Monday, June 23, 2008

WHEN DOGS COME INTO EDUCATION

Many years ago, my friend who was a lecturer at a teachers training college in Johor Bahru lamented at the quality of the trainee teachers there. His profound words “education has not gone to the dogs but instead dogs have come into education” remains etched in my mind.

Now let me make it clear that it is not my intention to insult teachers. I have uncles and aunties who were school teachers and incidentally my good mother was also a teacher. Many of my school teachers had a great impact in my life and most of all Mr Chakravathy of Sekolah Menengah Tinggi Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. I still remember going to see and inform him that I will be leaving for teachers training. Instead he tore into shreds my teachers training selection notification and sternly told me to continue with my studies. Phew! what a right decision it has turned out to be.

Reading, Hannah Yeoh’s latest posting in her web-log www.hannahyeoh.blogspot reminds me of my friend’s profound words.

Hannah Yeoh is the DAP Assemblywoman for Subang Jaya. This law graduate from University of Tasmania and incidentally where I too graduated from, was a student of SMK Subang Jaya and was also the Head Prefect for the year 1995/1996. For years there has been a tradition of an annual Prefect Reunion where former and present prefects attend the function which is actually a private function.

What has made Hannah really upset is because some cabbage brained teachers saw it fit to issue a threat to the school prefects to withdraw their invitation to her and even worst to issue an ultimum that should Hannah be invited the function will be cancelled. I just wonder how sensisitive would her presence be at the function. Do the teachers think Hannah will turn the prefects reunion function into a political function and give a political ceramah or use the opportunity to recruit members for DAP? Come of it !

How true are the profound words of my friend said years ago. Dogs have indeed come into education. The school and the teachers of SMK Subang Jaya rightfully should feel proud that one of their students had not only qualified as a lawyer but also has now been elected as an Assemblywoman. Instead, these dumb-asses saw it fit to cast Hannah as an outcast for no other valid reason but simply because she was a DAP Assemblywoman. Had she been a BN Assemblywoman, the school would have had a special assembly and everyone connected with the school from the Principal to the tuck-shop operator to the lolly-pop man would have jostled to kiss her her arse in the hope of getting some “peruntukkan or surat sokongan”. The PIBG Chairperson would have been there with a garden of flowers pinned on his bush-jacket giving an off tangent glowing speech about the government and pleading for “peruntukkan untuk PIBG”.

It is sad that there are teachers who have been so brainwashed that they live in a blinkered and skewered world devoid of any logical and sensible reasoning. I still remember when I was selected by my class teacher to speak on the best book I have read and why to the class. I told the class the best book I read (then) was Time Bombs in Malaysia by Lim Kit Siang and went on to talk about what Lim Kit Siang said about the real situation in Malaysia and what was Malaysia’s future. Through out the session, the teacher felt really uneasy and after I had finished sarcastically quipped “lain kali baca buku yang lebih bermanfaat”. She just could not accept “such books”. She would have been happy as a button if I had said that the book I read was “ Hikayat kura- kura lawan arnab”. Incidentally when I became the top student for History, she presented me the book “The Malay Dilemma”.

Coming back, it is really despicable that teachers have became agents and tools of the government and has no qualms about and are willing to intimidate, instill fear and threaten others against others who do not share their belief - all hallmarks of the government. Teachers not only ought to impart knowledge but also identify role models which their students can emulate. Who better than their ex-students as role models. They ought to be proud of the achievements of the schools’ ex- students. Sadly, the teachers of SMK Subang Jaya are blissful to live in their cloistered coconut shell and see it fit to demean and mortify their own (ex) student. Would the teachers of SMK Subang Jaya reacted in the same manner had Hannah Yeoh been the Assemblywoman from BN? Surely not !

Rightfully, the parents of SMK Subang Jaya should demand an explanation from the Principal and identify the dumbass behind the withdrawal of the invitation. In fact that person could be a real threat to other students for that person may have his/her own agenda to poison the young minds at SMK Subang Jaya with his/her own skewed thoughts and other propaganda.

Truly, we can do without these petty minded teachers who are nothing who only know how to only froth the rulling party’s agenda.

17 comments:

  1. Norman, sir, I took the liberty to provide your link to my readers. I hope you do not mind. Your piece was a gem.

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  2. Are we all surprised? Damn these assholes. I am glad my children were never educated by these fools...even
    intelligent children will be made dumbheads! They say, if you give to the Umno a gold mine they will turn it into a shit mine. By the way Norman, one of my children also graduated from Tasmania University.

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  3. .Last August,my family and I visited my parents in Malaysia.When I spoke to my sister's daughter who was 10 yrs old then,I found that her command of the English langguage had deteriorated.So I chided my sister and this is what my sis had to tell me:What do you expect from a buzy working parent like me,when her own English teacher cant speak the English langguage properly?

    My sis produced a letter from her daughter's school teacher and told me to read it.OMG...it was pathetic,I felt sorry for my niece and the likes of her.We immediately arranged for a private english tuition lessons for my niece on top of the other lessons she was already taking up.

    This is just the tip of the iceberg.I am sure all the readers here would be able to guess as to the ethnicity of the so called teacher or even teachers.

    Oneday I am sure my wonderful twins would be either thanking their lucky stars or their parents for bringing them to Australia at the tender age of 4.

    This is what will happen 'when dogs come into education'.What a sorry state of the Malaysian education system!!!!!!!

    Gone are the days when our national schools were represented by dedicated,intelligent and fair minded teachers,who made my schooling life so wonderful and excited.And I wish to dedicate this to one of my teachers,the late Mr.Ram(Ramaiah).After 33 years he is still etched in my mind.Will we ever find such dedicated souls again?

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  4. Either transfer the said teachers out, or shift out your children to another school which is proud of their ex-students.

    Negative teachers destroyed and vanquished a reputable school .

    Parents should wise up.

    PTA speak up ?

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  5. the is the results of giving morons crutches, lowering standards in schools, universities and giving prefrental treatment to bumiputras, when they could not achieve the minimum standard passing marks, the passing marks were lowered wonder what is the passing mark for them now 10?, during my time it was 50 minimum for a total of a 100, so when you give passing marks to morons whose capability is such and on top of that give them tittles and phd, what do you expect, we should just ask some totalirian regime like the khmer rouge come to malaysia and totally "reeducate" them in the killing fields of yesteryear, and than start afresh, you will find malaysia cleaned of this unwanted garbage of a race.

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  6. As many of you already knows, it is a foregone conclusion that our spoken English is horrible. How can the students speak reasonably good English when the teacher entrusted to do the job speaks broken English

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  7. Why blame the teachers?
    Their command of the English Language?
    Passing marks in public exams?
    Inviting guests to school functions?
    When do you think that the teachers decided on such matters?
    The "dasar" or policy is made by the minister on top!
    Every year they want the results to the best in the history. Recall the era of Badawi, Anwar and Najib as educationg ministers. The wanted to out perform the previous minister.
    Does anyone think that the teachers who finished their entire schooling in BM (for awhile it was Bahasa Melayu, then Bahasa Malaysia and now back to Bahasa Melayu) is qualified to teach in English. Is this problem unique to eduaction?
    The ministry decides everything now. Pity the headperson of the SMK Subang Utama and the teachers (many are surely support BN) are called 'dogs'. I am sure there are al least few in the school clever and open minded.
    Change must be made from the top. Overnight education ministry makes changes. Do you want to ask the teachers to go to the street to protest.

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  8. This is the biggest reason I dread the thought of coming back from the UK to Malaysia (if ever!).

    If you think Subang Jaya and KL schools are bad, check out Bahau and similar towns OUT of the Federal Territory and areas centered around it.

    With racist, feudalistic Education Ministers, what can we expect?

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  9. Norman.
    You are to much,
    The dogs have more brain then the politician.

    At least the dog more trustworthy then the education minister who keep changing all the history throu their political game.

    Double meaning if say "dogs come to education" - The UMNO dogs come to education,its will sound better.

    rajraman-I have a dream - can you ask haris ibrahim what my dream?

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  10. Spot on Norman! However, we must not blame the teachers alone. The directive surely would come from the education ministry. It is a sad state of affairs for Malaysia. Practicing double standards when it come to BN or the opposition is clearly very childish and immature. PR politicians know how to conduct themselves properly in any function they attend BUT not their BN counterparts. If the latter attended a PIBG meeting they will surely turn it into a political event which is sooo irrelevant at that function! Talk about "nutheads"! (A favourite term from my Form 3 Maths teacher, David Fernandez)
    No wonder my former teachers opt to emigrate in the late 80s to Australia & New Zealand. They knew the rot in the educational system is expanding and will inevitably engulf the whole nation within 10 - 15 year's time.
    Frankly, I worry about the state of this country when we have teachers like this who can't differentiate between common sense and downright blind loyalty double standards ****amamie.

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  11. norman,

    You insult the canine family. I have 3 dogs, all above age 10, and they had early on insisted on being home schooled, smart animals that they are. They recognized the rot in the Malaysian education system. They also insist none of their family members are in any way involved in the Malaysian education system, either as students, teachers or administrators. Please allot the blame elsewhere. Be fair.

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  12. Do you still remember who the culprit that changed the whole education system from english to bahasa malaysia ( baku kunon!)- ?? The then Minister of Education, none other then anwar ibrahim
    http://ctannie.wordpress.com/

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  13. Do you still remember who the culprit that changed the whole education system from english to bahasa malaysia ( baku kunon!)- ?? The then Minister of Education, none other then anwar ibrahim
    http://ctannie.wordpress.com/

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  14. Siti,

    You are WRONG. When the medium of education was changed from English to Malay, MAHATHIR was the main instigator.

    Bahasa Melayu in the System of Education:

    1957 . Compulsory subject in primary and secondary schools
    1970 . Medium of instruction in Standard 1
    1975 . All English Primary Schools were converted into National Primary Schools
    1976 . Medium of instruction in Form 1
    1979 . Medium of instruction in Form VI, arts stream
    1980 . Medium of instruction in Year 1 of arts faculty in universities
    1981 . Medium of instruction in Form VI, science stream
    1982 . Medium of instruction at all levels in schools
    1983 . Medium of instruction for all courses in universities

    (taken from official Education website)

    Mahathir became the Minister of Education from 1974 up to 1978. Anwar became the Minister of Education in 1986 only. Meanwhile, Najib was the Deputy Minister of Education in 1980.

    The other 2 main culprits besides Mahathir are Tun Razak (71-76) and Hussein Onn (76-81), who were the PMs at this time.

    And now we have their sons wreaking havoc in our education system.

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  15. siti rohani is wrong when she stated that it was anwar ibrahim as education minister when the medium of instruction was changed from english to bm. it was done at least 10yrs before anwar held the office.
    anwar had wanted to change the character of vernacular schools. after the ge, najid who replaced him aborted the proposed change in the education act.
    anwar's intention was noble, and can in fact be even described as courageous. however, it was not too "politically" cleverly packaged then

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  16. siti rohani's is wrong when she stated that it was anwar ibrahim as education minister who switched the medium of instruction from english to bm. it was some 10yrs before anwar held office.
    anwar was the minister who wanted to turn all vernacular schools into national schools. his intention was noble and could be regarded as courageous but was politically rather ill planned. after the ge when najib took over he aborted the proposed change in the education act.

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  17. Norman,

    you have insulted dogs which are highly intelligent animals.

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