The Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) conducted by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a triennial international survey which aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students.
In 2015 over half a million students, representing 28 million 15-year-old's in 72 countries and economies, took the internationally agreed two-hour test. Students were assessed in science, mathematics, reading, collaborative problem solving and financial literacy.
When the PISA 2015 results were released on Dec 6, officials from the Education Ministry (MOE) were quoted in a news report as taking pride that Malaysia’s PISA’s scores for Mathematics, Reading and Science had improved from 421, 398 and 420 respectively in 2012 to 446, 431 and 443 respectively in 2015.
However, Malaysians have been stunned to discover the next day that Malaysia is one of 2 countries who took part in PISA 2015 which were left out of the overall rankings entirely.
The official reason given was “in Malaysia, the Pisa assessment was conducted in accordance with the operational standards and guidelines of the OECD. However, the weighted response rate among the initially sample Malaysian schools (51 percent) falls well short of the standard Pisa response rate of 85 percent. Therefore, the results may not be comparable to those of other countries or to results for Malaysia from previous years.”
In simple terms, this means that the MOE officials had attempted to manipulate the results of the Malaysian students by using a biased sample of schools which will not present a fair and accurate reflection of students’ performance in Malaysia.
My colleague, Dr Ong Kian Ming has already shown in his statement on 8 December that the MOE over-represents data from High Performing Schools (HPS) and Fully Residential Schools. For example, even though the number of Fully Residential School students comprise only less than 3% of all students in Malaysia, they were over-represented for the PISA tests at a whopping 30%.
There cannot be a bigger irony when our own Ministry of Education tries to cheat in its examinations, and actually expects to get away with it.
The disgraceful attempt to cheat the system underlies a bigger problem in the administration of our education system. It shows that those in-charge of the education of our children are more interested in form over substance. They are only interested in meeting statistical benchmarks – by hook or by crook so that they could crow about it, and are not interested in the real substantive quality and performance of our students.
This is consistent with the fact that the MOE (and its counterpart Higher Education Ministry) have been attempting to manipulate the rankings of our Malaysians universities by adjusting foreign student intakes to meet the criteria for the more dubious global university ranking matrix by QS World University Rankings. Other university ranking systems by the Times Higher Education and Shanghai Jiao Tong clearly require more qualitative academic performance input from our universities which were harder to manipulate.
Similarly, it has been an open secret that the annual increases in the number of “As” obtained by our students in examinations such as the SPM were a result of reducing marks required to achieve the relevant grades, and not a result of improving student quality.
Without a real transformation in the mindset of our officials in-charge of our education system, the quality of our schools will continue continue to deteriorate and we can only expect our students to be even worse off over time. As long as these officials who are only interested in artificial forms to pat themselves on the back and suck up to their superiors, no amount of beautifully crafted transformation blueprints will be able to “transform” the system for the better.
We call upon the Minister of Education, Dato' Seri Mahdzir Khalid to take stern action against all senior officials who were complicit in the attempts to cheat PISA. This will send a strong message to the entire Ministry that the Government is only interested in substantive quality of our students and not fake performance outcomes. The continued failure to let substance precede form is a certain formula to ensure a worsened outcome for our future Malaysian students.
Showing posts with label Youth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Youth. Show all posts
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Monday, May 30, 2016
Applications now open for 2016 DAP Internship Programme!
The DAP "Know An MP" Youth Programme for the year 2016 is now open for application! DAP Malaysia will be offering 10 attachment placements nationwide to various national leaders, Members of Parliament (MPs) and State Assemblymen (ADUN) in Malaysia.
What is this programme about?
The programme aims to provide Malaysia’s best and brightest students with hands-on experience in the areas of politics, public policy and governance. Selected candidates will be matched based on compatibility to an MP or ADUN. The candidate will be attached on a full-time basis to the MP/ADUN and actively participate in their daily work.
During the programme, candidates will have the opportunity to:
- Gain first-hand experience and insight of being a national leader
- Attend parliamentary or state assembly sessions
- Organize and participate in press conferences, discussions, political events, etc.
As part of the programme, candidates are required to submit a 300-word essay documenting their experience and insights gained.
Who should apply?
University students able to commit to full-time attachment with a minimum period of 1 month
Application procedure:
Email your résumé / CV, secondary school and university transcripts, and a cover letter to daprocket@rocketmail.com.
Include in your application the following:
- Preferred location (i.e. which state/city in Malaysia)
- Proposed duration of your attachment
- Preferred MP/ADUN
Application timeline:
The application period is between 15 May 2016 and 15 June 2016
Successful candidates will be contacted via email
For further enquiries, kindly email daprocket@rocketmail.com.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Welcome Dr Ong Kian Ming & Yeo Bee Yin!
Welcome Dr Ong Kian Ming and Yeo Bee Yin, both Cambridge alumni into the DAP family!
I'm absolutely confident that they'll contribute immensely to the Party and Malaysia's political future! ;-)
Everyone knows Dr Ong Kian Ming who has been extremely vocal in socio-economic and political issues in Malaysia. You can read why he joined the DAP here. As for fresh face Bee Yin, her decision is no less admirable, and her statement is as follows: Why Join Politics?
Media Statement by Yeo Bee Yin on joining the Democratic Action Party on Monday 27 August 2012 in Kuala Lumpur:
My mom has rightly asked, “you can have a decent and comfortable life now already, why choose such a hard life?” The reason is because I love this nation and desire to see a better Malaysia.
I have met just so many young and bright Malaysians who left home for better opportunities abroad. If all of these continue, we’ll soon reach a point of no return.
Therefore I decided to join DAP to make a change. I do not want to be a bystander as my country is going through one of the most important turning points of history, either for the better or worse future. I do not want to regret at the latter part of my life, seeing my country at peril, just because people of my generation have not done enough and have chosen comfort over sacrifice. To quote Edmund Burke (埃德蒙·伯克), “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”.
I believe that Malaysian youths can make a difference, and am always encouraged by Apostle Paul who wrote in a letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set an example in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, faith and purity.”
Yes, young Malaysians are on Facebook and Twitter most of the time and we do watch YouTube videos quite ‘a bit’ but we too are concerned about our environment, the welfare of fellow Malaysians and the future of our children. We have different opinions on how our country should be governed.
Therefore I want to make young voices heard and hope that more young Malaysians can join us or at their respective positions do their part, to make Malaysia a country that is free from corruption, united regardless of race and religion as well as competitive in the global economy.
How I hope to contribute to DAP
I will continue to use my expertise in social media to help DAP to reach out to the young and internet savvy whose support are critical in the next general election. I believe strongly that the social media will add a completely different dimension to political campaigning in the very near future.
At the same time, I have a strong interest in environmental, sustainability and energy policy and believe that this has been an area generally neglected by politicians. I will take part actively in policy-making when the opportunity arises by contributing my knowledge in this field constructively towards a greener Malaysia, as we move forward in economic development.
———————–
** Bee Yin was born in 1983 and grew up in Segamat, Johor.
After she completed my secondary school education in SMJK Seg Hwa, Segamat, she obtained the Petronas Scholarship to study Chemical Engineering in Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP). Bee Yin graduated with First Class Honours and was the top student for the year 2006.
She worked for 2 years with Schlumberger (斯伦贝谢公司), an international oil and gas engineering company as a field engineer in Turkmenistan before going on to complete her MPhil (Masters in Philosophy哲学硕士) in Advanced Chemical Engineering with Commendation from University of Cambridge in 2010. Bee Yin was fortunate enough to be a recipient of the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
Since her return to Malaysia, she has started her own business in Social Media Strategy in helping clients to maximize their marketing reach via the increasingly influential internet and social media tools.
Bee Yin currently serves as DAP HQ Social Media Strategy Advisor
I'm absolutely confident that they'll contribute immensely to the Party and Malaysia's political future! ;-)
Everyone knows Dr Ong Kian Ming who has been extremely vocal in socio-economic and political issues in Malaysia. You can read why he joined the DAP here. As for fresh face Bee Yin, her decision is no less admirable, and her statement is as follows: Why Join Politics?
Media Statement by Yeo Bee Yin on joining the Democratic Action Party on Monday 27 August 2012 in Kuala Lumpur:
My mom has rightly asked, “you can have a decent and comfortable life now already, why choose such a hard life?” The reason is because I love this nation and desire to see a better Malaysia.
I have met just so many young and bright Malaysians who left home for better opportunities abroad. If all of these continue, we’ll soon reach a point of no return.
Therefore I decided to join DAP to make a change. I do not want to be a bystander as my country is going through one of the most important turning points of history, either for the better or worse future. I do not want to regret at the latter part of my life, seeing my country at peril, just because people of my generation have not done enough and have chosen comfort over sacrifice. To quote Edmund Burke (埃德蒙·伯克), “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”.
I believe that Malaysian youths can make a difference, and am always encouraged by Apostle Paul who wrote in a letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set an example in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, faith and purity.”
Yes, young Malaysians are on Facebook and Twitter most of the time and we do watch YouTube videos quite ‘a bit’ but we too are concerned about our environment, the welfare of fellow Malaysians and the future of our children. We have different opinions on how our country should be governed.
Therefore I want to make young voices heard and hope that more young Malaysians can join us or at their respective positions do their part, to make Malaysia a country that is free from corruption, united regardless of race and religion as well as competitive in the global economy.
How I hope to contribute to DAP
I will continue to use my expertise in social media to help DAP to reach out to the young and internet savvy whose support are critical in the next general election. I believe strongly that the social media will add a completely different dimension to political campaigning in the very near future.
At the same time, I have a strong interest in environmental, sustainability and energy policy and believe that this has been an area generally neglected by politicians. I will take part actively in policy-making when the opportunity arises by contributing my knowledge in this field constructively towards a greener Malaysia, as we move forward in economic development.
———————–
** Bee Yin was born in 1983 and grew up in Segamat, Johor.
After she completed my secondary school education in SMJK Seg Hwa, Segamat, she obtained the Petronas Scholarship to study Chemical Engineering in Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP). Bee Yin graduated with First Class Honours and was the top student for the year 2006.
She worked for 2 years with Schlumberger (斯伦贝谢公司), an international oil and gas engineering company as a field engineer in Turkmenistan before going on to complete her MPhil (Masters in Philosophy哲学硕士) in Advanced Chemical Engineering with Commendation from University of Cambridge in 2010. Bee Yin was fortunate enough to be a recipient of the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
Since her return to Malaysia, she has started her own business in Social Media Strategy in helping clients to maximize their marketing reach via the increasingly influential internet and social media tools.
Bee Yin currently serves as DAP HQ Social Media Strategy Advisor
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Chinese Forum: Politics Can Be Young!
MP for Serdang, Teo Nie Ching will be launching her maiden book "念念有群" which is a compilation of her Chinese column articles over the past 2 years, which is published by DAP.
In conjunction with the book launch, she's organising a forum entitled "Politics Can Be Young!". It certainly can, for she's the youngest MP in the House. The forum will be conducted in Mandarin. I've also been invited as one of the speakers at the forum.
Date: 09-06-2011 (Thursday)
Venue: Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH)
Time: 8.00pm
(Yes, I'll be doing an official launch of my English book "The Tiger That Lost Its Roar" later in the month as well. Watch this space. And if you want an advance copy mailed to you, click here)
“政治也可以很YOUNG！”
你对政治的了解和认知有多少？政治的主要特徵是什麽？政治和年轻一代有着怎样的关系？我们将告诉你，政治可以很 “YOUNG！”
民主行动党总部今天发表文告说，行动党订於6月9日（星期四）晚上8时，於隆雪华堂1 楼会议室主办主题为“政治也可以很 YOUNG！”的青年交流会，以及“张念群《念念有辞》新书发表会”。
文告指出，民主行动党全国宣传秘书兼八打灵再也国会议员潘俭伟丶副宣传秘书兼沙登区国会议员张念群和时事评论员凌国文将担任主讲人，与大家分享他们对国家政治时局的见解，并告诉你什麽是“政治可以很 YOUNG”。
文告说，当晚也是张念群《念念有辞》新书发布会。这本著作是张念群把过去所撰写的文章集结成集，里面不乏她对时事议题发表的精辟言论和见觧。
上述活动入场免费， 欢迎各界人士踊跃出席。欲知详情，可在工作时间联络民主行动党总部：03-9200 5000。
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Get Registered To Vote
4.4 million Malaysians who are above the age of 21 have not registered to vote. This forms 30% of eligible voters in Malaysia. Which means that if these, mostly young people get registered, the outcome to any election in our country could actually be very different.Go register with your identification card at the nearest post office (it just takes 5 minutes). Or if you have queries, please email leongooikuan(at)gmail(dot)com at my office. We'll help you along the way.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Hannah Yeoh @ Pakatan Rakyat Convention
Hannah's excellent speech at the inaugural Pakatan Rakyat convention
as a delegate from DAP.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Youth Carnival
Wah... looks like there's plenty of activities for all of you out there this weekend. Here's a "Just-For-You" Youth Carnival which plans to introduce young Malaysians to all sorts of socio-political activities.Time: 10am-2pm,Join us and bring friends! ;)
Date: 15 July 2007 (Sunday)
Veneu: KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (Monorail: Maharajalela)
Activities include:
- Voters' Registration§
- Theme Exhibition Booth by youth wing of different political parties
- Youth Charter Declaration
- Meet youth leaders & young celebrities
- Hip-Hop Dance, Sketch and MORE!
For more info:
Youth For Change (Y4C)动力青年
Tel/Fax :603-77831164
Email: y4c2006(at)gmail.com
Website : y4c.seacem.com
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