LETTERS: There have been several newspaper articles in the past months comparing the Malaysian school curriculum with the curriculum of academically lauded countries.
However, the discussions are often about "being on a par". But is being on a par the right priority?
We should concentrate on actual needs, like the state of the facilities, class sizes, and the teaching and learning hours allocated to subjects.
It is evident that classrooms in most schools are still using antique teachers' tables, while students' tables and chairs are in need of repair.
Compare that with developed countries, where high-speed Internet access is largely available, unlike the poor coverage in certain areas of our country.
Furthermore, schools in these developed nations are equipped not only with the latest education technology, like smart boards, but also adequate support staff like teaching assistants to help students and class teachers.
Trained teaching assistants are especially needed for special needs students who attend regular schools.
The authorities should also ensure schools help students with disabilities. Such an integration policy, as practised in Australia, should be emulated here.
In addition, we still have crowded classrooms of between 40 and 50 students in each. But, academically leading countries, like Sweden and Finland, are reported to have limited class sizes of 20 to 25 students.
Such ideal facilities would foster healthy teaching practices and learning habits, and motivate students with learning disabilities.
The teaching and learning hours allocated for maths and the sciences appear to contradict our education policy that purportedly stresses on Science, Technology, Egineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Only 1.5 hours for maths and two hours for science are allocated per week in the primary school syllabus. In comparison, China allocates 15 hour per week for maths.
Thus, merely getting the Malaysian school curriculum to be on a par with academically excelling countries does not guarantee education quality. It is the needs of our schools that must be prioritised.
P. DHAYAPARI @ DHAYA
Senior Lecturer, UiTM, Perak
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times