September 15, 2012
The New Education Blueprint and Johan Jaafar’s Proverbial Camel
by Johan Jaafar
THERE was a story of a father, his son and their camel. They were going through a village when someone enquired why the father was riding while the son was walking alongside. “You’re heartless!” the other villagers shouted at the father. They changed places. In the next village, the villagers chastised the boy for being selfish, he should be the one walking. In another village, they were laughed at; what good is a camel if they are not riding on it? They were confused. Should they carry the camel instead?
The analogy is perfect for any education system, more so ours. Everyone has his or her view about it. All of us have our own profession and one more — a critic of the education system. Education is everyone’s interest. Understandably so.
The preliminary Malaysia Education Blueprint was released on Tuesday( September 11) and the debate is just beginning. It will go on even after the implementation. Not everyone will be pleased. In a multi-racial country like ours, the debate is beyond just education excellence, it involves the needs and demands of the various races in the country. The good thing is a debate on education is always welcomed. The bad news is, the debate will further divide us along racial lines.
Eventually education will be politicised. Nothing triggers more heated and intense debate than the one on education. True, we all agree on one principle — we need a new blueprint for education.
We need to relook at the present system for many reasons. Some would argue it needs a revamp badly, and fast, in fact a total overhaul. Others would argue we are not providing the necessary skills to equip our people for the ever-changing landscape in the Brave New World. The system has also been criticised for not being able to create a nation of patriotic and proud individuals. And worse, political pandering had weakened our system.
We must start with the problems, if at all there are any. Yes, our system is not perfect, but there is no perfect system anywhere. We must have done something right for we can’t be where we are today had we failed miserably. But improvements are badly required.
We need commitments from all involved — for we are the stakeholders — to set new standards and to achieve new results. We can start questioning the basic philosophy of our education system and move on to what we need to achieve.We need to change direction if required. But first we need to understand the new paradigm that we are operating in. But more importantly, we must always place nation-building as the key to our strategy.
At the same time we must be mindful that there are forces from within to separate, disintegrate and to destabilise us using education as the tool. We should be able to address our weaknesses head on.
Education involves a whole range of systems, methodology and people.Humans drive education. They are the catalysts. Human capital is key to education success. We can’t harp on the hardware if we don’t manage the planners, administrators and teachers.
The quality of teachers is critical. We need first class educationists and a dedicated workforce.Teachers are under pressure to ensure more students score As, thus the entire machinery is geared towards churning top scorers and high achievers, celebrating the best but marginalising the rest.
Remember, hardly five per cent of students are the cream of the crop — we forgot that the rest, too, make up human capital of the future. We all believe in investing for tomorrow. Education is about investment.Forget the noises about who is right and who isn’t, eventually it is about the destiny of this nation.
And it is about the future. You can’t blame Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing for sounding like a change messiah. He has a point. We can’t get the best if the ecosystem is not right.
The future is coming and we need to transform. The future is going to be both bizarre and unbelievable — it will transform entire industries, change the course of nations and turn individuals into super-beings. He argues for the need of change masters — one who creates innovations.
We must be part of that vision, thus we need to contribute constructively to the blueprint. Failure is not an option. Our future depends on its success. Let’s learn the lesson of the father, his son and their camel. Let us decide to do what is right, together, as one.
My English is very bad as I cannot understand what this pro-government journalist and Chairman, Media Prima Group is trying to convey in 700 plus words. It is polemics, not substance. As far as I concerned, education is everybody’s business since it involves the development of the intellect and character of our people and nation. It is so important to be left in the hands of UMNO-BN and Pakatan Rakyat politicians and bureaucrats. Can someone help to understand what Johan Jaafar trying to say in his article?–Din Merican
I agree with you here Dato, it is hard to fathom what the author is trying to say here but one message I get is “we have to be part of that vision” in other words we must give our undivided support… even when the vision is crap? I guess Johan is still playing with his bag of marbles (sic)…
What can we expect from these power to be, when the do not have the people’s interest at heart. Its all a smoke screen rather than a concerted effort to propel Malaysia into the future.
sorry Dato’ I too wonder what he is trying to say. this is a bad time to revamp the education system just before the 13th GE. once the political storm is over after the election let the new government develop a blueprint democratically and put it to proper discussion in parliament and in the public arena.
the education system is too precious to be decided by a selfish party and its cronies who are obsessed with continuing their hegemony over us.
There’s metaphor, allegory and hyperbole in any literature worthy of ‘salt’.
In the first category the message is ‘hidden’ behind a reality and requires the reader to think out of his literalness. The second has a message that is based on comparison with a reality, which the reader readily understands. The third is an exaggeration of something real, to posit or emphasize a point.
What has all these methods to do with camels in this message? Their Fart. I can do without it.
“Let us decide to do what is right, together, as one.” Whose right is that, Mr. Jaafar? It is you who is the camel, the beast of burden of UMNO-BN. You would better be as your job is dependent on polishing the right apple. Now it is Najib and it could soon be Muhiyuddin Yassin.
okay there is a lot of mumbo jumbo in the article. Maybe to sound like he knows what he is talking about. Question, when education is reviewed and you are all for quality education ( whatever that may mean for the government of the day), what is the purpose/outcome of revamping and to have a better quality of education?
The reason I ask is because the government that has been there in Malaysia for 54 years do not like smart people ,so whats the point? When you are given better education, you grow up thinking critically and questioning a lot of things. Errr the Government currently does not like that do they? So what’s the point? Leave the education as is so there will be no clever people in M’sia. Then there will be peace. Just a herd of cows following their masters.
Herding Cows? Not possible without cattle dogs nipping at their heels. Ask the Aussies, with their awesome cattle dogs. Did you know than humankind could not have led a pastoral life without the dog? Most dogs are smarter than those UMNO goons, who are really past shelf-life like these fellas:
* http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/ministry-says-did-not-green-light-gay-spotting-guide/
* http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/ku-nan-chinese-will-vote-bn-to-ensure-peace/
‘if you want to be cows then go eat grass’ thats what one teacher told the class and sent them to the field – in the famous primary school where semper fi studied!
the whole blueprint drama is for the sake of winning the election and possibly a new enrichment programme for themselves.
yes Kathy, thats why I say, nothing will change if they remain as the ruling party. even if they become the opposition they’ll still be stirring the shitpot. thats why PR shouldn’t only win the GE but prosecute and put them behind bars and throw away the keys. let the be peace and harmony in malaysia.
They don’t have teachers like Mr and Mrs MacGregor, Mrs Chew (German Duck) Mr. Yeoh (Bible Man) Mr. Ng (Science Teacher) Mr Malvagnam (Bulldog) Chegu Othman, Chegu Razak, Ms Ooi, Ms Yap ( Japanese Doll), Mr. Tan, and many more, in fact too many to mention.
These are real educators with a purpose, to provide real education to the young people regardless of race, religion or background. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for the experience.
MOE’s ‘stubborness’ is astounding
MOE’s ‘stubborness’ in not encouraging ‘unity’ (perpaduan) and stamping polarisation and not providing quality education of international standard are clearly manifested in the Preliminary Malaysia National Education Blueprint 2013- 2025.
Upon attending the grand launch of the Preliminary Malaysia National Education Blueprint 2013- 2025 (blueprint) by the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister as a guest of MOE in KLCC last Tuesday and after going through both the Bahasa Melayu and English language versions of the impressive looking blueprint from cover-to-cover and, of course, from page-to-page, several times over, I have a huge crunch that national schools will not be the school of choice for many Malaysians anymore and many, if not all, of the objectives in Shift One of the education transformation plan, i.e. ‘Provide equal access to quality education of international standard’ will ever be achieved.
Hassan Talib of Gombak, Selangor in his letter, ‘Ensure a level playing field for all’ (NST ’Letters’ Friday, September 14, 2012) said, “But, at the same time, how do we ensure that sekolah kebangsaan students are given the same level playing field in the private – sector as students of English- medium schools?” The Preliminary Malaysia National Education Blueprint 2013- 2025 emphasise syllabus and curriculums of learning for primary and secondary schools based almost virtually on Bahasa Malaysia and less emphasis on the English language. The enhanced and new MBMMBI policy is supposed to be a balanced syllabus where both languages are given equal treatment but it is not to be. Only English literature is expected to be a subject taught in English, the rest are not. There may be a subject to teach students English language and that’s about all. So, how can the new Malaysian education policy and system be seen or claimed as a policy and system that ‘provide equal access to quality education of international standard’? It is actually nothing more or not very much different if compared to the present policy and system.
In short therefore, the blueprint is more or less the present policy and system offered to the people ‘in a new packaging’.
http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/education-ensure-a-level-playing-field-for-all-1.143306
In the case of crony Dato Johan Jaafar, Media Prima Chairman, he is on UMNO’s payroll so obviously, he had to say what he was instructed to say.
I always thought it was a donkey, not a camel. Oh, well. One can always ride on your own ass. Just like this John Jaafar character.
Malaysia doesn’t need a new education system but a NEW Government. a government made up of intelligent and honourable people.
nothing will be upgraded but their bank accounts in Switzerland.