SMS Fantasyland

Our former prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in a speech at Sekolah Alam Shah on 10th August raised the issue of “SMS” and its apparent role in hindering the academic achievement of Malay students. This is of course, not the first time that this issue has been raised. If I’m not wrong, it was even raised by a Barisan MP in parliament not too long ago. As reported in Berita Harian:

Sambil merujuk kepada program realiti Akademi Fantasia 3 yang mendapat sambutan hangat, Dr Mahathir berkata:

“Kerana Mawi (Asmawi Ani) hingga tidak belajar. Saya pun tertanya-tanya sama ada AF3 patut disambung kepada AF4. Kita tidak boleh berjaya sebab jari bergerak (menaip khidmat pesanan ringkas) sedangkan otak tidak bergerak... buat untungkan syarikat telekomunikasi”.

So, is it really true that Malay students are so engrossed in SMS entertainment that they forget that they are supposed to study? I’ve also seen reports that many students apparently “burnt” their study loans sending premium rate SMS to these “reality TV” shows. Should these shows be banned?

As Tun Dr Mahathir rightly pointed out, our “meritocratic” education system should not be a barrier for Malays to do well in their education. After all, it’s the same system which the other ethnic communities are subjected to as well.

Dasar dan sistem yang digubal kerajaan bukan penghalang kepada pelajar Melayu untuk maju setanding kaum lain dalam bidang pendidikan… kerana dasar dan sistem yang sama dikenakan terhadap pelajar kaum lan lain dan mereka boleh berjaya.

The most important thing after all, is to have the heart to work and study hard to ensure success:

…yang penting, usaha bersungguh-sungguh untuk mencapai kejayaan dan bukannya asyik melakukan perkara yang boleh menjejaskan pelajaran.

Hence on the same note, the critical success factor for any student to succeed in his or her education is really their motivation and dedication. But taking away certain forms of entertainment, such as Akademi Fantasia, it’s not necessarily nor like to be changing their thinking. More likely than not, they will be looking instead for other forms of entertainment.

Should these students however, possess the necessary motivation and commitment to perform well in their studies, then taking part in entertainment activities and past time such Akademi Fantasia will not in any way make them achieve less.

Therefore, unlike what is propagated by many “moralists” and politicians, Akademi is not the root cause to the problems face by many Malay students in their educational pursuits. Irrespective of the types of entertainment available, if the students possess the correct mindset, they will excel in their studies.