Why we should support ending streaming in schools
Do we really need to understand subjects in the science stream like Biology and Chemistry if we do not want to go into medicine?
Perhaps it was because some Malaysians have something against his earlier ideas, or perhaps they are against this policy itself.
Some have accused him of trying to abolish the science stream. Some have gone to say it’s a racist policy to place Malays in a good light.
Honestly, I am utterly confounded by these allegations. These detractors should give their reasoning to the press so we can have some semblance of what exactly they mean.
For myself, this is one policy that has been a long time coming to an end — it is outdated and hierarchical.
For those of us currently in our late 20s and 30s, we remember going through the streaming process and wondering if the subjects were actually what we wanted to study. Did we really need to understand subjects in the science stream, like Biology and Chemistry, if we did not want to go into medicine?
For myself, I saw classmates who took Physics but who dropped the other two subjects to study Drawing and Art, or maybe Accounting and Economics. I hope it worked out fine for them now, but there were always some snide remarks from teachers over the issue initially.
But more to the point, there is a hierarchy when it comes to these streams in secondary school. The science stream somehow became the symbol of achievement, while the accounting and economics streams did not command the same respect. The science stream somehow became symbolic of having good grades while the rest were seen to be of a lower calibre.
And that was not done by the students, but drilled into them by parents and teachers unintentionally by way of peer pressure – it somehow went on to become a mantra of “get good grades, make sure you get into the science stream to get a better career in the future”.
It was dirven into you that you will have more choices in college if you take up the science stream.
These thoughts became so ingrained that society has forgotten to ask the students what exactly they want to do, and whether what they were studying is tied to what they believed they wanted to do.
And so, for myself at least, I see Maszlee’s actions as a way to end all this. At the same time, I see the detractors as people who are worried about being unable to show off their kids’ brainpower by boasting they got into the science stream.
Of course, there are valid concerns. Will schools be able to cope with the multiple subjects the kids will choose? What about entrance into colleges? Will students be able to take degrees and diplomas they like if they have not taken certain related subjects back in school?
Will students be able to choose any subjects they like or will there still be insistence on core subjects?
I’m sure a lot of students will want to drop Pendidikan Moral, while some parents may think of dropping Pendidikan Islam. In fact, I personally hope they make this last subject optional since some parents already send their kids to evening religious classes anyway.
These are issues the education ministry will have to clarify in time, with feedback from universities on how they plan to apply their criteria for entry into each and every degree or diploma programme.
But, more importantly, the ability to pick and choose subjects will undo the hierarchy of streams in schools. It is the empowerment of students to choose subjects that match their passions and interests.
It could be the boy who wants to study Home Economics or the girl who wants to take up Mechanical Engineering. It could be the student who wants to learn about the economy, or the passionate writer who wants to understand the olden words in literature in both Bahasa Malaysia or English.
It could be the manga lover who wants to learn to draw, or the linguist who wants to know the roots of spoken and written language. It is the techie who wants to learn about computers, or the environmental activist who wants to couple biology with economics, with an idea of making for sustainable living.
Or, it could be the guy who’s good with his hands, who can now take vocational subjects to focus on what he’s good at rather than be depressed by bad grades in subjects he has no passion for.
Hafidz Baharom is an FMT reader.
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.