Education system
Education system
On a recent trip to Penang, I read the headlines in a daily
newspaper and it seems that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad wants
all Malaysian government workers to learn English.
He stated that Malaysia was being left behind in this very
competitive world because so many government workers could not
converse well in English with people from other countries.
In the Malaysian school system, they have already put into
place a regulation where all mathematics and science courses must
be taught in English. Soon other educational courses will also be
taught in English.
It is because of this type of forward thinking that Malaysia
is already years in front of Indonesia in planning for the
future. There seems to be people in the Indonesian legislature
who want to keep this country in the "Dark Ages".
Schools and other educational institutions are places where
children go to learn things that will be useful to them in their
future working lives. They should be learning things that will
help them to lead reasonably happy and prosperous lives. In their
early years at school they need to study math, English, social
science, geography, etc.
Later they need to study courses that will help to enhance
their computer skills and to study business programs that will
help them to work in a job where they will earn reasonable money.
Then they will not have to beg on the streets, as I see so many
children doing now, or cheat and steal to get enough money for
their daily food.
In many other Asian countries, children go to school for up to
14 hours a day, and in some countries there is no religious
instruction, or it is not compulsory.
Why is this? Possibly because the governments of these
countries realize that the place to learn about religion is the
mosque, temple, church and other places of worship, or in the
home. After all, it is the responsibility of the parents to help
their children with their religious studies, and not the already
overworked teachers.
In a truly democratic society, the decision about which
religion a person wishes to follow is entirely up to that person.
However, in a pseudo-democratic society, this is not always the
case.
A. MEWBURN
Brisbane, Australia