The abolition of PT 3 examination obviously make most parents disagreeable, worrying that their children will be slack and lackadaisical in learning as stated in the article "Some students say Yays, while some parents say Nays" (The Star Education published on 3/6 )
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/06/03/some-students-say-yay-while-some-parents-say-nay
Throughout my teaching career, I used to come across " kiasu (afraid to be defeated)" parents. Apparently they are more competitive and highly motivated than their children. They could hunt the reference books high and low for hours at the bookstores and make sure their children completing the worksheets.
To certain extent, it is a good habit as practice makes perfect. Somehow, it undoubtedly create hidden stress and anxiety in learning process if it is not well-managed. More often than not, the repeating almost-the-same questions will not strengthen the critical thinking skills. The students might memorize the pattern of the questions without solid understanding.
Mathematics and science teachers especially should explain the concepts before providing the solutions. Reading subjects such as history and geography should be presented in a lively way, not reading from books. For languages, teachers must emphasize both oral and writing. Encourage students to be constructive and creative in writing, not imitating or copying the model articles they read.
Parents and teachers have to think out of the box. Never solely aim for outcomes. The process of reaching to the solutions is much more important in gaining knowledge.
It is believed that having higher expectations will achieve better results. Yet, as parents and educators, we ought to be emphatic and tolerate with those children who could not cope with particular subject as each individual has his or her talent, most importantly is to unleash one's strength and potential. A holistic education should be emphasized in order to prepare the children for the real world out there.
With the abolition of UPSR, PT3, SPM becomes the only central and crucial examination for the students of Malaysia government schools. It's hope that the students will treasure their time to perform meaningful activities to augment their interests and soft-skills for the future undertakings and never ever hook up with 'unhealthy' activities, such as video games, loitering, 'Mat Lajak' , etc.
Undeniably,the cooperation among the school authorities, parents and students are the prerequisites to make the implementation of comprehensive reforms in Malaysia education a success.
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| Roots and wings are the two valuable assets for our children |
Examination is just a guideline to evaluate the progress of a child, not to determine the success or failure in life, the experience and knowledge gained in the process of learning is much more valuable and essential for the future pursuits.
Learning is a process to make oneself keep on improving, not competing.
Don't aim for perfection, aim for progression!
Roots and wings are the two valuable assets for our children. Nurture our children with good habits and virtues, train them to be independent since young are much more important than solely those facts and figures in the books.
Ee Fui Mei
