By Lian Cheng
KUCING, Oct 16: Management Board of Kuching Chung Hua Middle School No. 1, 3 and 4 chairman Datuk Richard Wee observed that Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik has been coming up with policies that did not matter.
Firstly, it was the swapping of white school shoes for black school shoes policy, and recently, he suggested arranging lesson schedules for three or four subjects per day.
“These are all minor and superficial decisions that do not deal with the real issue.
“He (Maszlee) should look into the education system and the curriculum in totality and try to find ways to raise our standard of education. Instead, he puts his attention on less important and superficial issues, such as what colour shoes should the students wear. Perhaps, in the next stage, what colour of socks should go with it,” Wee lamented to DayakDaily.
Wee said the suggestion of teaching only three to four subjects in order to reduce the weight of school bags was as unpractical as the black shoes replacing white shoes policy.
“There are many ways to reduce the weight of school bags, but to teach only three or four subjects per day is not practical,” he asserted.
In Wee’s opinion, before the Education Ministry makes changes, it should engage with the stakeholders first.
“If they are willing to engage the stakeholders in the discussion and decision, they may be able to come up with more practical feedback and constructive suggestions.
“Only with constructive suggestions would we be able to arrive at some practical solutions.
“If the Education Minister had consulted with the stakeholders first, surely he would not have come up with the decision to change school shoes from white to black ones,” he opined.
Wee disclosed that after the suggestion to teach only three to four subjects a day was announced, the board of management of several Chinese primary schools here attempted to contact the Education Department for clarifications.
“However, no one from the Education Department knows what is the actual curriculum and no one has the details. So what they are doing now is just to wait and see,” said Wee. — DayakDaily
