan mengutuknya.

Negara Yang Dipuji Lebih Teruk

5. Dalam pada itu, elokalah juga IF mengetahui betapa teruknya tahap korupsi di Negara-negara berkenaan berbanding Malaysia. Sebagai contoh, baca dan ketahuilah betapa terukanya amalan rasuah dan kekejaman polis di India (melibatkan US$18.42 bilion) dan Indonesia (melibatkan US$238.6 juta). Jika hendak tahu pula betapa teruknya amalan korupsi di Bangladesh, bolehlah, misalnya, membaca di sini http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/south-asia/bangladesh/corruption-levels/ .

6. Seterusnya IF wajar membaca atau menonton video untuk mengetahui betapa dahsyatnya working conditions di Negara-negara tertentu, termasuklah Bangladesh, India dan Indonesia, sepertimana yang dipaparkan oleh The CNN Freedom Project: Ending Modern -Day Slavery dan dilaporkan dalam The 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report.

Perbandingan Yang Adil

7. Untuk kita berlaku adil dalam membuat perbandingan, elokalah kita mengambil beberapa angkubah yang berkaitan untuk mengukur tahap pembangunan dan kualiti hidup di sesebuah Negara; tidak adil hanya memilih satu angkubah seperti rasuah untuk dijadikan teras perbandingan.

8. Dalam konteks isu yang dibangkitkan oleh IF iaitu layanan buruk terhadap pekerja asing di Malaysia, saya memilih 8 buah Negara yang menjadi sumber utama bekalan tenaga buruh iaitu (1) China, (2) Thailand, (3) Filipina, (4) Indonesia, (5) Vietnam, (6) India, (7) Cambodia dan (8) Bangladesh.

9. Seterusnya saya memilih 8 angkubah yang berkaitan untuk dibandingkan – (1) Kadar Kemiskinan, (2) Kadar Pengangguran, (3) Kadar Inflasi, (4) Indeks Pembangunan Manusia (HDI), (5) Indeks Kegembiraan Dunia (WHI), (6) Indeks Kemakmuran Legatum (LPI), (7) Indeks Keamanan Global (GPI) dan (8) Indeks Persepsi Rasuah (CPI). Sila rujuk Jadual yang disediakan.

10. Angkubah tersebut secara kolektif akan (a) mengambarkan tahap pembangunan dan kualiti hidup di setiap 8 negara yang telah dipilih itu, di samping Malaysia; (b) menerangkan mengapa Malaysia menjadi faktor tarikan kepada buruh asing; dan (c) menjelaskan pula mengapa Negara-negara mereka itu menjadi faktor tolakan untuk berhijrah ke Malaysia.

Kualiti Hidup Malaysia Jauh Lebih Baik

11. Diakui bahawa banyak Negara lebih maju dari Malaysia dan taraf hidup rakyat mereka lebih baik dari rakyat Negara ini. Namun, berdasarkan 8 buah negara dan 8 angkubah yang telah dipilih itu, adalah jelas, nyata dan terang bahawa tahap pembangunan Malaysia jauh lebih maju dan kualiti hidup rakyat Negara ini jauh lebih tinggi berbanding 8 buah Negara berkenaan.

12. Kadar kemiskinan, kadar pengagguran dan kadar inflasi Malaysia, yang menggambarkan keadaan ekonomi, berada di tahap yang rendah. Ia mencerminkan bahawa ekonomi Negara ini, berbanding dengan 8 negara yang lain itu, berjaya diuruskan dengan lebih baik dan penuh bijaksana.

13. Dari segi pembangunan manusia, berdasarkan HDI yang merangkumi aspek ekonomi, pendidikan dan kesihatan, Malaysia juga berada di kedudukan (ke 61) yang terbaik (teratas) berbanding dengan 8 buah Negara itu. Yang demikian, tidak hairanlah, berdasarkan WHI, rakyat Malaysia hidup lebih gembira; berada dikedudukan tertinggi (ke 51) kerana tahap kemakmuran yang lebih baik. Berdasarkan LPI, kemakuran rakyat Malaysia berada di tangga teratas (ke 43).

14. Penduduk Malaysia dapat menikmati kemakmuran itu kerana kerajaan mampu mewujud dan mengekalkan keamanan. Malaysia, menurut GPI, adalah Negara paling aman di kalangan Negara ASEAN (no. 1); no. 2 di Asia dan di tangga ke 19 di seluruh dunia.

15. Kemakmuran dan kegembiraan dapat dikecapi kerana korupsi (tangga ke 60) tidaklah seteruk 8 buah Negara yang lain itu, mengikut ukuran CPI.

16. Berdasarkan senario yang dilakarkan di atas, wajarkah IF mengkritik, mengutuk dan meludah Malaysia, negaranya sendiri? Diserahkan kepada rakyat Malaysia dan rakyat di 8 buah Negara berkenaan untuk menghakimkannya.

 

PRESTASI NEGARA-NEGARA TERPILIH

Mempolitikkan Keadaan

 

Yuran Universiti Tidak Percuma tetapi ditanggung kerajaan.. Ini kena faham…

Janji PKR: RM5,000 setahun untuk siswa

Jonathan Yong 3:46PM Jun 6 2012

Rancangan PKR untuk membiaya pendidikan tinggi percuma melibatkan dana berjumlah RM2.5 bilion setahun bagi menyediakan elaun RM5,000 kepada setiap 500,000 penuntut universiti setiap tahun.

Pengarah strategi parti itu Rafizi Ramli berkata jumlah tersebut akan dapat menampung perbelanjaann asas pelajar, manakala yuran pengajian pula akan diberikan percuma.Katanya, elaun sebanyak RM5,000 itu boleh digunakan untuk mengimbangi yuran pengajian.
Rafizi berkongsi tawaran Pakatan Rakyat kepada sekumpulan siswa di Shah Alam.

Katanya, Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional yang menyediakan pinjaman murah kepada siswa tidak dapat dilestarikan.

Katanya, hutang siswa sebanyak RM24 bilion kepada PTPTN itu akhirnya perlu ditampung oleh kerajaan.

Rafizi bagaimanapun enggan mendedahkan butiran rancangan berkenaan.

• COKAM:   Janji PKR untuk memberikan pendidikan percuma masih mengelirukan.Menurut kenyataan jurucakap mereka si Rafizi, kerajaan PKR akan memberikan duit sebanyak RM5,000 kepada setiap pelajar. Pada masa yang sama beliau menyatakan duit pemberian tersebut bakal mengimbangi Yuran pengajian para pelajar. 
• Kalau dah percuma kenapa masih lagi disentuh berkenaan yuran pengajian seolah-olah belajar di Universiti masih lagi mempunyai yuran.  Minta maaf kerana aku tak berpa faham, apa sebenarnya yang cuba dinyatakan oleh Rafizi. Adakah pengajian di Universiti masih mempunyai yuran pengajian atau percuma. Apakah yang dimaksudkan dengan  percuma itu?. Adakah secara tersembunyinya belajar di Universiti masih dikenakan yuran dan siapa yang membayar yuran pengajian dan berapakah jumlah yuran pengajian tersebut?
• Aku berpendapat bahawa yuran masih dikenakan oleh pihak kerajaan kepada para pelajar tetapi yuran tersebut ditanggung sepenuhnya oleh kerajaan. Ini bermakna masih terdapat akaun debit dan kredit yuran para pelajar Universiti.
• Konsep inilah yang digunakan oleh kerajaan Selangor dalam pemberian air percuma kepada rakyat Selangor. Hakikatnya kos ataupun bil air masih ada dan bil tersebut ditanggung oleh kerajaan negeri. Sampai suatu ketika bilamana kerajaan kekurangan dana untuk menanggung bil air yang berjuta-juta tersebut, maka bil air tersebut akan tertunggak.
• Begitu juga dengan Yuran Universiti yang dikatakan diberikan secara percuma. Hakikatnya yuran masih lagi ada dikenakan tetapi kos yuran tersebut ditanggung oleh kerajaan melalui peruntukkan bajet pada setiap tahun. Apabila sampai suatu waktu seperti contoh kelembapan ekonomi, kerajaan akan menghadapi kekurangan bajet untuk menanggung kos yuran tersebut, maka langkah berjimat cermat pasti dilakukan dengan mengurangkan peruntukkan bajet mereka. Apa berlaku kepada Universiti kita pada mas itu?
• Apabila bajet kurang, maka pihak Universiti akan kekurangan dana untuk mentadbir universiti termasuk menyediakan alat sokongan pembelajaran dan juga menyediakan tenaga pengajar yang berkualiti. Akhirnya mahasiswa yang dilahirkan kurang bermutu dan kurang berdaya saing di dalam pasaran. Maklum sahajalah sesuatu yang percuma, sudah tentu ada kekurangan di sana sini.
• Perkara ini telah berlaku kepada perkhidmatan Awam suatu ketika dahulu apabila kerajaan mengambil langkah berjimat cermat kerana keadaan ekonomi yang merudum, banyak perkara telah dilakukan oleh kerajaan termasuk menghadkan bajet-bajet kursus, menghadkan elaun-elaun kakitangan awam dan sebagainya. Produktiviti pun merosot apabil;a banyak bajet dipotong dan sebagainya. Perkara ini aku percaya akan berlaku juga kepada Universiti-Universiti kita jika semua yuran ditanggung oleh kerajaan.
• Bagi sebuah negara yang masih menuju status negara maju, maka masih banyak lagi dana-dana kerajaan perlu disalurkan selain pelajaran. Tidak ada gunanya kita melahirkan pelajar universiti yang melimpah ruah tetapi apabila mereka keluar dari Universiti, peluang pekerjaan tidak disediakan kepada mereka. Bagaimana hendak menyediakan peluang pekerjaan yang setimpal dengan kelulusan mereka sedangkan pembangunan kerajaan ‘terhincut-hincut’. Oleh itu aku berpendapat belum masanya lagi kerajaan menyediakan pelajaran percuma kepada para pelajar Universiti kerana pendapatan negara yang sedikit perlu diagihkan kepada banyak perkara, bukan hanya kepada pelajaran sahaja.