KUALA LUMPUR: The government should restructure the existing national education system to make it more holistic and relevant for the next two to three decades, a Puteri Umno delegate, Idamoerni Zakaria said Saturday.
She said although the existing education system was a blend of the best education systems from various sources, including developed countries, it consisted of too many ingredients that it burdened the children.
"Yes, some can be practised, but majority of the children cannot. In the end, the concept of memorising without understanding happens and this continues until they go to university.
“The result, our aim of producing a rounded human capital turns into something like half-cooked rice," she said when supporting the motion on religion and education at the Umno general assembly here.
Idamoerni suggested that the government form a special committee, comprising experts, to carry out a long term plan prior to the implementation of an education policy to ensure its contents met current needs.
Expressing Puteri Umno's support on efforts to make vocational and technical (voctech) studies part of mainstream education, she said efforts to enhance voctech was important to change the society's perception of it being second class education or for those who failed academically.
To enhance the symbiotic relationship between voctech and the industry, Puteri Umno suggested that the government gave incentives, like tax exemption for companies which accepted voctech graduates.
Idamoerni said Puteri Umno also wanted the government to study the formulation of a single stream education system in line with efforts to promote the 1Malaysia concept.
"The government has made a lot of changes and improvements in empowering national schools, but the frequent changes often confused and create problems to various parties, including teachers, students and parents, as well as involving high cost," she added.
She also suggested that the learning methodology in the Permata programme, which had been proven successful in moulding a more confident, disciplined, controlled and caring child, be absorbed into the national education system, right from early education to pre-school and from primary school to secondary school.
"This is the human capital we dream of," she added. There was also a for more teachers from other races in national-type Chinese and Tamil schools to teach in their schools to strengthen unity among the people, a Wanita Umno delegate said Saturday.
Still on the debate on the motion on religion and education Wanita Umno representative Datuk Norhayati Omar said the number of non-Indian and non-Chinese teachers in these schools at the moment was very few.
Quoting statistics, she said, as at June this year, there were 5,881 national schools in the country followed by 1,291 national-type Chinese schools (SJKC) and 523 national-type Tamil schools (SJKT).
"Of these, there were only 2,245 Malay teachers in SJKC and SJKT," she said.
Norhayati, who is Negri Sembilan Wanita Umno chief, said based on the statistics, on average, there were less than two teachers in each SJKC and SJKT.
On the contrary, she said, there were 33,777 non-Malay teachers in national schools.
"If there are no opportunities for interaction at the teachers' level, how then, shall the future of our children look like?" she said.
Norhayati also called for the teaching of the Malay language to be strengthened in all schools and for Mandarin and Tamil to be taught in national schools.
Meanwhile, a Kedah Umno representative, Prof Dr Ismail Daut called on the government to create what he called a "green lane" in the award of scholarships and study loans, especially to rural students.
He said the government should dismantle barriers to ensure that rural students were able to achieve success through education.
"Certain conditions in the PTPTN (National Higher Education Fund Corporation) should be eased further so that those who decide to pursue higher degrees can be exempted from paying their loan until after they completed their studies," he said.
Umno's 61st general assembly resumed Saturday with the tabling of a motion on education and religion.
This is the last day of the assembly, which started on Tuesday.
Two motions have been tabled - the motion of thanks on the presidential speech and the motion on economy.
All three motions were passed later in the day. - Bernama
