Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Kuala Lumpur On 9.8.2016.
The Education Ministry Should Admit Its Defects And Revamp The National Education Curriculum For Failing To Be Malaysian With Only 4% Of Non-Malays Enrolled In National Schools As Compared To The Greater Diversity And Malaysianness Of Chinese Schools With 18% Non-Chinese Students.
The Education Ministry should admit its defects and revamp the National Education Curriculum for failing to be Malaysian with only 4% of non-Malays enrolled in national schools as compared to the greater diversity and Malaysianness of Chinese schools with 18% non-Chinese students. Whilst we would agree with Education Minister Dato Seri Mahdzir Khalid that Chinese schools would never be a mainstream school in 10 years time and it impossible to replace national schools, Mahdzir must concede that national schools have failed to promote greater diversity and a more Malaysian character when even Chinese schools are more multi-racial than national schools.
Recently retired council member of the National Education Advisory Council Prof Dr Teo Kok Seong, said national schools registered only four per cent non-Malay students, while the Chinese schools had 18 per cent non-Chinese students, with the numbers of non-Chinese students expected to go up each year. More non-Chinese parents are refusing to sign up their kids in national schools instead opting for vernacular schools.
A study carried out by the 13-member council made up of educationists, corporate figures and former top-level education department officers, listed five main reasons keeping middle and upper income parents away from national schools. The first was poor teaching and delivery methods by the teachers; second, the administration of national schools was dominated by one race; third, the schools were seen as being too Islamic; fourth, disciplinary issues were seen as a major problem; and finally, some schools were not maintained well, with outdated computers.
Teo said recommendations were made to allow teachers who were good in a particular subject to be appointed head of the subject so that the teacher would be able to guide other teachers well. “For instance, if an Indian teacher is good in English, that teacher should be heading that unit. But instead, preference is given to someone else who is not capable of guiding others. It is the same with a school’s principal. The head of the school should be someone who is most capable to run a school, he added”
Teo continued, “There should not be preference according to a race. Parents just want someone who is capable of teaching and disciplining their kids. If this can be done, the government will be able to regain confidence and attract more non-Malays into national schools.”
DAP reiterates its call to put meritocracy and performance back into our education system or else not only will our educational standards suffer but even Malay parents will opt out by choosing Chinese schools for their children. If education continues to be politicised and the pursuit of excellence is left behind to enable the BN government to score political points, then our children will be the sacrificial lambs with inferior standards and low competitive levels.
Malay parents are aware of the weak command of science and maths amongst 15 year old Malaysian students, not just losing out to Singapore or South Korea, but which according to the Programme for International Student Assessment(PISA), is even inferior to Thailand and Vietnam. This is the reason why Malay parents who wanted to see their children excel in mathematics and loved the up-to-date computer and sports facilities offered at Chinese schools, send their kids there knowing their children are in good hands.
DAP urges the Education Ministry to wake up and face up to its failures by taking into account this latest report. We should not lose another generation of excellent students and see countries like Thailand and Vietnam not only catching up but also surpassing us.
LIM GUAN ENG
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民主行动党秘书长兼峇六拜国会议员林冠英于2016年8月9日在吉隆坡发表的文告
教育部应该承认要用以塑造马来西亚人的国家教育大纲存有缺陷及改革失败，因为国民学校只吸引了4%的非巫裔学生入读，相反的华校却更加显得多元性更具马来西亚特质，吸引了18%的非华裔学生。
教育部应该承认要用以塑造马来西亚人的国家教育大纲存有缺陷及改革失败，因为国民学校只吸引了4%的非巫裔学生入读，相反的华校却更加显得多元性更具马来西亚特质，吸引了18%的非华裔学生。虽然我们必须同意教育部长拿督斯里马哈基尔所说，华校毕竟无法在10年内成为主流，更不可能取代国民学校，但是马哈基尔也必须承认国民学校无法真正提倡多元化及更具马来西亚特质，反而华校比国民学校更多元种族。
最近刚退休的国家教育咨询委员会成员张国祥教授称国民学校只有4%的非巫裔学生报读，相反有18%的非华裔学生报读华校，而且预料华校的非华裔生每年将持续增加。越来越多非华裔家长拒绝为他们孩子报读国民学校而报读母语学校。
这项由13名委员会成员所进行的研究报告，其成员包括了教育家、企业人士及前教育机构高官，该研究指出五个原因为何中高收入阶层家长不愿报读国民学校。第一、教师的教学品质与方式低落；其次是国民学校的管理阶层被单一种族掌控；第三、学校越来越伊斯兰化；第四、纪律问题日趋严重；最后就是有些学校疏于维护，所拥有电脑已经落后的不堪使用。
张国祥建议让擅长特定科目的教师受委为该科目主任，以便能更妥善带领其他教师进行教学。张教授举例“例如，若一位印裔教师擅长教英文，那么他理应委任为英语课的主任。可现实的情况是该职位却托给了不胜任指导他人的师资。他也补充，学校的校长也一样，理应让最有能力治理学校的师资担任。”
张教授继说 “学校不应以种族为依据。家长要的只是有能力教导及能循循善诱他们小孩的教师。如果这能做到，政府就有能力重新赢回及吸引非巫裔报读国民学校。”
行动党重申及呼吁重新将绩效及表现制度带回我们的教育系统，不然，不只我们的教育水准遭殃，甚至连巫裔家长也会舍弃国民学校，为他们的小孩选择华校。若教育原本应该追求卓越的宗旨被搁在一旁，却持续被政治化，好让国阵从中捞取政治利益，那么我们的小孩将只能获得低劣水准及低级竞争水平的教育，成为牺牲的羔羊。
巫裔家长深懂15岁上下的大马学生在掌握科学与数学的能力低弱，不只落后新加坡或韩国，根据国际学生评估计划（PISA）所揭露，大马学生比泰国及越南还不如。这就是为何巫裔家长愿意送他们的小孩在华校接受更卓越的数学教育及更佳的电脑与体育器材，确保他们的孩子能获得妥善的教育。
行动党呼吁教育部能醒悟并面对失败，认真看待这项研究报告。我们不应该把我们下一代的卓越学生也失去，眼巴巴看着泰国及越南不只追上我们，还超越我们。
林冠英