NST: 29 Jan 2010 I was more than a tad proud when my eldest granddaughter started Primary One this year. As someone who has spent over 35 years in the teaching profession, I was understandably curious to see what her school was like. So a fortnight ago, I visited her school along with her parents. I wanted to check out the facilities and the curriculum. What I saw left me very impressed.
Aside from the cleanliness and orderliness everywhere, it was evident the school was gearing itself to meet the educational demands of the 21st century. Every classroom was well-equipped with the latest in learning technologies and pedagogy. Creativity was emphasised, as were thinking skills.
(Right) Buttons that promote positive qualities. Click on all images to enlarge.
What I also liked was the importance given to core values. Each class was given a name after a moral value. My granddaughter's class was Kindness. The others were Charity, Devotion, Grace, Joy and Patience. Bear in mind this was an all-girls school.
Drawings like these are inserted throughout the pupils' handbook and journal to inculcate a sense of living together in unity and harmony. Mother tongue was a core subject incorporated into the class timetable. This is not the case in our schools where the POL (Pupil's Own Language - Chinese or Tamil) is relegated to after-school hours on certain days of the school week. And that only when there are at least 15 students to make up a class.
A Primary One class timetable. How does this compare with our Darjah Satu timetable?
This primary school had a website deserving of an award for content and design. By contrast I was not only deeply disappointed but also totally appalled at the lack of information when I tried to find out more about each of the six primary schools that made it to the top 20 high performing schools in Malaysia. My online search either turned up nothing or led me to long-abandoned websites.
For one school, high performance seems to be all about excellent results and achievements. Not surprising really. A look at the ranking criteria for our schools reveal the same old emphasis on academic achievements above all else. No wonder those who can afford to are looking elsewhere to school their children.
If our children are the leaders of tomorrow, then I fear for the future of our country.
