Comments for Najib: Govt will preserve vernacular schools at http://www.malaysianbar.org.my , comment 0 to 1 out of 1 comments http://www.malaysianbar.org.my Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:21:49 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/legal/general_news/najib_govt_will_preserve_vernacular_schools.html#pc_8749 It is common knowledge that Malaysians moan and groan about the consistently falling standards in education. Why do we do that? It is because we have always banked on education to secure a better life for our future generations. However, the problem seems to be a lot more complex. As I was growing up in the 1960s, it was true that, other things being equal, a good education could secure a good future. However, our society has now become stratified, with entrée into the top strata of society virtually confined to the so-called elites. This phenomenon of social stratification first took shape in the 1980s. Even our education system is elitist, only practising some semblance of egalitarian after World War II in 1945. Why? And why has the social status of teachers been allowed to take a consistent dip? Have we lost sight of the fact that teachers shape the minds of our students and form their character and therefore their destiny? I see most of our schools and colleges built immaculately, in a typically Third World country. That is important, but we seem to forget that it is the teachers who make the schools and colleges, not the bricks and mortar! Isn’t it about time to review and reform our educational system? Isn’t it about time for a paradigm shift? Stephen Tan Ban Cheng - Stephen Tan Ban Cheng Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:52:27 +0100