An Education System Worthy of Malaysia #41
Chapter 7: Strengthening the Schools (Cont’d)
Preschool And Primary Years (P-6)
Currently the participation rate for preschool in rural and poor neighborhoods is near zero. These are the very areas that have the greatest needs. Children of the poor are deprived in many regards. Their poverty means that basic health and nutritional needs are often not met. Their parents have limited formal education and thus are not in any position to give intellectual stimulation or help to their children. Schools and education are not their priorities, surviving is. There are many empirical studies linking low educational attainments with poverty and parents’ years of formal schooling. This has been observed in many countries and various cultures. Malaysia is no exception.
Fortunately this seemingly intractable cycle can be broken through effective and enlightened policies. In America, successful Head Start programs like the Perry Preschool Project in Michigan showed that early interventions help even those with below normal IQs. In Malaysia special privileges have been remarkably effective in reducing the gap in educational attainment of Malays versus non-Malays. Further, the expected dropout rates between Malays and non-Malays have narrowed considerably directly as a consequence of special privileges. Such findings should embolden policymakers to expand the program aggressively and to enhance its efficacy.
I would not interfere with private preschools. On the contrary I would encourage their growth through tax incentives and facilitating the issuance of permits by minimizing the red tape. Nor should MOE interfere with their curriculum, let each school set its own. This would encourage innovation. MOE should monitor to make sure that it is safe and that no criminals are running the school or that it is being set up near a dumpsite.
I would integrate preschool with primary school and lower the age of entry to four years, especially in poor and rural neighborhoods. These deprived children would then have two years of preschool prior to entering Primary 1, to compensate for their disadvantaged background. I would also integrate nutritional and health services into the schools. Nutritional services include breakfasts, snacks, and lunches similar to America’s school lunch program.
Studies in America show that even at the preschool we are already seeing differences in the readiness for learning in these youngsters, and that such differences linger throughout their school years. These differences relate to age, sex, race, ethnicity, and most important, socioeconomic status (SES). The most significant finding is that when SES is kept constant, the differences due to race and ethnicity disappear. Such insights should emboldened our policymakers to ensure that those from disadvantaged backgrounds be given compensatory superior opportunities and facilities.
I would experiment with various demonstration models to deal with the problems of rural and poor schoolchildren. In America, CES, with its emphasis on small schools and group teaching, has been remarkably successful in tough inner cities. Similarly Catholic schools, with their emphasis on strict discipline and the basics, have proved equally successful.
A more novel approach is military school. It turns out that for many, strict regimentation is exactly what they need to overcome the frequent lack of authority figure at home. Chicago and Oakland, California, now have such schools and are very successful. The spick and span uniform and sense of belonging are effective antidotes to the unruly and violent gang culture outside the campus. One of these models may well be what children in poor rural Malaysia would need.
I would also have regular visits by the school nurse and dental hygienist. A survey in relatively affluent Santa Clara County, California, revealed a high percentage of school children with visual, medical and dental problems that could potentially interfere with their learning.
Imagine what the situation would be in rural Malaysia. Problems like dental cavities and infected gums not only interfere with good health but also learning. As US Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders once remarked, “You can’t educate a child who is not healthy, and you can’t keep a child healthy who isn’t educated.”
When I was in primary school during colonial times, there was a special room designated for the dental hygienist and school nurse. I even had one of my teeth pulled out by her! By integrating medical and dental care into the school, problems could be detected much earlier and thus be more effectively treated. Further, these children could be taught simple personal hygiene like brushing teeth daily, washing both hands before eating (Malays eat with the right hand, often that is the only hand washed), and the wearing of footwear at all times to prevent worm infestations. This may not necessarily be a pair of expensive Nike shoes as cheap wooden sandals would be just as effective. Additionally, these children could be taught simple public health rules like sleeping under the mosquito net at night, and simple food hygiene like eating only well-cooked and well-washed foods. Dengue is endemic in Malaysia, and having schoolchildren wear long-sleeve shirts or blouses and long pants or ankle-length skirts and sarongs would reduce the incidence of mosquito bites, the risk factor for the disease. Such a uniform would also satisfy their parents’ Islamic sensitivity! These children could also be taught simple rules of road safety. Everyday we read of children being struck down by traffic.
By having trained medical personnel making regular visits, clusters of illnesses with potential public health ramifications like lead poisoning and measles could be detected much earlier. In poor areas I would introduce the local equivalent of Bolsa Escola, where parents would be paid for keeping their children in school. This would be far more effective in reducing rural poverty and simultaneously elevating the educational attainment of the students. It would also send a clear and dramatic message to rural parents on the importance of schooling.
During British rule, bright Malay pupils from poor families were given scholarships in the amount of RM20 to RM40 per month, depending on their grade level. Those were substantial sums, equivalent to the purchasing power today of RM80-160. They had to maintain certain scholastic achievements to receive the money. In addition, if they lived far away from school they also had free room and board at the school’s hostel.
The program, as expected, was expensive but the British were smart enough to be selective, targeting only bright but poor pupils. Again because the program was expensive, it was not extensive, so the incentive value was limited. Rural folks thought it was like winning a lottery and not a genuine reward system. Had it been more widespread, more children would work hard to get it.
For incentives to work they must be both sufficiently rewarding and not too difficult to obtain, that is, both expensive and expansive. Too small a reward and people would not be motivated, and too few winners and people will dismiss it as mere luck or crapshoot. Casino operators know this psychology very well.
On the other hand if everyone were rewarded, then the incentive or motivating value would be lost. When I was in Sixth Form every Malay student including children of the rich received a stipend plus free tuition and boarding. This is still the situation with residential schools and matrikulasi. Such indiscriminate munificence is not only expensive and wasteful but also loses its motivating allure.
In addition to providing incentives, we must also ensure that schools are attractive, safe, and conducive to learning. They must have adequate and well-trained teachers. To achieve this we must give rural allowances to entice good teachers. We should also provide quarters to encourage them to live in and contribute to the community. Unlike my parents in days of yore, teachers and headmasters posted to rural schools today live away in the towns and commute. They do not have the opportunities to mix and interact with the children and their parents after school hours. This reduces considerably their effectiveness. The community too loses.
Next: Preschool and Primary Years (P-6) Cont’d