Education is wasted in Malaysia . One cause for the continuous downfall of the education system is Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and lack of understanding what education really is.
Education is the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, and values through teaching and learning through schools, universities, and experiences.
Real education goes beyond grades and degrees. It is to encourage self-awareness, wisdom, and the ability to navigate life's challenges by helping one become a better, more complete person. Real education involves developing inner potential, cultivating wisdom, and gaining practical life skills for personal and vocational success .
The knee jerk response Character Development Programme due to the recent schoolgirl stabbing added on to an already packed school curriculum just speeds up the decline.
Fadhlina’s poor and very emotional responses to other issues like Palestine Solidarity Week and teaching students to clean toilets clearly highlights education has also been wasted on her. She is a lawyer by training and profession and was unable to give clear, logical, and concise rebuttals in Parliament and was wrought with emotions.
These two initiatives had stemmed from comments from her boss, Prime Minister Anwar. And she acted on them, pronto. Don’t it smack of shoe polishing?
Where are her own or her Ministry’s initiatives apart from the Character Development Programme? There is little but meanwhile she tries to be teacher’s pet by doing what teacher says.
Bullying in school is increasing and rape and murder in schools has occurred on her watch. Her defense of the students involved in the Melaka rape case in allowing them sit for their SPM exam though legally correct is very insensitive to the victim and leaves the public aghast at her triviality of the crime compared to exams.
Education is wasted on her as she does not acknowledge or is incognizant that this post is likely beyond her level of maturity, leadership, emotional intelligence, and knowledge. Her definition of “swept under the rug” contradicting her own director general points to discord, denial, and irresponsibility.
The post of Education Minister has in the past been a steppingstone for future top leaders of political parties and Prime Ministers. However, recent ones have not shown the pedigree to occupy this pinnacle post , likely wasting their education in climbing the political ladder.
Perhaps education has been wasted on the Prime Ministers too, who appointed the last corps of Education Ministers. They seem to lack the educated intuition, wisdom, and clarity in choosing the right candidate.
To make matters worse, Prime Minister Anwar has kept deceptively silent on his troubled appointee. Education is wasted when one does not acknowledged a wrong decision has been made and in spite of having the power to rectify it , does nothing.
Education is wasted because our authorities and people in power are themselves wasting their education. They have not used it wisely or continued their own education to ensure that the education for future generations does not fall into mindless and purposeless courses or using quick fix band aid to problems.
They have become lazy and irresponsible and foisted bad education policies to inadequately funded and equipped schools and on overworked and badly paid teachers.
It is time to put a kibosh on this wasteful failure and hire seasoned academics and teaching professionals to work with Ministry of Education officials to revamp the system and appoint a qualified educational person with a teaching background to be Education Minister.
Let’s not have education wasted anymore on our young.
Koo Wee Hon (kooweehon@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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