We need a complete overhaul of our education system, says NUTP

PETALING JAYA: Educationists are not surprised with the results of a recent study that shows that despite going to school for an average of 12 years, students get only about nine years’ worth of meaningful education.

“Time and again, we have pointed out the weaknesses in our system; our input on technical and vocational education and training, mismatch of teachers with the subjects they teach and a host of other problems – but they have not been thoroughly acted upon,” said National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Harry Tan.

“Many a time, the Education Ministry was more interested in the reporting rather than seeing to the effectiveness of their programmes and adamant in continuing the said programmes,” he said when asked about the study conducted by the Khazanah Research Institute (KRI).

Citing research done by the World Bank, the KRI report said Malaysian students had 3.1 years of schooling that did not contribute to their educational achievement.

Tan said numerous new programmes were introduced but these did not take into consideration the budget, the availability of resources and personnel.

Educationist Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam said there was an urgent need to revamp the education system.

Siva Subramaniam said the government needed to overhaul the system.

“So many cooks have spoiled the broth; our education is heading towards destruction.

“In the past, students received quality education and teachers taught according to the options they had majored in.”

Siva Subramaniam said the ministry should interact with and receive feedback from students to know what was wrong with the system at the grassroots level.

Former English teacher S. Sri Murugan said there was something fundamentally wrong with the delivery of education in schools.

“We cannot deny the fact that the countless number of programmes introduced in subjects have reduced the teachers’ contact time with students,” he added.

Sri Murugan recommended that the ministry revamp the system by returning to the core meaning of education.

“Make full use of the 40 minutes of a lesson to benefit students; therefore there would not be wasted years.”

So many cooks have spoiled the broth; our education is heading towards destruction. Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam