Dumb and Dumber.... Dumbed Down!!!!

UPSR is in...PMR is out! I think both exams are mere assessments to see how well one can regurgitate but at least the PMR acts as a sieve to weed out those who really tak minat and tak boleh continue in their studies, though there are very few of those. These days, all it takes to continue to Form 4 is just one pass. Kids who cannot actually read can also move up to Form 4! Cos it's very possible to pass one subject even if you can't read. Just mark all 'A" or "B" or whatever alphabet that you fancy on the OMR form and hope for some dumb luck and you're in. And you've quite a few subjects to try from.... not very hard to pass one subject.

But still, a few won't fall through... and I think that's merciful to them and us. They cannot cope and schools just don't have the kind of resources for a one to one for such students. And to make them stay is just to pass time.... and they hold the rest of the class back. I've a few such students in class sometimes. Lessons don't make much sense to them. While the rest of the class are able to complete the task given, they cannot even write properly, let alone answer some. As much as we would like everyone to graduate from secondary school, reality is that there are some who just cannot cope...

And now with the PMR out of the way... we're going to have to deal with them and they have more time to in turn to allow mischief to turn hardcore. *sigh*

Anyway, PMR or no... we're still getting students who cannot cope with English in our prep colleges such as Matriculation Colleges, Polytechnics and also the universities. This was a discusion among our selected students at such institutions.... they were discussing about how to motivate a person to study...

From one of them... "I think teacher or lecturers can motivasi a student to study because them are knowledge and can handle himself discipline the student." Another said, "I think family members are the important to support us. I think they can support you from behind. All thing good or bad, someone is come from family. We can see boy or girl, if attitude is come from family, especially mother, our mother can motivate us. For example, the best student who are 20As, their family give their support" Yet another said, "Friends most likely are germs (gems) who can encourage us. Let I told you the definition what is friend. Friend is a person who with us happy or bad time. When we see he or her studying we get attracted to studying too. What do you think?" And another... "I think the individual can be the best to motivate he or herself." That's our future undergraduates having a discussion... now go figure!

Imagine, most of them are our future graduates too. No wonder they are not employable. Not only do many lack a good command of language but a greater problem is the way they've been dumbed down systematically by our own system which makes things so easy for them cos they also lack substance... from Bolehland! As always; form over substance.