New reformation for Sabah Education?

Waiting to see if new policies will bring results 

By: Bismillah Kader 

WHILE we wait for the Prime Minister's announcement of reforms to education it appears that some school principals, parents and leaders in education are sceptical, even distrustful of the Government's intent and have already prepared themselves for disappointment and failure. It is ever easy to blame the Government for things that go wrong or don't work.

It is tempting to think one can do better and to ask for the freedom or autonomy to make decisions free from national and State constraints. We have a Government showing that it takes note of what the people want. There has been a great deal of criticism about our education system.

Most of the criticisms played out in the media have focused on the unreadiness of graduates for employment because of lack of proficiency in English; lack of equal access to opportunities to Government sponsored higher education programmes, the decision to go back to teaching all subjects in Bahasa Malaysia and generally, criticisms about the quality of teachers and teaching.

In response to this criticism, the Government has carried out a review of education, inviting the silent majority to speak out. Reports from colleagues who have been involved confirm that the review process is a genuine effort to listen, evaluate and report on every angle of our national and state educational provisions with a view to improve our education system so that all can benefit.

Will the silent majority expect changes? If so, what changes? Will the changes they want be the same as those of the vocal minority?

We know that the civil servants in the various ministries who are given the tasks to make the changes and to help with achieving new targets are often the same people who have implemented previous policies and so may be slow to change their own mindset, to subscribe to new policies and to find budgets and sources of funds to make things happen.

That may be among the reasons that "things are still the same" and why "while we are good at making policies, we fail miserably when we come to implementation".

We often hear of the need to "address teachers' mindset".

Surely, we should be wary of the mindset of principals of schools, too?

Teachers often become principals.

Would we "give schools autonomy and untie the hands" of head teachers and principals who are not accountable to the Government, the state and the electorate?

If we look at the way Malaysia has changed in the last decade, let alone in the last 55 years, we have to conclude that there have been massive changes not "just minor changes". What we want are changes that ensure benefits for all.

No community and no individual should be left behind in our Economic Transformation Programme. Everyone matters.

That should be the measure of the Government's failure or success.

We, the people, including teachers, education administrators and civil servants, need to keep up with the Government.

We should ask how we can improve our day-to-day work to achieve the transformation our nation needs.

Whether we work in our own business, a corporation, the private sector or the public sector we should be thinking citizens and productive workers.

Whether in school or factory, work and reward for work have changed for employees.

Job scopes have increased.

Aspirations of style of life have risen. There is a growing gap between aspiration and achievement manifesting in a "lack of passion and commitment". It is a generation problem and not confined to teachers in our public school system.