Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Malaysian Education System

The idea of having the high-performance schools creates a new dimension in Malaysian education system. 20 top schools across the country have been chosen to be declared as Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi (SBT). These schools have managed to fulfil certain requirements set by the ministry before they are accorded with this title. Looking at a bigger picture, we must start to think on how this new approach will benefit our education system thoroughly.

In every country, education system is vital in nurturing and producing the human capitals. Investment in the education system is highly needed because it is a long term investment for the country. This is the only place where we prepare our youngsters to face the world since the world is becoming more competitive. In order to survive these challenges, we must equip our students with vast experiences and knowledge.

Speaking on SBT (Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi), it is another quantum leap for the Ministry of Education. The selected schools have shown their great achievements in various fields. They are not only excelled in academics, but also in the co-curricular activities. In fact, these schools have gone further by building an international relationship with different schools in various countries.

On a positive side, it will act as an impetus for SBTs to maintain their good achievements. A huge sum of money will be given to the schools. It will help the schools in planning their programmes and activities. Theoretically, a grant is given to certain individuals or organizations in order to encourage their productivity and service. In this case, we expect no less from SBTs. They have to rise to the occasion – otherwise, the status might get revoked. Thus, in the long run, given with continuous support by the ministry, we will be able to see a huge improvement in these schools.

Yes, we hope for the best from them. Once the policy is launched, there will be lots of aspirations coming from different parties. However, I think there are a few issues need to be addressed when it comes to this High-Performance School.

Firstly, I actually get confused between the Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi and Sekolah Kluster. Under the Pelan Induk Pembangunan Pendidikan, we already have the Sekolah Kluster which aimed to produce excellent schools by focusing on their respective niche areas (kebitaraan). We had the launching programme for this and we gave them a huge sum of money. The question is simple. What will happen to these schools? We do not even evaluate the results from the Cluster Schools yet, and now we are having another group of schools.

We must also pay attention to the management of the school. These schools are given money and therefore the money should be spent wisely. Every suggested activity must be scrutinized thoroughly. This is important so that we don’t channel the money into an unnecessary spending. It will be a waste of money. The money cannot be spent for the sake of habiskan duit, but it must come with a proper planning so that our students will get the benefits.

Our education system must go through a major overhaul. The transformation is a must so that we are more flexible in facing the new world. The High Performance Schools is another milestone in our system. Therefore, everyone must buck up and double the works.

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