After two years of the Madani government, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has shown below-par performance in addressing the urgent need to reform the national education system.
Recently, the Ministry of Education (MOE) launched a program to tackle disciplinary issues among school children. The name of the program launching was so unrealistically lengthy and filled with bombastic words - Majlis Peluncuran Kit Atur Gerak Perkasakan Karakter Karamah Insaniah dan Program Pemerkasaan Kehadiran Murid 2024.
The objectives are to strengthen collaboration between the police and education ministry, prevent students' misconduct, and provide a clearer perspective on character development by appointing students as “Character Ambassadors”.
Such a grand vision, though it looks good on paper, will not go anywhere. Firstly, we already have many initiatives to deal with students' misconduct- Pembimbing Rakan Sebaya is one of those. Nor is this the first of its kind. During Dr Radzi Jidin's time, the ministry launched the ‘Sekolahku Sejahtera’ campaign. What happened to that?
Secondly, why do you need another pupil to be the ‘ambassador’, whereas school prefects' selection is already based on character, among academic criteria?
Another vocal education critic, Dr Anuar Ahmad, has expressed concern over MOE's obsession with ad-hoc programs that are neither part of the official curriculum nor included in the school calendar, adding that the programs are reactionary but without long-term planning or consideration.
While our ministries are no strangers in opening ceremonies, launches, festivals, carnivals, competitions, exhibitions, briefings, talks, workshops, and meetings, involving school children in ad-hoc programs such as those means disrupting their learning session.
The questions are:
(a) Will the abundance of 'ad-hoc' programs in schools have a positive impact on our children's education?
(b) Will these 'ad-hoc' programs interfere with the students' learning time in class?
(c) Will the quality of teachers' planning and teaching be affected by the overload of 'ad-hoc' programs they must manage during school hours?
(d) Is what is already in the curriculum for each subject insufficient, and do students still need to be 'filled' with 'ad-hoc' programs? - Dr Anuar
With the launching of this new program, one also wonders what happened to the moral and agama subjects in school. Are they insufficient?
Another critic, Dr Othman Talib, said that while MOE has implemented various initiatives to enhance student outcomes, these efforts appear to be falling short of their intended goals, with progress seeming increasingly distant. He also added that the newly-introduced program is actually against the Education Act 1996 on the use of instructional period.
"Education, like industrial progress, is dynamic. Why is the industry always ahead? The answer is simple: the industry develops without restrictions, while education is hindered by bureaucratic complexities. The industry world is not a "one-size-fits-all" world, and that’s why it is dynamic. Education, on the other hand, is constrained by these issues.
"A phenomenon associated with the education system is the "Second System Effect" (SSE). SSE refers to adding processes, tools, and various strategies to an existing problematic education system (the first system), resulting in a second system that makes the first one even more complex.
"SSE occurs when education is further fragmented into smaller systems, obscuring the "big picture" of the education system outlined by the FPK / FPN. Introducing STEM and higher-order thinking (KBAT) as examples is seen as a new development in education, accompanied by loud slogans," - Dr Othman Talib.
There are more pressing issues that need to be addressed, from the lack of proper infrastructure to heavy syllabuses, to teachers' burden, to the overcentralized education ecosystem; Fadhlina did not show any determination nor sense of urgency to deal with the above-mentioned priorities. Though the slow decline in education quality is no fault of her own, Fadhlina had two years to overhaul the top brass of MOE. These are the people who have been advising various ministers. However, with another ad-hoc program, it would seem that no reform is coming.
Yes, there were some responses by MOE towards the growing criticism, particularly about the school's curriculum, but addressing critics is no achievement. After two years of the Madani government, there is nothing to shout about regarding educational reforms.
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