Disease has infected national education system

There has been a lot of discussion about Professor Khoo Kay Kim's remarks about the Chinese school system and how it's potentially detrimental to nation-building. It's obvious that a single school system which caters for the all the races would be an appropriate outcome but the current political climate does not allow for such a solution.

The current crop of teachers who are joining the government schools are not interested in teaching. They see it as an ‘easy way out’. You go to university and you can't get a job when you graduate but there's always the teaching profession which is somewhat rewarding.

The pay is decent, and you work for only half-a-day and get a lot of leave. No one really cares about moulding the leaders of tomorrow. What I’m saying is that you can change the curriculum and the syllabus all you want but if the teachers themselves are not committed, then what is the point?

I'm not saying that every teacher is like this but most of them are. The really good ones are nearing retirement age. They grew up in a different era and had different ideals. They are dedicated towards ensuring excellence in education but their time is up.

The checks and balances in today's education systems is highly politicised. No one actually believes that government schools can provide an adequate education for our young which is why you see our over-reliance on tuition.

If the education system is successful, the tuition centres would be the exception instead of being the norm. Have we not seen tuition centres proudly proclaiming their achievements when their students get all ‘As’ in the PMR and SPM examinations? Should not that the be the sole domain of the national schools?

As parents, we recognise that a disease has infected our education system. Most of us have no option but to continue with the government school system and hope that with tuition, our children make it to university and a better life thereafter.

Those of us who have the means, resort to vernacular schools or international schools or even home schooling. It's all a matter of trust. We want to safeguard our children from the ever declining standards in education.

We want them to be educated overseas because we know that even our universities are infected with the same disease. What that disease is, I leave it to your imagination.

When you do not trust the government to provide your child with the education that he or she deserves, then as parents you must do what you can. Fostering ‘1Malaysia’ is not just about racial politics - it's about putting trust in the hands of others so that your children are able to reap the same benefits as everybody else.