tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post114399369960315096..comments2024-03-21T20:10:28.943+08:00Comments on EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA: Smart Kids, Stressed TeachersUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1144301240482813112006-04-06T13:27:00.000+08:002006-04-06T13:27:00.000+08:00I was attending a Conference in Singapore for the ...I was attending a Conference in Singapore for the past two days. During one of the breaks, I met a Singapore Academician. When the conversation on what has been discussed here was brought up, he was surprise to know that teachers in Malaysia do not have assistants to assist them in admin duties.<BR/><BR/>Apperently, all Singapore school teachers have assistants to help them do paperwork, keeping schedules, meeting visitors, marking test paper, etc. That will lessen the work load of teachers leaving them to just concentrate on teaching.<BR/><BR/>When I came back and told my wife (who is a teacher, by the way) about this, she just let out a big sigh, shaked her head and did not say anything.<BR/><BR/>Sad...isn't it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1144212269341106102006-04-05T12:44:00.000+08:002006-04-05T12:44:00.000+08:00What Big Bird has said on the workload is so true!...What Big Bird has said on the workload is so true!<BR/>I suppose in some ways we are far more kiasu than the singaporeans, <BR/>we burden our academicians with so much workload that their creativity and desires to educate die out.<BR/>What's wrong with getting more people to handle clerical and managerial work, isn't that also a form of investment?<BR/>And let's not forget about those in the tertiary institutions as well. <BR/>Same old thing...it's the lecturers who handle the students' intake, practical training, invigilation, minutes writing, filing (according to ISO!) etc etc... and yet, they're also the lecturers, the researchers, the academic researchers....and with current going rates of hundreds of students in a batch, seems to me that they are turning into robots la...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1144162936216778792006-04-04T23:02:00.000+08:002006-04-04T23:02:00.000+08:00How many smart malaysians contributed to the growt...<I> How many smart malaysians contributed to the growth of Singapore? </I><BR/><BR/>The retiring Chief Justice of Singapore was a Malaysian who studied at Victoria Institution in KL, and the incoming Chief Justice was also a Malaysian!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1144162284797108362006-04-04T22:51:00.000+08:002006-04-04T22:51:00.000+08:00ratio of 2 teachers per class does not mean that 2...ratio of 2 teachers per class does not mean that 2 teachers are in one class. The present ratio is 1.5 teachers to a class. This is the ratio used to calculate the number of teachers allocated to a school. A higher ratio means that more teachers will be allocated and thus reduce the teaching load per teacher in a schoolAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1144127653378546872006-04-04T13:14:00.000+08:002006-04-04T13:14:00.000+08:00I'm glad there are still dedicated teachers around...I'm glad there are still dedicated teachers around. I applaud big bird's wife. We need more teachers like her.<BR/><BR/>No doubt there are a lot of competent teachers in non-national schools, how about the national schools? What's the percentage of really competent teachers? Eventhough there maybe a few, is that enough to say, "no, we don't need anyone to upgrade our quality?" Though there may be other factors also that we should look into, like the policies.<BR/><BR/>Like wise, better teaching tools and admin system will lead to better teaching quality! Big bird made his points!<BR/><BR/>It's true that one's productiveness is limited by the tools and system around you, but also by the "culture" of an environment! The policies created a culture everyone has to follow.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, why we want to "kia su" like Singapore? Why send your kids to school at 3 years old? Your kids only become smarter "earlier" and everybody's learning curve is going to meet at certain stage because the current system enforces that! It's not like you can skip primary school and straight jump to secondary school, complete thirtery ed by 16 and contribute to the working society at 17? If the policies doesn't allow that, what are we "kia su" about? Even if the system allows that, I want my kids to enjoy child hood and have fun of being a teenage.<BR/><BR/>Singapore's success today is because they have a good system, not because they send their kids to school at 2? They emphasize on the importance of good education, that's a good thing but becoming a maniac and building up of this "phobia" in every family of being loose out is really really bad! How many smart malaysians contributed to the growth of Singapore? Did they go to school at 2 or 3? Maybe should do a search how many successful people or genius go to school at 2 or 3... then we can decide if we really need to send our kids to school that early!<BR/><BR/>Sorry for being long winded.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1144125363958011162006-04-04T12:36:00.000+08:002006-04-04T12:36:00.000+08:00I agree with you, Tony. A first step would be to s...I agree with you, Tony. A first step would be to separate the admin/operations and the academic functions. An admin or operations manager to take charge of office paperwork and day to day functions will free the teachers to concentrate on teaching and preparation of teaching content and study aids. This is the immediate remedy.<BR/><BR/>Revamp and streamline the school information and admin system and the necessary hardware so that it is standardized throughout the country. AirAsia uses the same strategy to minimise on maintenance. This will improve efficiency and will expedite deployment of staff so that the equipment and procedures are exactly the same anywhere.<BR/><BR/>Focus on quality of trainees accepted into the TTCs. The government is obsessed with churning out the numbers to fill the vacancies but sadly at the expense of quality. This is a long term solution and will only see results after the cari-makan types are slowly filtered out of the system.<BR/><BR/>But does the government have the will to do anything?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1144092047203185382006-04-04T03:20:00.000+08:002006-04-04T03:20:00.000+08:00My Mom is a chemistry teacher. She gets stressed u...My Mom is a chemistry teacher. She gets stressed up all the time with loads of non-value-added chores. <BR/><BR/>When asked why she's doing it, she always shrug it off and said: "its an order from the top. We can't go against it". I was curious as to who's at the 'top'. <BR/><BR/>I think there should be a mechanism where policies can be reviewed properly by a committee of teachers. A check and balance system of some sort needs to be introduced. <BR/><BR/>It would be not easy but the teachers union should do something. A few brain-storming ideas to consider: What is the purpose of the paperwork? how effective is it? Is it really used in the right way or is it being stashed away? What specific changes are needed? who do we talk to to request that change? Is it legal for the teacher's union to go on strike? <BR/><BR/>For many reasons, we rarely pursue what we want. People reading this blog would chuckle in disagreement (or agreement) and continue on with our lives. Few have the passion or courage to take a stand on an issue and push for positive change.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1144086253556835912006-04-04T01:44:00.000+08:002006-04-04T01:44:00.000+08:00well said, big bird! i attended an urban chinese s...well said, big bird! i attended an urban chinese school, and there were many smart students around. but the students and teachers complement each other, my teacher(s) always said, " we are still learning", notice the "we".<BR/><BR/>i was a class monitor for all my high school years. it was my duty to assist the teacher in class duties and stuff, and i did see the heavy paper workload teachers had to manage. lets not forget that there are ppl that are just as sympathetic as you are. i'm with you!<BR/><BR/>-xiaoernAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1144084492538537062006-04-04T01:14:00.000+08:002006-04-04T01:14:00.000+08:00My wife has been a school teacher for more then 18...My wife has been a school teacher for more then 18 years and she is currently teaching in a Chinese new village school.<BR/><BR/>From my observations and from my regullar discussions with her, the so called smart students normally comes either in the urban areas or their parents are normally well to do. Cases of smart "kampung" students are quite rare. Student's background? So under what context of comparison are we making here? What are the factors that comtribute to this phenomenon? <BR/><BR/>We can't be making general assumptions of the whole teaching scene just by looking at the urban schools. Let's go back to the small towns and kampungs. Then you will see that the weak students outnumbers the smarts ones anytime. Enough said on this.<BR/><BR/>On the subject of admin work by teachers. Why don't you guys just come to the schools and observe for a week or so. The reasons why Singapore teachers are assumed to be more efficient are the fact that in terms of infra-structure, they beat us anytime. Example are like name list being fully computerised, database of students needed to be updated only once. Facilities that are more "cangih" then ours. Teaching aids and tools are years ahead of ours, State of the art labs.... Need I continue?<BR/><BR/>Yes, we are not making much inroads in the quality of our teachers when compared to Singapore. Why? May I ask. Do you know how much teachers in Singapore are paid compared to those in Malaysia? Hey, cheap things not good, good things not cheap lah.....<BR/><BR/>Do not genaralise teachers capabilities and abilities. There are some who sincrely wants to serve their country or who are really commited to the teaching profession. Many like my wife, are also there for the love of teaching.<BR/><BR/>It can be quite discouraging to read that there are those who feel so nagatively. <BR/><BR/>And to answer Anonymous ...the "PROBLEM", if you want to call it, lies with the System and its Policy Makers. Stop blaming the Teachers. It makes the sacrifices that some (if not all)teachers made, seem so insignificant(sigh).<BR/><BR/>Now I can understand why I choose to sent my Kids to a Kampung school eventhough I work in KL. All my friends in KL thought that I was crazy. I never regreted it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1144077414211099912006-04-03T23:16:00.000+08:002006-04-03T23:16:00.000+08:00I think the 70% fit just nice to the intake ratio ...I think the 70% fit just nice to the intake ratio (here comes the issue again :D) So why dont just admit that those teachers do not have to basic necessary skills to be a teacher at all, although i generally agreed that the kids are much way smarter than their predecessors. Perhaps if you consider this, arent the newby teachers suppose to be smarter than their predecessors as well? So where's the problem :)?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com