GSA (UHAK1012) - Individual Case Study
The Education System In Malaysia
Education in Malaysia, like in other countries, consists of five stages of level which are pre-school, primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and post-graduate education. Education is vital as it influences one country’s attribute including but not limited to the economy, politics, social as well as the process of develop of the country. Education can be viewed as the procedure of transmission of knowledge and information, values and skills from one generation to the next generation. It instills not only the knowledge but also moral value and norms of a society. Jean Piaget once quotes “The goal of education is not to increase the amount of knowledge but to create the possibilities for a child to invent and discover, to create men who are capable of doing new things.” [8] That is why education is important for Malaysia’s future. However, nothing is perfect, including the education system in Malaysia. We cannot deny that there are weaknesses in the current education system in Malaysia. Such weakness may be improved if some parties are willing to take time to solve the problems.
One of the reasons why Malaysia’s government spend twice the amount of money in education compared to other Asian countries but still lagging behind those countries [7] is the application of standardized test in Malaysia’s education [6]. A standardized test is indeed the most popular way to judge a person’s knowledge. However, it is the best way to judge a person? The answer is no. Finland has no standardized test, yet it still scores excellent above average in both TIMSS and PISA, while Malaysia is in the third bottom in PISA. This kind of education is just like judging a fish by its ability to climb a tree, where every student are given the same question, the same amount of time and are marked based on the same answer scheme. It limits the students’ thinking skill, creativity and just allow them to think inside the box.
The second issue in the education system in Malaysia is the language used in teaching. Due to the government’s policies, some subjects such as Science and Mathematics in secondary and primary schools are taught in Malay. This causes a communication gap between those who are educated in English and those who are educated in Malay. The more severe problem is when they are going to tertiary education, the language used in teaching those subjects are in English. This makes the students confused, especially the terminology used in those subjects. Although students spend more than ten years in school learning English, a portion of them is still having difficulty mastering the language. There are much reasons such as learning methods, teaching methods, syllabus, and others. The government indeed plays an important role in handling such situation.
In order to encounter such issues, the governments and the Ministry of Education should take the first step. The education system should not focus only on standardized exam, but also focus on more assignments. It can be said that primary and secondary education are almost 100% exam-based. There should be more extensive, interactive, comprehensive individual or group assignments and presentations. [4] Students can practice speaking in front of a small audience, as a preparation to present in front of a big audience. This not only letting the students to gain knowledge on what they had learned, but also improve their soft skills such as communication skills, leadership skills, and others. In this era of technology, textbooks are no longer considers as a significant element in education. Education can be done through electronic media or virtually. For example, there is e-learning platform, where students can get any learning material from the internet. Besides, the online quiz is another way to evaluate a student, rather than a standardized examination.
Studies by Griggs and Dunn (1984), Smith and Renzulli (1984) and Wallace and Oxford (1992) have shown that a match between teachers’ teaching style and learners’ preferred learning style will increase learners’ motivation. However, mismatches between both styles will result in students becoming bored, discouraged, becoming inattentive and performing rather poorly in tests and assessments (Felder & Henriques, 1995; Godleski, 1984; Oxford, Ehrman & Lavine, 1991) [4]. Therefore the impact of the teacher is significant in education. In the effort of improving education in Malaysia, the Ministry of Education needs to improve the quality of teachers. One of the ways is to raise the requirement to be certified as a teacher. A good teacher must have good attribute besides than have powerful knowledge. A student is the reflection of his teacher, in term of knowledge, and also attribute. Therefore, strict punishment, such as reduced of pension, should be applied to the unmannered teachers, including those who are irresponsible.
Nevertheless, the government should not be the only party to be blamed for this issue. There are other factors that contribute to this problem including but not limited to the attitude of the learner itself, sources of knowledge and the lack of advanced technology in learning. That is a sign of relief that Finland, as one of the countries that have the most successful education system in the world, is ready to assist Malaysia to strengthen its education system by deploying their experts in Malaysia [2]. This was indeed an excellent beginning to improve our education system. If Malaysia follows their steps, surely it will not be a problem for us to be ranked in the world ranking of education in the future.
Reference
- A Malaysian (2018, May 22) ISSUES WITH MALAYSIA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM. Malaysian Families. Retrieved October 24, 2018, from https://malaysianfamilies.com/issues-with-malaysias-education-system/
- Azura Abas (2018, October 18) Malaysian education sector to benefit from cooperation with Finland. New Straits Times. Retrieved October 24, 2018, from https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/10/422392/malaysian-education-sector-benefit-cooperation-finland
- Rahimah Haji Ahmad (1998) Educational development and reformation in Malaysia: past, present, and Journal of Educational Administration,36(5): 462-475
- Wendy Hiew (2012) English Language Teaching And Learning Issues In Malaysia: Learners’ Perceptions Via Facebook Dialogue Journal. International Refereed Research Journal, 3(1):1-19
- Jean Piaget - Scientist, Psychologist, Biologist - Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/people/jean-piaget-9439915
- 3 issues with the Malaysian education system (2013, December 14) Retrieved October 26, 2018, from https://www.keithrozario.com/2013/12/3-issues-with-the-malaysian-education-system.html
- Alexandrea Roman. (2016, May 13) Why is Malaysia’s Education System Still Lagging Behind Its Neighbors. Convene. Retrieved October 26, 2018, from https://www.azeusconvene.com/problems-in-malaysia-education-system.
- https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/jean_piaget