Heaps of praises OR BRICKBATS for Maszlee?

The letter written by "Selangor Teacher" praising Education Minister, Dr Maszlee Malik is indeed ticklish to say the least.

As a parent, I have been following closely on the education issues in our government schools. It is unfortunate that I have to give Maszlee an "F" for his performance in the past one year. 

Let me elaborate so that he and his people will be more focused on the real issues instead of operating in a bubble. 

FIRSTLY, one can craft out the most beautiful policies but when it comes to implementation, if it is not done correctly, it will flop. 

I have written at great length my complaints about the 1Murid, 1Sukan policy after several letters to Maszlee were unattended to. 

A simple request to ask on behalf of parents whose children are attending a church-based uniformed group has dragged on for a year now. What is so difficult to give these children the exemption so that they do not need to attend another uniformed group in school?

Most parents especially in urban schools will agree with me that their children are already occupied with a number of extra-curricular activities, and the 1Murid, 1Sukan is a burden to these children.

After following on this with Maszlee, there is not even a single response from him. 

SECONDLY, Maszlee has failed to understand the problems in schools, especially those that are peculiar to the Chinese primary schools.

From day one, I have advised him to meet up with parent groups and watchdogs, but till today, he has not met with any of these groups. 

A particular group has met up with Maszlee's press officer in January this year, but till now, Maszlee has not reverted back to them. In the first place, why did he assign a press officer to meet a parents' group!

If Maszlee continues to ignore what is happening on the ground, whatever good policy that is being drawn up will not benefit the children.

Let me give you a good example. After issuing out a circular instructing schools to set up their own speaker's corner last year, till now, my son's school does not have one. 

The only speaker's corner that was "set up" last year was just for the photographs to show that the school has a speaker's corner which my son said is at a hidden corner with lots of tables and chairs in the background!

To stretch my point further, the Ministry of Education, including Maszlee, is aware that my daughter's teachers are still using workbooks in the form of worksheets despite a circular from the Ministry saying that additional workbooks (and worksheets included) are not allowed in Level One (Standards 1-3). 

Having repeatedly lodged the official complaint on the ministry's complaints website more than five times, I find it hard to believe that the teachers are still using the worksheets during the class lessons instead of putting their efforts to find creative ways to teach the children. 

THIRDLY, Maszlee has a reputation of shooting off of his mouth, without thinking thoroughly the implications of his new policies. 

A very good example is when he spoke in parliament urging religious teachers to stay on in Sabah and Sarawak and make these states their medan dakwah. 

He later claimed that he was being misunderstood, but we all know the  meaning of dakwah, as simply the work of "proselytising or preaching Islam."

It goes without saying the black shoes policy was never deliberated in his own ministry. This is the reason why he was caught off guard, when a reporter asked him what colour of socks would go with the black shoes. 

Applying his idea of conducting a comprehensive study before recognising the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) on the black shoes, the swimming lessons for all schools, and his latest idea of a cashless payment scheme, I should say he has failed to do what he preaches. 

FINALLY, I think Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has picked a wrong person to fill this very important position.

Maszlee's lack of experience - in both politics and administration -- is a huge liability to the Pakatan government. He was, after all, only a university lecturer and his PhD is in Islamic studies.

What the country needs is someone who is forward looking and able to transform the schools into a cradle of learning, not an Islamic scholar with hardly an experience in running even a university.

END.