Now that the 'dust has settled', I finally have some time to sit, write and reflect.
High Performance Schools
My two children who are still in primary school have enrolled in one of the best primary schools in town. What does that mean? 84 students obtained 5A's in last years UPSR (compared to the school my kids attended in PJ where only 29 students got 5A's and 25 students 4A's). This school is labelled 'high performance' (sekolah berprestasi tinggi/SBT) and the outward appearance of the school is not disappointing.
Reflections:
1) So it does boil down to exam results because at the end of the day, that is what matters (is it?), at least for our current education system. Cant blame the system either because what else can be measured and compared so easily other than exam results? How about how the children eventually do in life later on? Obviously, this will require research and funds and hence we are limited some what to measuring and comparing that which is easily measured and compared.
2) The buildings appear new or well-maintained, painted nicely with many murals on the walls. I attended a talk for the Dual Language Program last week (during the first week of school) and was very impressed with the 'Bilik Gerakan' or meeting room that was used in comparison to the facilities of the school in PJ. The meeting room was clean and well organised, furniture appeared relatively new, it was also well decorated and there were pictures of linkages with other schools abroad.
On my way out, I also took some pictures of the gardens, being impressed with the landscaping.
Having said that, myself, being part of academia for many years, I understand that having impressive facilities and quality education are not necessarily things that come in hand to hand (one does not necessarily imply the other), and I am glad that I have this insider perspective. However, my experience has been limited only to higher education institutions in Malaysia. I do not know whether the same can be said of primary and secondary schools in Malaysia.
I heard that schools with special titles like 'high performance' (SBT) and 'cluster' obtained massive amounts of funding (RM700k per school and RM700 per child for primary school, RM1k per child for secondary school) as a reward for their achievements and so that they are able to maintain the results.
While I agree that good results must be rewarded, I sincerely hope that the competition is made on a level playing field and that rewarding some schools does not take away from funds that could in theory be used to help other 'more deserving' schools.
Let us consider two students who attend public primary school, one is from a well endowed family and the other from a low income family. Which child deserves more help?
Here is a website with list of all the high performance schools in Malaysia:
http://www.moe.gov.my/my/sekolah-berprestasi-tinggi
What do I mean by a level playing field?
The student selection
The way public school system is Malaysia (and most other countries where I have read about the schooling system) works is, to attend a particular primary school, one must show evidence of nearby residence. Proof such as electricity bill or water bill is sufficient to justify. Having an older sibling in a particular primary school will also make it easier for the younger brother or sister to attend the same place.
In other words, the children who attend a school in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, for example, will be from a different socioeconomic background compared to those who attend a school in Kampung Tunku, Petaling Jaya. Why? Because the cost of homes in TTDI and Kg Tunku can be very different. And hence the children of certain schools will be pre-selected because of this.
(When I was looking for a school for my first child, at that time we were living in KL, I came across these high performance primary schools:
Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Tun Dr Ismail
Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Damansara
Aren't these two areas considered 'posh' for Klang Valley standards?)
I have to remind myself to look up the list of all schools which are high performance and compare them geographically average household income wise with schools which are not.
Yes, in theory, public primary schools in Malaysia have to accept all students if they live nearby within the catchment area. There are no other 'barriers to entry'. But bear in mind how important neighbourhoods are in forming the student pool for any particular school.
Conclusion: Although no formal barrier entry exists other than proof of residence, the actual location of the school indirectly acts as a barrier depending on the 'price of property of the neighbourhoods nearby the school'.
These concepts: high performance and cluster schools are relatively new, in that they did not exist when I was a child. Both the primary school and secondary girls school I attended are now high performance schools (and they both had good reputations back in the 1980s and 1990s).
It was agreed between my husband and I that should we make the move to KB, my husband would be in charge of the children's transport to and fro from school. The reason being because, when we were living in PJ, I was the person in charge as it was my own hometown. Fair and square.
The Toilets in Public Schools
One afternoon, my hubby was caught up with work and I had to pick up my child from school. One huge difference compared to the school in PJ is that parents vehicles (for example motorbikes) are allowed within the school compound and so are parents. I walked into the compound and went inside to wait at the reading area, which is a nice shaded area with chairs, tables and books. As we sat down and awaited the strong smell of urine hit me. I initially thought it came from the reading area. Later when we got up and walked about did I realise it was from the children's toilets.
The Dual Language Program
I was invited to attend a talk about the DLP. From what I gather, the headmistress described that maths and science will be thought in both English and Bahasa Malaysia. The exam (UPSR) will be in both languages and children will have the option to answer using both languages. It is a pilot project, in that only a selected number of schools (totaling around 300 nationwide) will be participating and the government is spending RM38.5 million for this project (that brings about RM100,000 per school). Apart from language being thought in English, there will be reference books from Oxford used (but teachers are not from Oxford, just the books).
For standard one, the two top classes are selected for the DLP and they require a minimum of 15 students for one class. Lacking of numbers will mean no program.
Personally, I think it is a good idea to teach maths and science in English. I really do. There may even be enough evidence of an advantage to want to teach maths in mandarin. But the problem is, do we have enough resources, human resources that are trained and equipped to do so? I'm not sure. Let's hope the money is well invested and not poured down the drain.
Which School to Choose?
This is probably the most important question. The answer is never straight forward.
Let's change it a bit to question which area I feel more authority to answer. Let's say a person had a medical condition and was looking for the best treatment, and I get these sort of questions all the time...someone's kid broke their so and so bone, where should they go, someone suspects their kid has autism, where to go next and so on.
There are several factors to consider:
1) Whether the person would like treatment in a private or government setting
2) Where they are located geographically
To put it simply, how much resources are available and what options are there...
How people respond to treatment though, is very individual. In an ideal world, medical therapy would be tailored exactly according to individual needs. In ideal world, so would the education system.
The headmaster of my children's school in PJ said we must not compare one school to another as schools are 'individual', each has its merits, and the same principle applies to children, we must not compare one student to another.
Most people are limited in terms of where they live.
Baby has awaken...to be continued
