Farhan
Today’s agenda was something different from what we had been experiencing. We travelled up north in Sik, Kedah to try and gain another perspective by putting ourselves in the shoes of a rural student. As soon as we arrived, we received a warm welcome by the local people from the village of Sik, and the van brought us to Sik Inn. The real reason we had travelled to Sik was mainly because of Nabihah Rosli, one of the applicants of Talkback classroom. Her enthusiasm should be envied, and she made the trip possible and welcomed us so hospitably. We met Nabihah at the hotel and discussed our plans for our two-day stay in Sik. Nabihah was ecstatic and gave us a tour all around Sik. As the way the Australians express their excitement, Duncan said, “Sik is fully sick”.
Later that evening, we were taken to a famous vineyard in Sik, a grape plantation. We couldn’t help but admire how the vineyard was greatly structured and organised which is probably the reason why their grapes were exceptionally sweet and tasty. All in all, we had a grape day! I think the village of Sik is really more focused on agriculture development hence making it certainly more culture centered. The villagers were very friendly and welcoming which really adds to the excitement and enjoyment of being in a cultured rural place in Malaysia.
At night, we received an unexpected, massive reception and welcome from the students and teachers of SMK Sik. We were the guests of honour for the nights cultural performance and as much as we enjoyed the scrumptious food provided by the school, we really enjoyed the cultural show which consisted of Silat, Nasyid and Dikir Barat. After being stuffed with the delicious meal, we had a late night discussion with the students of SMK Sik. The opinions of the students in Sik were very different and have made us think and see the issues differently as well. Many of the students struggled to articulate their thoughts in English and many of them had to convey their opinions in the language they were best in, of course in Malay. That was when I brought up the issue of PPSMI, either it should be continued or the new policy that had been implemented should be given full support. Of course, coming from the remote area, students receive less exposure to English; and it would be hard for them to grasp concepts and the English language. Well, as much as I acknowledge that fact, I still don’t think the system of PPSMI should be made a barrier or a factor for them not to understand the concept taught and later to succeed in life, not only in our country but also globally. There must be a stepping-stone, a catalyst, and a pioneer to start developing an English environment. If not now, when? Considering the fact that the terminologies used in the teachings of Math’s and Science differs in Malay and English. If the students were so used to being taught in Malay, how would they adapt to their tertiary education, which would mostly be in English? As Mathematics and Science are the two most important subjects in this rapidly developing world and globalisation is the current trend.
Duncan
Today was fully Sik. I say this with no exaggeration whatsoever. The unprecedented reception we received from SMK Sik was second to none! I don’t think I’ll ever encounter more paparazzi in my life. Thanks particularly to local student Nabihah Rosli for her great organisation. The trip over is well worth it not only for the cultural experience, but for an understanding of the educational capacities of rural Malaysian schools and how they come into play with the issues we’ve raised so far.
A late-night discussion with several students of SMK Sik revealed clear opinions on many issues. For me, the most important was the abolition of PPSMI. Whilst some students expressed an appreciation of learning science and math’s in English with a view to overseas education, the majority felt that many teachers in rural schools were not suitable to teach in English. The idea that PPSMI created an imbalance between rural and urban communities or offered students in urban schools with better English-speaking teachers an unfair advantage was popular. Conversations with the teachers themselves made it clear that the understanding of scientific and mathematical concepts is most important and comes before an improved grasp of English. It seems that they just feel more comfortable teaching in the mother-tongue rather than a language whose importance in rural communities is significantly less than in cities like KL. My visit to Sik has really made me appreciate how crucial it is that the government is able to provide an equal education across the entire nation. It seems that the re-introduction of PPSMI and increased English teaching would only succeed if more capable teachers took up positions in rural schools. From our conversation with the Ministry of Education’s Deputy Director-General, compulsory postings in rural communities for training teachers or a financial incentive (e.g. higher salary) for teaching in rural schools could be possible ways of attracting higher numbers. It seems to me that PPSMI can only operate effectively if the problem of rural education can be properly solved. Should the government develop a solution to the current, diluted presence of capably English-speaking teachers in rural Malaysia, then perhaps PPSMI could reach its potential as an educational strategy.
The topic of streaming also attracted similar attention. Many students again articulated their frustration with a system that promotes science as a more ‘intelligent’ alternative to arts. However, others suggested that this controversy was not as prevalent in rural areas, saying that the arts stream seems for many a more strategic option. It was argued that some rural schools perform better in subjects from the arts stream and so the decision to undertake arts subjects is not in any way looked down upon or deemed less prestigious. I now find myself opposed to the idea of streaming in general. I really appreciated the degree of choice I had in school – I could take a balance of science/maths subjects as well as the humanities. Streaming pigeonholes students into a particular category, limiting their choice and experience of different subjects. Whilst I understand the practical difficulties that the Malaysian government would face in implementing this type of model, I hope that it can strive towards a similar vision for the future.
Emily
We made our day today out of contrasting places and experiences, starting at the top of Menara KL. Within two hours, we had touched down in Alor Setar airport and were driving through pouring rain and swamplands towards our stay in Sik to meet Nabihah, the most beautiful contributor to the project’s Facebook page. The women all wore traditional dress, and I was glad that I had something appropriate for dinner at Nabihah’s school. I expected this to be just as enjoyable and valuable as any of the school visits the trip has taken me to, but I did not expect the incredible welcome party that greeted us and led us to the school hall. Nabihah said that the procession of glittering cane adornments and instruments was usually reserved for weddings, and so it surprised us, in particular Duncan and I, that such a ceremony would be held for students of no standing other than belonging to another country. Exchange students in Australia are treated with the regular amount of interest allocated to a new student coming from anywhere, be it a neighboring school or neighboring country, and are introduced in the form of a small mention in the school paper, or a “Hi” at assembly. I suppose that being in such an isolated area, the presence of visitors, and especially Westerners, is a rare occurrence.
It was so fantastic to be treated to a display of unique, cultural performances, including a martial arts display accompanied by a live band and lots of singing. The concert pieces were so alive and so genuine, so different from the commerciality of the city. It reminded me of how easy it is to regard rural schools as disadvantaged because of the isolation, without contemplating their fortunes in maintaining these beautiful traditions, that city areas neglect. The discussion amongst the Sik students and ourselves was pretty chaotic, as translating was required and the students were so many. Although it took some time, we got an interesting answer in regards to the streaming debate; the local education board actually recommends that students of SMK Sik pursue the arts stream, in the hope that this will produce better pass rates. Maybe science-related subjects do not bear such a heavy emphasis in the working society of Sik as they do in KL?
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Learning Journey- 5th April