Ahaha, so the SPM results are out. This time around, the cries of sorrow are louder than the voices of jubilation. Sure, there are top scorers with straight A1's, but most people around me end up feeling unsatisfied, even cheated of their hard work. Yours truly scored 9 A1's, 2 A2's (Chinese and Moral) and 1 B3 (Biology!). To tell all of you the truth, I'm quite satisfied with this result, except for the Chinese A2. Thought I done good enough to deserve an A1, but o' well, you can't have everything you want in your life.
With all the hype surrounding another record breaking feat, my heart felt condolences go to Nadiah Amirah Jamil, our unfortunate Batu Pahat girl who was suppose to achieve 19A1's. With all the news reports, she was lured into a false sense of joy that she was poised to be the next record holder. Imagine the sorrow and shame when reality knocked on the door. Her emotions must have been disastrous. Though I personally do not approve of people taking so many subjects, I feel that she deserved better than this outrageous treatment from the media. This is just another classic example of false reporting by our local newspapers, and I seriously feel that a formal apology is dued.
With all the noise made over the number of subjects which candidates attempt during SPM, I'm here to offer my two sen's worth on this issue. Over the past years we've seen candidates attempt 9-19 subjects, and some of them actually do very well. The current record is of course held by Nur Amalina Che Bakri, with 17 A1's. The Ministry Of Education states that the maximum number of subjects which a candidate can attempt is 21, so our top scorers are not much off the mark. Unless the MOE decides to cap the number of subjects, I predict that we'll soon see a candidate score the maximum 21 A1's. However the question is, is it worth the effort?
Well the candidates themselves might argue that the more A1's the better. If its within your intelligence to score more, then why not? After all, the more A1's you achieve, the better your chances of getting a scholarship. While I can see the point in this, I'm not very convinced with the scholarship part judging from what has happened in the past years. Scholarship bodies have refused to award their coveted prizes to people who fail to score straight A1's, even though the number of A1's achieved are more. This meaning a candidate who scores 15 A1's and 1 A2 are considered worse than a candidate who scores 8 straight A1's. Again I fail to see the rationale in this policy. It seems 15 is less than 8 nowadays in Malaysia. So actually it would be better to attempt less subjects but score all A1's rather than attempt more subjects but miss out on the A1's on a few subjects.
Another factor to consider is actually the real aim of the Malaysian Education System. To quote the National Education Philosophy, 'Education in Malaysia is an on-going efforts towards further developing the potential of individuals in a holostic and integrated manner, so as to produce individuals who are intelectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonic, based on a firm belief in and devotion to God'. With a huge ammount of subjects to study and revise, I wonder if candidates attempting a big number of subjects are in line with the philosophy. To me, producing a well-rounded person is much more important than producing top scorers who only excel in academics. With so much emphasis placed on exam results by the MOE, it is small wonder that more and more candidates are attempting more and more subjects. The exam-orientated education system is slowly defeating its own purpose. Yes, there are exceptional people who can manage to score their A1's and have fun at the same time, but still, how many of these people are there? In most cases candidates will just study, study and study to achieve the maximum number of A1's. After all, you can't deny that an all A1 result ensures a good tertiary education possibly overseas in a course of your choice. We must be realistic. Not every parent can afford that for their children. However, the time taken to study for extra subjects can actually be put to better use for development in other parts of the candidate's life. Let's face it, life is more than getting straight A1's. There's a big difference in being educated and just excelling academically, not to suggest that its not important haha...
They say that numbers don't lie, and our candidates this year achieved almost 1000 straight A1's and 4000 straight A's. Oh joy for the politicians, aren't our candidates wonderful. With these results, you would have thought that Malaysia was producing a truckload of geniuses every year. However, somebody remarked that 'if the education standards in our school continue slipping, in future our graduates will be working as maids in foreign countries'. While it is hard to believe this now, this situation is already happening in the Philippines and Nepal. The numbers do not represent the calibre of our candidates as the results are based on graphs and the graphs are drawn by politicians. Our education system had become interwined with politics, free to be manipulated by politicians at their own whim. I'm firmly opposed to this system, and I believe that any education system should be independent of politics like the judiciary system. When you talk education, you are talking about the future of the younger generation and effectively the future of the nation. With the ammount of tinkering being done by politicians, is it any wonder that the people are starting to lose hope? God people are starting to encourage their children to leave the country 'and don't come back if you can'.
With the dire predicament back home, I'm starting to have my doubts on returning too after university. I love my country enough, but if things continue downhill, there will be nothing left to love. Still, with a bit of luck, maybe things will make a turn for the better. It might be wishful thinking, but I'm hoping it'll come true for the sake of the country. God knows how much we need a real revamp in education, so keep your fingers crossed my fellow Malaysians. Malaysia Boleh! Let's pray that its really true... ~Zhongy~
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