Education Malaysian Style

Types of Schools in Malaysia
There are 2 main categories of schools in Malaysia: 'national type' (whose language of instruction is mainly Malay) or vernacular (whose main language of instruction is Chinese or Indian). Because of 'political' reason and Chinese or Indian being the language of instruction, most vernacular schools did not have Malay headmasters.

Malay Progression or Educational Regression?
From age 7 (1969) to 11 (1973), I studied in a 'national type' primary school (Pasar Road Primary School). When I started there, the headmaster was an Indian. By time I left it was a Malay. Same with my secondary school (Datok Lokman) - Chinese headmaster soon gave way to a Malay. By time I got to form 6 in VI (supposedly one of the top secondary schools in Malaysia) in 1980, it was already run by a Malay. This phenomenon was widespread in the national type schools by 1980. If the large scale promotion of Malays to such important roles as headmasters was based on merit, then in a short time the Malays have made significant progress indeed. But if that was the case, why is it that the NEP is still required today - 22 years later?

The real answer may lie in PM Mahathir's public explanation in 2000 as to why there was increasing number of non-Chinese sending their children to Chinese schools. According to him it was not because they wanted their children to learn Chinese but the teachers were more dedicated. Therefore parents that want their children to do well (in real terms I guess) in education send them to the Chinese schools.

For Students or Teachers?
Directly opposite my old primary school was a Chinese primary school (Chin Woo Chinese Primary). During my 1st year at Pasar Road School, it had a brand new 4-storey building. Throughout my years there, Chin Woo only had a 2-storey building. When I visited the place a few years back there were noticeable changes in both schools. Chin Woo had a new 4-storey classroom block in place of the 2-storey block it had. The new addition to Pasar Road School was a teacher's recreational centre!

Enterpreneurship or Mismanagement of Teachers?
During my days in secondary school we had a few school teachers (characters) that I remembered well. The year I was in Form 1 was the year when Malaysia hosted the Hockey World Cup, and there was a Sikh teacher in charge of physical education who took the opportunity to sell us hockey sticks he sourced from his brother’s sports shop. He sold them to us on installment basis, and we would pay him a dollar a week until we pay it off.

I also found that a Science teacher of ours who was also the discipline master of the school had his own shoe shop which he goes to run after school.

In Form 2 or 3, we had an ‘Industrial Arts’ teacher who sub-contracted door/window grille works that he farmed out to us students who did it as a source of pocket money. It involved essentially soldering of iron pipes to make grilles. I and some classmates joined in act but were not properly trained nor briefed on how to do soldering and the risk associated with it. As I was new I had to look directly at the spots that I was soldering instead of doing it behind the dark-gass shield. I paid dearly for that. After a day of doing that, my eyes were so strained that I had to sleep immediately after I got home. When I awoke, my eyes were oozing tears and ‘puss’, and was so painful that I could not open them hours!

Reserve or Deserve?
When I was in form 5 (17 years old), we sat for our MCE or 'O' level examination. The school had just published the results of a ‘trial exam’ and we were anxiously reviewing our results and counting the number of points we got. In real-life the points would determine whether we got to go on to form 6 (HSC or 'A' level) and then to university. So it was quite an important matter for all of us - at least that was what I thought. As me and a few friends were anxiously counting our points, a Malay schoolmate rode up to us in his bicycle wearing a grin on his face. He must have noticed our anxiety. His comment to us was this: you all (non Malays) have to worry about the number of distinctions and this points thing before you can go to the next grade and enter university. I on the other hand don't have to worry about them. I only have to pass my exams and I will get a place!

I was quite surprised to hear that. I did not know about the New Economic Policy well then. Although I knew that a quota was reserved for Malays in university and at work, I did not think of it the way this boy did! That was a day of reckoning for me and I could never forget that day. He must have been taught by someone (his parents probably) that there was no need for him to perform any better than just pass exams, and a place will be reserved for him in the university and presumably everything after that. And if every Malay kid thinks the way he did at that age they would probably never find the need to work hard for the rest of their lives!


The above is an example of how a system whose intention was to uplift a whole race but compromises on time tested considerations like meritocracy and quality actually resulted in the very opposite of what was intended.