EDUCATIONAL APARTHEID in THE MALAYSIAN SYSTEM:
MRSM as CASE STUDY .. This is what I have been writing about and folks need to correct this and to be fair to all regardless of race and religion ... Parliamentarians please discuss this issue ...
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IGCSE for only MRSM students! What about the rest?
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Last updated on 19/11/2013 - 10:49
Posted on 18/11/2013 - 20:00
Lokman Mustafa
KUALA LUMPUR: When an internationally recognised qualification is only offered to a certain group of students in the country while others equally qualified do not get the same opportunity, it’s bound to create an uproar.
And this is exactly what happened in the case of the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) which was offered only to several Mara junior science colleges (MRSM) early this year.
Two Pakatan Rakyat leaders are unhappy with the move as it is seen as an unfair and lopsided decision by the Education Ministry.
The Cambridge IGCSE is to add value to the Sistem Pendidikan MRSM (SPMRSM) which provides school leavers the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysian (SPM).
By the end of their school term, MRSM students will be able to obtain dual certification; a move expected to be implemented in all Mara colleges in three years.
However, as the junior science college is only accessible to a certain group of students, this means that only a select few are afforded this opportunity. Students in daily secondary schools will have to be satisfied with the Form Five examination.
The Cambridge IGCSE is arguably the world's most popular international qualification for 14 to 16 year olds.
It is recognised by most higher education institutions as evidence of academic achievement and is offered in many international schools in Malaysia with an annual fee of up to RM60,000.
Selangor Exco member for education, higher education and human capital development Dr Halimah Ali said the move indicates that Mara is preparing its students for the higher education and critical courses which are mainly conducted in English as SPM alone is deemed insufficient.
“The move is a clear indication that Mara students are being targeted for an international market while others have no such opportunity.
"The focus is on MRSM students to excel, whereas students from secondary schools are at a disadvantage," Halimah told theantdaily.
"Their future will not be as bright as MRSM students. At the same time, the move suggests that SPM is just not good enough," she said.
On the use of English as a medium in selected schools, Halimah stressed that the Ministry of Education must be consistent in implementing its policies.
"There is a flip-flop culture in the Ministry of Education. After 56 years of independence, they are still unsure whether to use Bahasa Malaysia, or English, or revert to Bahasa Malaysia as evidenced through the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English (PPSMI)," she said.
Recently, Kampar MP Dr Ko Chung Sen was reported as saying that those able to enjoy the benefits of an English-language education in MRSM are only the privileged elite.
"If the IGCSE is good for Mara colleges, it must also be good for the rest of the country," said the DAP lawmaker, while pointing out that MRSM students only make up two per cent of the total student population in the country .
"Our SPM alone is not sufficient to produce enough human capital to meet the demand from multi-national companies, either local or overseas," he explained in a media statement.
However, Ko believed IGCSE would not be viable for all secondary schools in Malaysia due to its high costs and difficult management.
"IGCSE is not suitable for subjects like geography and history, which requires local context," he said, adding that English medium schools should be brought back instead.
There are currently three Mara colleges which offer the dual-certification system, with all Mara colleges throughout the country expected to offer the same by 2016.
With the IGCSE, students can enrol directly in international universities, without the need for a transitional qualification through pre-university courses or the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM).
http://www.theantdaily.com/news/2013/11/18/igcse-only-mrsm-students-what-about-rest
MRSM as CASE STUDY .. This is what I have been writing about and folks need to correct this and to be fair to all regardless of race and religion ... Parliamentarians please discuss this issue ...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IGCSE for only MRSM students! What about the rest?
ShareThis
Last updated on 19/11/2013 - 10:49
Posted on 18/11/2013 - 20:00
Lokman Mustafa
KUALA LUMPUR: When an internationally recognised qualification is only offered to a certain group of students in the country while others equally qualified do not get the same opportunity, it’s bound to create an uproar.
And this is exactly what happened in the case of the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) which was offered only to several Mara junior science colleges (MRSM) early this year.
Two Pakatan Rakyat leaders are unhappy with the move as it is seen as an unfair and lopsided decision by the Education Ministry.
The Cambridge IGCSE is to add value to the Sistem Pendidikan MRSM (SPMRSM) which provides school leavers the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysian (SPM).
By the end of their school term, MRSM students will be able to obtain dual certification; a move expected to be implemented in all Mara colleges in three years.
However, as the junior science college is only accessible to a certain group of students, this means that only a select few are afforded this opportunity. Students in daily secondary schools will have to be satisfied with the Form Five examination.
The Cambridge IGCSE is arguably the world's most popular international qualification for 14 to 16 year olds.
It is recognised by most higher education institutions as evidence of academic achievement and is offered in many international schools in Malaysia with an annual fee of up to RM60,000.
Selangor Exco member for education, higher education and human capital development Dr Halimah Ali said the move indicates that Mara is preparing its students for the higher education and critical courses which are mainly conducted in English as SPM alone is deemed insufficient.
“The move is a clear indication that Mara students are being targeted for an international market while others have no such opportunity.
"The focus is on MRSM students to excel, whereas students from secondary schools are at a disadvantage," Halimah told theantdaily.
"Their future will not be as bright as MRSM students. At the same time, the move suggests that SPM is just not good enough," she said.
On the use of English as a medium in selected schools, Halimah stressed that the Ministry of Education must be consistent in implementing its policies.
"There is a flip-flop culture in the Ministry of Education. After 56 years of independence, they are still unsure whether to use Bahasa Malaysia, or English, or revert to Bahasa Malaysia as evidenced through the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English (PPSMI)," she said.
Recently, Kampar MP Dr Ko Chung Sen was reported as saying that those able to enjoy the benefits of an English-language education in MRSM are only the privileged elite.
"If the IGCSE is good for Mara colleges, it must also be good for the rest of the country," said the DAP lawmaker, while pointing out that MRSM students only make up two per cent of the total student population in the country .
"Our SPM alone is not sufficient to produce enough human capital to meet the demand from multi-national companies, either local or overseas," he explained in a media statement.
However, Ko believed IGCSE would not be viable for all secondary schools in Malaysia due to its high costs and difficult management.
"IGCSE is not suitable for subjects like geography and history, which requires local context," he said, adding that English medium schools should be brought back instead.
There are currently three Mara colleges which offer the dual-certification system, with all Mara colleges throughout the country expected to offer the same by 2016.
With the IGCSE, students can enrol directly in international universities, without the need for a transitional qualification through pre-university courses or the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM).
http://www.theantdaily.com/news/2013/11/18/igcse-only-mrsm-students-what-about-rest
2 comments:
It is good if you can show that 50% of the best and brightest but below the poverty line are non-Bumiputras.
How sad but true. Ig only everyone was on the same level playing field then we csn proudly say that our younger generation is given an opportunity to excel. But now only either you are of certain race or rich you can only afford a world class education. Our government refuses to acknowledged thier mistake but continue to experiment with our children education. If you take a survey how many of the ministers children completed their education in a government school I can assure you all their children received theirs overseas. This shows how much trust they themselves have in their own education system.
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