Revamping the education system

OutSyed the Box Saturday, June 16, 2012

OutSyed the Box

We need to make drastic changes to our education system. It is not too late. We need to do it now.

I have had the same conversation with four other people, two Datuks and two Tan Sris - semua Melayu - who said the same thing. They all said "Just bring back the tried and tested education system that we had in the 1970s". It was English based and the curriculum prepared our students to the same standards as the Cambridge and London University's "O" and "A" Levels. The same system that Singapore followed.

Yes folks, Singapore and Malaysia followed the same education system. There was no differenece at all between the Singapore and Malaysian schools. Singapore maintained their education system. It is we who went ahead and changed our education system. Kita ingat kita lagi pandai (we think we're smarter).

And what happened after we changed our education system?

In the 1960s and 1970s, both our per capita incomes (Malaysia and Singapore) was not too far different. Now, 30 years later (after we changed our education system) Singapore has the third highest per capita GDP in the world at over USD57,000 or RM171,000 per annum.