DEMEANING EDUCATION TONGKAT.

The number of A’s that an examination candidate gets should not be the determinant in the awarding of any scholarship.
In Malaysia, it is common knowledge that pre released examination results do go through a “racial tailoring” exercise where even the less academically incline students morph from mediocrity to status of academic starlets and the more academically brilliant, super stars.
Such affirmative action may have been politically and morally correct in the early 1980’s.
But to continue to indulge in this unofficial dumbing-down of results after 30 years is plain cheating - sanctioned by the state.
There can be no more opportune time than now to throw away this demeaning “education tongkat”.

From next year, students sitting for the SPM examinations will only be allowed to sit for a maximum of 10 subjects.
The grading system for the examination will also be improved to better reflect the academic achievements of the students.
Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the ministry decided to do away with the open certificate system, which allows students to sit for as many subjects, as the majority only took 10 subjects or fewer.
“Records show that some 90% of students sitting for the SPM exam take 10 or fewer subjects,” the Deputy Prime Minister told reporters yesterday after laying the foundation stone for the new RM1.3bil Education Com-plex at Bandar Enstek near here.
“We want to streamline this as it will also be an easier way to determine the awarding of scholarships.”