So today I went by to my old school and upon seeing it again, I just realized how (not to offend the government or anything) stupid the system really is, and its not just our education system. Practically the whole world does this wrong (forgive my inexperience with other education systems).
I believe that the education system will never be good with just one fixed system. It has to be dynamic. If you examine closely to the world, everything changes. From technology, trends, topics talked about and many other things that doesn't start with T. In this case, so does education.
I remember when I was 16, I transferred to this boarding school. For the life of me, I cannot adapt to live there. If we were still living in the 80s or 90s then sure, I guess it'll be fine. But for me, a tech geek (kinda) to live somewhere where the use of technology is forbidden, is just poppycock. Ok so let me explain what is and not forbidden. So the technology in the school grounds are not forbidden as it has computers and other stuff but to bring our own personal smartphones or computers is against the rules. Sure I agree on computers (laptops, notebooks etc) but to ban cellphones is just plain horrible. In my opinion, in the last decade or so, cellphones have not only become a commodity but a necessity in everyday life. Especially for those living far from their parents (i.e. those in boarding schools).
I'll avoid talking about why and why nots of having them at school for a later time because that'll take more explaining to do.
Ok so the education system's first fault is not being able to adapt to the changes in technology. They should provide each student a personal laptop to use and the teachers should teach the students how to use these effectively. Day upon day, I come across people who have no idea how to work with microsoft word and I'm baffled because if they can't work that out then how are they going to do everything else on the laptop.
The second reason isn't as bad as the first as this one is more of a personal thing but it does have a huge effect on the world. If you look closely to the subjects taught, most (especially in science) include things newly discovered. But if you look into physics, most of it only include things barely after the 1900s. I know physics is a tough subject and even though the level taught is already considered difficult but it provides only mediocre understanding of the universe and its ironic how that's what physics is about. No wonder not many people continue in the field of physics, its due to the boring stuff being taught in school and not the fun curiosity filling ones.
The third is mainly how the education system is laid out. For a normal person, their school years would look a little like this:
KINDERGARTEN -> PRESCHOOL -> PRIMARY -> SECONDARY -> PRE-UNIVERSITY -> UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
This kind of layout is acceptable and I have nothing wrong with this as it provides education from a young age. My only concern is that it is not laid out equally. For example, in kindergarten, kids should be taught how to explore by themselves and ask questions like why is the sky blue, why is the sun red, why is the moon shiny and etc. Sometimes kids do that but the problem arises when they enroll in primary school and the self exploration is stopped. They are brainwashed to only memorize facts instead of discovering what they are. Then at secondary school this gets worse as by my experience, the teachers don't like us to ask many questions. And the thing is I realize why the dislike it so much. Its due to their ego, they are afraid to admit that they don't know the answer. And this is the main cause why many many people are not curious.
Curiousity is an important trait and it is what makes us human. Without curiosity, none of the technological advancements would've happened and right now, the teachers who are too afraid to let go of their ego are basically destroying humanity itself.
And for my last point, a picture tells a thousand words and this picture is a true representation of what's wrong with Malaysia's education system. Even if the officials deny it, its the students view that's important since they are the ones being taught not politicians.
Stay serious
Regards
Danny
