The education system in Malaysia is totally screwed up. There’s no joke about that. For those who are not parents yet will never understand the frustration that they are having when their children are forced to endure an education system where academical achievement is highly appreciated and more valued.
The kids who couldn’t catch up with the academical based education system or still in their ‘exploration’ stage where they want to experience and experiment with what’s going on around them are considered retarded and incapable of learning anything at all, and they are suggested to go to ‘special’ school because the ‘educators’ thought that are a nuisance and merely impeding others from advancing.
As of late, I get to experience first hand seeing nasty and kiasu attitude displayed by people who have the cheek who called themselves educators. This shocked me to death. I had not realized that Malaysian education system is so damn screwed up. Not just mildly screwed up, but badly screwed up. Bloody and nasty at that!
There’s this kindergarten in KL, and they are using Fungates system where learning are supposed to be fun and not stressful. The system are supposed to allowed children to learn while playing, and yet the kindergarten ‘teachers’ and the bloody principal are doing the exact opposite, which is rushing off with the syllabus even with children who are first timer in kindergarten.
First timer that I’m referring to are those little children who barely turn 4 yet. First year in kindergarten. Some are still in diapers, vocabulary are limited, and still wailing for their mummies and daddies when they are left in the care of those teachers. These children’s communication skill is of course quite terrible. They will fight over toys, cry when they feel like it, pee in their pants and so the list would go on and on. These ‘teachers’ coaxed the children during the first day of orientation, but apparently their ‘kind’, ‘loving’ and ‘passionate about children’ motto seems to have expiry date, as at the second day of school, children are expected to already know how to hold the pencil or already know how to do colouring, and they are no longer expected to run around, mingle or even yell wail for their mom and dad. They are also expected to answer to their given names when sometimes, these kids do not even know what their names are as they go by petnames at home.
Now, I must say, this kind of expectation is quite high for children who haven’t even turn 4 years old yet. Some parents do not teach their little ‘babies’ at home. They prefer to send their children to kindergarten when they reach kindergarten age and let the teachers teach their children the basics. This certain kindergarten, however expects the children that have been sent to them to know every goddamn basic.
What the hell is all this all about? I thought it’s teacher’s job to teach these little children those basics like how to hold the pencil and do colouring and stuff. Why the hell are they just standing in front and do lecturing? What happened to the good old guiding children how to use pencil by holding their hands? Something is very, very wrong here. I am not a kindergarten teacher, however, I think it is not right to just rush off with the syllabus without letting the children get used to their environment and know the basics. I also know it’s bloody wrong to treat 3 1/3 years old children like primary school children. These children are not trained in the field of communication. They are supposed to be taught how to behave with their peers. These children cannot be expected to have social skills of those who went for finishing school. They are children. they probably only sticked to their parents and immediate relative in their 3 1/2 years of life. How are they supposed to know they are not supposed to share things or not throw tantrums when they couldn’t get what they want? Teachers are supposed to teach them not expect them to behave like some 12 years old kids.
Education are just another form of lucrative business these days, especially the kindergarten business. The fees are goddamn expensive. Everything involves money. One year, one could spend an average of more than Rm5k for their kids kindergarten and daycare program. But it aggravates me to see that some kindergarten teachers expected to have an easy job when they deal with first time students. When they come across children who are handful, they get very pissed off and couldn’t wait to toss them aside and expel them and never to see them again. Children who have ADHD (Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) or refused to listen and follow their instruction because he/she do not respond well to bloody strangers that they only know for 2-3 days are considered retarded, and incapable of learning and of course, they would do anything to get the child off the kindergarten compound as soon as possible because they refused to spend time and effort to get these children’s attention and educate them.
I had known that Malaysian education system is very screwed up, but I did not realize that it’s extremely screwed to the point where even in kindergarten, the children are not allowed to be active, slow learner or even mediocre. They must not be different at all cost, or they will be labeled retarded, uncontrollable and is not capable of learning at all. They must excel and expected to be the Jack of all trade even on their first week of kindergarten, or else, they will be expel, because the kindergarten have a name to live up to.
I would not believe all this if I did not see such things with my very own two eyes. The principal of the kindergarten is not nurturing despite of having extensive training in early education. All she seems to do is ” This kid ADHD ah? Eh, retard la, stupid, dunno how to listen, cannot sit still, always running around, hard to teach, expel la! So mafan, like down syndrome nia. Must faster expel, if not, we susah nia.” and “This kid cry too much ah? Put her in one room alone la, nonid to care oredi” as well as “This kid hard to deal with, ask the parents to send him elsewhere.I don’t want obnoxious brat in my school”.
I’ve come to a conclusion that even the kindergarten are just another form of business now. If teachers refused to teach and nurture the younger generation and only care bout their savings account, what will become to our country, actually? I dare not think of the answer.
Cleffairy: If I have the chance to tell these kind of teachers and principal off, I would tell her to go and screw her own asshole inside out for refusing to teach and expel children who are hyper and challenging.These kind of ‘educators’ are ruining the good name of loving and nurturing teachers all around.
oh no next thing we know, there will be tuition center for kindergarten level.
Sad, and they dare to claim themselves as educators. wonder where or which institute train them to be teachers…
This is nasty!
I’m a future-teacher..slightly can be called as wannabe.
Yeah, I admit some so-called teachers (we are not supposed to called them as educators) are behave like that.
Why I said they can’t be called as educators?
Simply because, the functions of educators is not only teaching, but educate the students as well. That’s the main different, and if they failed to do so, sorry to say, for me, they are not qualified to be called so.
The system had been screw up?
For some reasons, I believe so too.
Why we learn everything in school and universities?
Bloody a lot of subjects….
It’s for knowledge and of course, the sake of exams.
Yeah!
People here are the product of exam-oriented!
They learn those theories, bla3..but dont know how to apply in real world.
This is nasty!
I’m a future-teacher..slightly can be called as wannabe.
Yeah, I admit some so-called teachers (we are not supposed to called them as educators) are behave like that.
Why I said they can’t be called as educators?
Simply because, the functions of educators is not only teaching, but educate the students as well. That’s the main different, and if they failed to do so, sorry to say, for me, they are not qualified to be called so.
The system had been screw up?
For some reasons, I believe so too.
Why we learn everything in school and universities?
Bloody a lot of subjects….
It’s for knowledge and of course, the sake of exams.
Yeah!
People here are the product of exam-oriented!
They learn those theories, bla3..but dont know how to apply in real world.
This is nasty!
I’m a future-teacher..slightly can be called as wannabe.
Yeah, I admit some so-called teachers (we are not supposed to called them as educators) are behave like that.
Why I said they can’t be called as educators?
Simply because, the functions of educators is not only teaching, but educate the students as well. That’s the main different, and if they failed to do so, sorry to say, for me, they are not qualified to be called so.
The system had been screw up?
For some reasons, I believe so too.
Why we learn everything in school and universities?
Bloody a lot of subjects….
It’s for knowledge and of course, the sake of exams.
Yeah!
People here are the product of exam-oriented!
They learn those theories, bla3..but dont know how to apply in real world.
go get a plasticbag cover your face and a broomstick to wack them inside out la. but if you get caught dont find me la. lol
I think generally, the whole education system from bottom to top in malaysia sucks,,,,in kindergateen, the teachers are using market English to teach the little ones,something like this “you got do your home work or not?”and in the uni level, they dont even know what a neurosergeon is.
I always encourage my sons to chanllenge the teacher’s answer, if they think that their answers are more correct than their teachers,it doenst matter if they court the wrath of teachers, i told them i would be the first one there to stand up for them.
To share one incident with you, i told my son to skip the after school tuition class (it is not endorsed by Edu Ministry), and i was summoned to see the principal who rebuked for my recalsitrant, i told the principal, after school what my son needed was to go out and play, of which i stood my ground and my son is the only one in the whole school not attending the after school tuituion class.
Even now at primarily six, my son only goes for one tuiton class, that is the mandarin writing class, for i want him to enjoy the beauty of chinese language.
If my son doenst score straight As, i am confident that he will still be a great man in the future.
Sigh…
I think I need to save more money now. Maybe need to think about Migration – to give my kids a better future……
Yerrrrr…. I have a friend who teaches at a learning center for music and her students are as young as TWO YEARS OLD!!! Goodness…and I keep telling her “LET KIDS BE KIDS!!” But it’s not her fault anyway, it’s the screwed up system like you mentioned. Luckily my friend has patience and love of a saint so those kids are very fortunate to be under her wing.
I admit that I grew up being accustomed to the system – that I needed to be the best of everything, but when I begin to join other programs out of school, I realized that it doesn’t matter the number of A’s you have – everyone has their own way of learning and it’s up to educators to find out what they are and make the best out of it. I have an IQ of higher than 130, but that doesn’t put me along the lines of Isaac Newton because the laws of Physics just isn’t my thing. Thank God for understanding parents so they don’t force me to do things that I don’t want to.
Back in kindergarten, I’d say that I was blessed with really great teachers. They taught us how to hold our pencils correctly, and even suggested alternative methods for students who couldn’t adapt. Heck, even my tuition teacher when I was in Std 4 put us back to basics on how we should handle a pencil!
Whatever happened to the good ol’ days…
Uncle Greg… actually, there is already tuition for kindergarten level children. However, they masked tuition for kindergarten children as ‘Homework coaching class’, where parents will bring the kids to the center, and the ‘teachers’ there would teach the kids how to do their kindergarten homework. Homework coaching class for 5 year old kids nearby my house costs RM100 per subject. Can you believe it? The session is 1 hour per subject (Bahasa Melayu, English, Mandarin and Maths), and 2 days per week. Some kindergarten also provide similar ‘homework coaching’ program under the name of ‘fullday program’ where children will stay back in the kindergarten at least until 3pm or 4pm. Their homework will be completed by the time they got home. My only question is… is this really necessary? What happened to the fun in learning? 🙁 really sad to see all these. I would have drive myself to the wall if I’m born as ‘modern’ kids who needs to survive in a kiasu world.
Zara, I have faith in you, my dear. I’m sure you wun be like those teachers I see… you seems to be so loving and affectionate as well as patient. I’m really really devastated that some teachers only teach for the sake of salaries, and not because they are really passionate about nurturing the students.
Kellaw… actually, I wish to do something more sadist than that… whack nia no use… must make sure these kind of people will not survive in education industry, they are definitely not qualified to ‘educate’.
Eugene, parents who are more concern about their children being a well rounded person rather than just robot who sit and take input in school are usually reprimanded by kiasu teachers like that. I understand how you feel. I always think it’s very very important to let children discover their world and learn things according to their own pace. I truly hate teachers who are very exam oriented and rush off with the syllabus and not encourage them to think and experiment with their surroundings. I applaud your firmness in refusing you boys from attending those unnecessary after school classes. After school times are supposed to be used for family bonding as well as playtime. All work and no play, really makes children dull, no kidding. Eugene…even if your son did not score straight As in his SPM, does not mean he cannot be successful in life. Those As are merely letters indicated on papers. it does not prove that they can be street smart or know how to adapt well in working environment.
Jo…migrate to Europe or western countries are better. There, they shape your children according to their interest. You see… high school kids oversea can also practice to be a journalist or even a deejay as the facilities are provided for them to use… but Malaysia, what have we got? We’re forced to endure sitting in class for God knows how many bloody hours and we’re not even allowed to think critically and creatively, or else, teachers will go berserk on you!
Vern… I was also very blessed when I was younger. I was not educated in Malaysia though, so when I came back to Malaysia as a child, i have loads of difficulties communicating and adapting to a peculiar education system…Anyway, I do know that teachers in the older times are more passionate and nurturing. These days, being a teacher does not mean you’re really a teacher. Some of those people became teacher because they need a job, and the school are short of teachers… 🙁 The good old times are all but gone lah!
Clef, it has been such a long time since the last time I dropped u a comment! Well, as I am going into the educational field, I think I really wanted to say something here.
I totally agree with you. I have went to those Kindergartens as well. Using the Fungates system. I know that they might have pressure rushing the syllabus but for young children like them, love and patience are the most crucial part lor.
If they continue to proceed like that, there might be a chance whereby those children are backed off by those educational stuff. Making them reluctant to go to school next time. The teachers should make them love study! Not the other way round!
the teacher is gonna be really painful at the back man…lol. but in some ways u r right, their attitude has tarnish the long good image of the teachers. just like nurses who are supposed to be nightingles…..lol.
Kindy is to let some industrious ppl make tonnes of money… of course not all are bad.. in fact all the systems are good, it depends pretty much on the principal as well as the teachers they employ.
From what I know, parents are to be blame! If no test, no books…they will complain and demand to know what kind of school/kindergarten that is. KBSR – the primary school curriculum, not supposed to have books…but parents complained and put pressure…and in the end, the ministry gave in.
There was talk of doing away with the UPSR and PMR Examinations and changing to school-based assessment. Why do you think they are still keeping those useless exams?
Now parents, politicians…putting pressure, trying to change back the language of instruction for Science and Maths from English to BM….. Good! The worse their English, the better my business…like long ago, very few would go for English tuition as they were all so good at the language already!!
you memang sadist la clef. lucky you dont get to see me in real person. else die also dunno what happen. hahaha
agree with you, after i saw the education system in US.
wow… all i can say is u r a very amazing writer…salute to u..
well the world has changed, so does the education system need to be changed =)
all ive got to say is MALAYSIA BOLEH!!!!…….boleh blah lar!!! 😛
My 4 yr old kid just entered kindergarten and I think it’s very much like a nursery. No such high expectation from the school yet… :p Probably it’s an exception la. Anyway, I agreed with you that the fees are really not cheap.
clef i left you something in my blog
Kids nowadays don’t have time to be kids. They are all fast-forwarded to be “super achievers” by their parents, their teachers, their peers and the system. Everyone is so kiasu to lose out in terms of scoring A’s in their exams… that’s why u see kids sitting for 15-20 papers for SPM – absolutely crazy!! Scoring A’s on paper will not guarantee them a successful career/life later on. Some of them can’t even speak proper English!
What you are sharing is happening everywhere. Not every educator are well equipped or trained, worst some just out to earn your money. Sometime they may only have paper qualification and not real experience. You expect them to give 100% attention to all the students who also wanted 100% of the teacher attention? End of the day, it is only their job and when they experience stress, they only will go for Result by hook or by crook.
In time like this, Parents played a big part. Parent should not leave it to the teacher (sometime you maybe amazed what the teacher are trying to teach your children too). It is your children, if one do not have the time to spend with their children, who else? Maid? Grand Parent? There is no substitute. What your kid will become depend largely where you place him/her to experience.
It only take a skilled parent to truly know their kids. It would be funny if educator do everything and the parent does nothing. If that’s the case, the educator will be their daddy and mommy just like the TV become their daddy and mummy…then they won’t listen to you at all.
Celine… this kindy very kiasu wan. They have very high expectation for children as young as 4 years old. They expect kindy children to behave like some well baheved primary school kids who already knows the basic, and if the child is naughty, the teacher will grab the child and isolate him in a room that got air-cond all alone. I saw this, and I dun think they’re doing the right thing. They maybe sees this as discipline, but I see this as mentally abusing the child. The result? The child in question became very rebellious and misbehaves more!
Ktx, there’s no such thing as real teachers in the modern world liao… all about $$$$$$$.
Kevin… actually the system is very good, but they do not implement it properly, screwing up everything. But kindergarten these days are not just about nurturing, but all about money only! Kids naughty abit, expel. Kids never listen, they straight say the kids have some mental disability. They dun wan kids la, they want robots that can sit and absorb wud they say nia!
Cikgu… kindergarten different la… for me, I dun really expect kindergarten to be some sort of lecture hall where everyone behaved like ppl who graduated from finishing schools.
Kellaw, yeah, I memang sadist, so dun try to mess with me or my family members. I’ll make sure to stab them from behind countlessly til they cannot stand up!
Kikey…i used to have a hard time adapting to Malaysian edu sys… cuz in oversea, education is so fun!
Claire, thank you for your compliment.
FuFu, yeah, totally need to revamp the whole education system in Malaysia!
Calvin… yeah, really boleh blah… but when you become a dad yourself… you’ll feel like shooting those asshole to the next dimension when you deal with them.
Chris… this one expects those 4 years old kids to behave like primary school kids. They’re even rushing off with the syllabus even during the first week. Something is really not right here.
Kellaw, thank you for the award.
Pureglutton… true, children these days are not allowed to be children, and they are expected to achieve academically. So sad to see that the children lost their ‘innocence’ and their ‘wow factor’ so early.
LEon, in this case, it’s the parents who are more concern and taught the child more than the teachers. This one, the teachers stand in front and only blah blah blah like some stupid lecturer instead of being passionate with the children.
I am so against taking the childhood out of a child. To me, sure they’d grow up to be an imbalanced human since their so called ‘education’ is not well balanced.
LET KIDS BE KIDS!
I didn’t even go to a kindergarten & for the life of me I dunno from where I picked up my ABCs & 123s, but now I can afford a cheap house + car at least =P
(thank God I was a kid a long long time ago!)
Shawn, exactly my sentiment! Kids should be allowed to be kids. I mean, i was naughty and just average, but I turn out just fine in the end…I had plenty of fun that’s probably heaps in comparison to kids these days, and I also can be considered as a successful woman, so, tell me, why must force kids to be super achievers? Put so much pressure on them, and the next thing we know, they’re so stressed up that they will suicide when they couldn’t get A+ or something. Yeah, I thank God too that I was a child a long time ago instead of now!
I don’t understand why people in Malaysia feel so comfortable calling people retarded.
At four years old, children should not be wearing diapers unless they have a medical problem. Further, children should be speaking clearly at four years old if they do not have a speech problem. If there is a problem, it should be treated with speech therapy. Further, a four year old should be able to hold a pencil or crayon. My child is 16 months old and she loves to scribble. If children are coming to school unprepared to do what is normal for a 2 year old, then they either are not receiving appropriate parental attention and stimulation or they have a learning disability. It sounds like you have a lot of poor parenting going on if children are wearing diapers at 4 years old and are not speaking normally. Kids should be kids, but parents should know what is normal developmentally and get help if their child is not progressing.