Ramble on Education

Crazy day.

In the morning, as I was preparing for Environmental Ethic test, my mind was agitated and it didn't want to concentrate at all. While I was aware that time was at stake - for it was a last minute study after hectic days running E-waste, Beverage Carton and Unused Medication Collection Drive and managing Night Walk activity in conjunction with Biodiversity Week - part of my grey matter started to dispute over the current education system in Malaysia and consequently, shrieking loudly at the top of my lungs on my dissatisfaction on the poor way that we were being "groomed".

The fact that I found it hard to pay fathom on my revision might be due to way the knowledge was transferred. See, one should not teach the same model of thinking to all students because our understanding capacity and creativity differ from each other. Instead of telling us what is A and B, one should let us evaluate what is A and B after giving us introduction on what both things are. Well, that's the way I see how ethic should be taught. I appreciate how my lecturer created a debate avenue for us over a topic using the environmental theory that we were introduced. That would be more engaging and meaningful. I totally agree on that.

But beyond that teaching method, could there be anybetter option? Why I questioned this was because after being taught in class and did self-revision, I still found certain terms and phrases to be rather confusing. I questioned myself could it be my own low intelligence level that obstruct me from understanding a matter? I've got no answer to that as I am not  the only one who faces the same problem. I believe that no one is stupid; it's how we are taught/trained/exposed that differ us from stupidity. I have not been to oversea and taste their way of educating the people. Thus, I am unable to tell what should be changed in our current education system.

It does spells a difference seeing our neighbouring country's university like NUS ranked 22 in QS World University Ranking system while none of Malaysia's university make it to top 100. By reflecting on condition of our hostel room, many stories can be told on how much the government cares about our welfare. Not that I am yearning for air-conditioned room or what not, but at least not a skin-peeling wall. It's just like you are holding a rotten durian while claiming that Malaysia produces the best durian in Asia. Dare you say that?

Anyway, this debate has been in my mind ever since first year when we had to answer 100 objective questions for biology subject in final exam. Seriously? Do you literally think that such testing method on our excellence is genuine and credible? Of course not. We were just a group of photocopy machine, replicating what we half-heartedly memorize into that white sheet followed by a CTRL + DELETE button in our own brain software the moment we stepped out of exam hall.

Every now and then, I am just hoping that our "dearest leaders" out there to stop squabble over unnecessary matter particularly on race and religion. Address imperative matter proactively. If you want the nation to improve, it is not by increasing more palm oil plantation; if you want to stop brain drain, it is not by alluring those gems in oversea with big cars, houses and what not. All you have to do is improve your human resource by changing the education system.

This is just my two-cent on education. No offence to anyone who is reading this. At the end of the day, the test was cancelled. Great, I hope to find more time to think critically on the subject.