Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email If the people in power are really concerned about the plight of schools, and can’t do much due to laws and regulations, why not change it? If you can’t help schools located in private lands, then change the rules. If many trivial things can be changed – like extending age of retirement for certain people, how difficult is it to change funds can be channelled for partially-aided schools?
MP WRITES: Vernacular schools close to his heart
M. MANOGARAN (DAP – Teluk Intan)
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IN this session, I am going to speak on the perennial problem of teacher shortages in Chinese and Tamil primary schools.
To date, there is shortage of 3,500 teachers in Chinese primary schools, while their Tamil counterparts are facing a shortage of 800.
The government has not addressed this issue seriously. It has been sidelined and is not part of the national agenda.
I don’t understand why vernacular schools are partially aided by the government while national schools are fully-aided. All schools should be fully-aided.
Another problem related to vernacular schools is the deplorable conditions. This is especially true when it comes to Tamil primary schools.
Some of them do not even have water and electricity supply, while some do not have canteens. There is a Tamil primary school in Jerantut, Pahang, which does not have a canteen and yet, one of its pupils managed to get 7As in the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah.
More parents are sending their children to vernacular schools due to increasing Islamisation in national schools.
My two youngest daughters study in a Tamil school while my two eldest, a daughter and a son, are in national schools. I can see the difference in their behaviour. The younger two are more in touch with their roots. They are more culturally-inclined, can read and write in Tamil and are more obedient, compared with their older siblings.
I will also speak on the quality of the country’s tertiary education, which has deteriorated so much.
It is so bad now that as an employer, I prefer to hire foreign university graduates. I am not discriminating against our local graduates but based on my experience, local graduates have poor command of English, bad attitude at work, their general knowledge is pathetic and they are unwilling to work.
Once I was interviewing a local graduate for my law firm and I asked him to name the capital of the United States. I was shocked when he answered New York!
As I see it, the problem does not start at university, but at primary level. We must go back to basics, such as giving more emphasis to the English language.
Yes, educational issues are very close to my heart. Those with capabilities should be given the opportunities to further their studies.
Today, we see many good students denied scholarships to further their studies overseas. No wonder we have a big brain drain problem.
Other issues my constituents can expect me to touch on include gender equality and calling for the repeal of the Internal Security Act.
