KDM & Education, and the Poverty Bondage

“My niece had always wanted to become a teacher.  She applied for a teaching course (through the internet) to the Education Department but sadly she was rejected.  She heard about a teacher (course) interview in Kemabong (especially for those applicants with no access to the internet), so I took her there.  There were 800 applicants present and it took the whole day for the interviews to conclude.  Again, my niece was rejected for the position although appeals can be made to the Education Department office in Kota Kinabalu.  I made the appeal on behalf of my niece.  There were already 300 appeals coming all the way from Tawau and Semporna but we have to wait another week before any answers can be given.  I heard a similar story from a friend in Nabawan with 1,200 applicants. ”  lamented a very good friend to me recently.


So why is this happening?  Why do Sabahans have to beg to be teachers in their own home?  Are we not good enough?  Kami ini second class citizen kah?  Why do we depend so much on Malaya to send teachers here to teach our own children?  Why?  Is there a hidden agenda that we Sabahans missed?

The simplest answer I can say for now from my simple mind is that our leaders have gone AWOL !  Yes!

They have gone missing.  They took absent without leave right under our noses. It seems that education is not an important issue for these politicians.  But let’s be kind for a moment.  Their mouth do seemed to be making some movement but I don’t hear them speak.  Do you?  And when we do hear sound waves hitting on to our inner ears, the sound has no timbre, no desire when it comes to our Education Rights.  There doesn’t seem to be a real zest coming out from them.  To be honest I feel they are just going through the motion with lots of hand movement put into it.

Anyway, not all is lost if only the Sabahans can band together for the sake of Sabah.  There may still be time but time is slowly running out.  I am not a doomsday sayer but I can foresee that Sabahans will rot in perpetual bondage of poverty and which; none of them can break away from this curse without proper education.

So now let me focus on some our KDM political leaders that have gone AWOL.

Datuk Marsidi Manjun is a Muslim KDM from Ranau RESPONSIBLE (with a capital “R”) for education in Sabah.  Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan the Huguan Siou, President of PBS, ADUN as well as Member of Parliament and, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, a KDM leader from Penampang, the President of UPKO and a Federal Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities.  Now these gentlemen all claim to be the KDM leaders.

The people voted them into position of power and influence and yet the plight of more than 2,000 youths, the majority of whom are from the KDM community, and who so wished to become teachers did not even get their serious attention.  Instead of fighting tooth and nail for these aspiring teachers they just “cakap-cakap” only lah.  They got themselves onto the front-page news and with that, more hot air came out from their mouth.

If they are truly serious about these Sabahans then they should put their job in line instead of just blowing hot air.  Let us see you fight for us.

On the same note, imagine if it is a project to build schools or a KDM college.  I am very sure all these leaders will be spending thousands of ringgit and will be camping day and night right on the door steps of Putrajaya just to get the projects (perhaps for their pecuniary gain).  You know, building a school is equally
important but what is the use of a school without teachers especially teachers from the locality?  And when there are shortages of teachers the Federal Ministry will be sending those from Malaya to teach our children and with that they bring their culture to Sabah whether we like it or not.

We are not racist or xenophobic.  Trust me.  We just like to maintain the equilibrium, the status quo amongst all Sabahans. We do not mind integration but assimilation is another story.  So when Sabahans gets bypass, people become upset and frustrated.  With that anger sets in.   And all these leaders can do is to say, “That is all I can do…”  How many times do we have to listen to this statement?

These KDM leaders forget the 2,000 youths are also voters.  They may have other family members whom are eligible to vote as well.  Whatever it is, I hope and I pray the 2,000 at the very least will ensure future generations of KDMs will be at the forefront of change for the community and the state.  Perhaps some may even be lucky and break the bondage of ignorance and that of poverty in this generation.

In my simple conclusion I ask, if these leaders can be “thick face” to chase after projects, is it too much to ask for these leaders to do the same and start banging doors for the real issues at the Federal Level for us Sabahans?  Education is something which you cannot compromise because without proper education the people can only shout Arrimitti!!  Sadly, even that is not our culture!

In addition and to go off tangent a bit, the people can be hoodwinked in to accepting the Agropolitan development concept or creating of a communal title from forest reserves without really understanding the long term implication of these policies (more will be forthcoming about these issues – please stay tuned).

Back to my conclusion – the issue I am contending here is that whether, Datuk Marsidi Manjun, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, are really our leaders or just opportunists that has betrayed our trust to lead Sabahans to a better life.

Sabah Sifu

Poor command of English affects job chances

In the competitive global environment, Malaysians are at a 'slight disadvantage' because English is recognised as an international business language

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians will be at a “slight disadvantage” in the competive global environment because of their poor command of English, said Jobstreet.com.

The online recruitment company recently placed Malaysia, behind Singapore and the Philippines in an English Language assessment test conducted in Asian countries.

“We are not that far off in the ranking but the third place does mean that we do have a slight disadvantage when we compete globally for businesses,” said JobStreet.com country manager Chook Yuh Yng.

Chook said there was a need to appreciate the importance of English proficiency as English is recognised as the international business language.

“Proficiency in English influences one’s ability to communicate effectively, and to articulate ideas and solutions well. It also affects self-confidencethe , ability to work in a team and excel, and so on,” said Chook.

“In a 2009 survey with employers, we found that lack of proficiency in English is also the one of the top three reasons for the unemployment rate among graduates,” said Chook.

She said that in a 2009 survey, 91% of companies surveyed said that English was their official business language.

She added that the lack of English proficiency was a “worrying trend” as the ability to communicate is among the five main criteria employers look for in job applicants.”

The JobStreet.com English language assessment test was conducted from November 2009 on 1.5 million workers in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. The test comprised 40 questions to evaluate an individual’s grasp of the language.

It had ranked Singaporeans first, Filipinos second, while Malaysians came in third. Thailand and Indonesia came in fourth and fifth respectively.

Also read:
Poor English skills: ‘Rot started in the 70s’

The current crop of students do not realise the importance of the English language until they enter the working world, especially in the private sector.

PETALING JAYA: The lack of proficiency in the English language among the current crop of Malaysians does not come as a surprise at all to academicians.

They say the rot started when the medium of instruction was switched from English to Malay in the 1970s.

Malaysia was ranked third after Singapore and the Philippines in an English level assessment test conducted by online recruitment company Jobstreet.com.

Thailand and Indonesia came in fourth and fifth respectively.

“There has been a clear decline of English language proficiency over the past 20 years,” said an English lecturer with over 37 years of experience.

The lecturer, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the rot set in since the 1970s, when the medium of instruction was switched from English to BM.

“From then on, our children were less exposed to the language. Another reason is the lack of emphasis on English as it now not a compulsory subject to pass,” he said.

The lecturer said that many, especially those in the rural areas, did not realise the importance of English until they started working, especially in the private sector.

“Singaporeans, having a much more business-oriented economy, know they cannot survive in life without the language, but Malaysians have become aware of it much later in life,” he said.

The lecturer also lamented the standard of English teachers, saying that steps should be taken by the government to get more qualified teachers.

“Politically, we cannot reverse certain things. It’s now time to focus on getting high quality teachers, not just getting foreigners, which I feel is merely a short-term measure,” he said.

He added that the “flip-flop” decision by the government over the teaching of science and mathematics in English is not helping in arresting the decline.

Going downhill

Universiti Malaya English Language Department head Tam Shu Sim agreed that English proficiency has been “going downhill” since the switch in the medium of instruction.

“Definitely there has been a big difference. Because in those days, everything was in English, and language classes were different.

“Those who did the traditional syllabus are better grounded in the language structure. But then it changed in the 1970s. From that point on, it was downhill all the way,” she said.

Tam said she was aware that the job market was saying that Malaysian students are lacking in proficiency in the English language.

“Malaysian students don’t have facility of speech. They can communicate but they don’t have good grammar and vocalbulary.

“Many are not able to express their ideas and strategies at a higher level,” said the senior lecturer with over 25 years of teaching experience.

Tam said as a result, the quality of students and teachers coming into Universiti Malaya has sunk alarmingly.

“If we look at our university, there’s definitely a difference in the crop of students coming in. Could it be that the elite group has simply now opted for private universities?

“The current batch of students lack a foundation in English language, and perhaps do not have the right aptitute or attitude,” she said.

She said that it has become a problem getting good staff to teach as well. “I need good teachers, but I’m not getting enough.”

Political will

On how to tackle the problem, Tam said it often boils down to political will. “I always say that you have to go to the top – do we have someone who really cares?

“With the right intention, power and authority to execute a proper plan, then something can happen. If you don’t have a good head, things done at the lower levels won’t be good.”

Tam said she was referring to all heads, including people in the education ministry, school principals or heads of departments in universities.

She said she was attempting to revive the curriculum in her own university by injecting more out-of-class room activities for her students.

“We’re nurturing students who are bright and smart but not effective. They are not fantastic at problem solving, and we are trying to incoporate community engagement programmes, internships, and student exchange into their curriculum,” she said.

Tam said that English should be encouraged at all levels.

“Our university has been insistent that our staff be bilingual and it should be encouraged in all government departments as well,” she said.

The JobStreet.com English language assessment was conducted from November 2009 on 1.5 million workers in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. The test comprised 40 questions to evaluate an individual’s grasp of the language.

In April, Education First English Proficiency Index 2011 report ranked Malaysia as the No 1 country in English proficiency among Asian countries where English is not the mother tongue, ahead of Hong Kong (in second place), South Korea (third place) and Japan (fourth place).

Malaysia was also ranked ninth place globally by Education First, a global education centre which conducted online English tests on 2.3 million working adults from 2007 to 2009.

Both articles are by Teoh El Sen 

40% of teachers to Sabah and Sarawak from WM, Ministry still give lame excuse about lack of teachers from the Borneo states

PENAMPANG: Sabah Education Exco Datuk Masidi Manjun and the Education Ministry yesterday denied there was any move to transfer about 80,000 teachers from Peninsular Malavsia to Sabah and Sarawak next year.

Masidi, who is also the Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, said he had sought clarification from the director general of education Datuk Abdul Ghafar Mahmud and was told that the allegation was not true.

"This is absolutely not true. I have checked with the director general of education and he assured me that there was no basis to the news,"
Masidi said when asked to comment on the issue which has caused unhappiness among Sabahans.

Masidi who was met at the launching of the state level Kaamatan celebration at KDCA here yesterday, said he personally found the allegation to be illogical because the total number of teachers for all the primary and secondary schools in Sabah is less than 40,000.

"So if indeed they are sending the teachers here, then I don't know which schools they are going to put them in ... so it's not true," he said.

He however pointed out that Sabah loses between 750 to 1,000 senior teachers from Peninsuiar Malaysia who go back to their home states after their contract expired.

"This is the real issue actually because we are losing very experienced teachers. They are replaced by junior teachers and this will impede our effort to improve the quality of our education.

"But steps are being taken to address the problem," he said adding that in March this year, the problem was brought to the attention of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Deputy Prime Minister cum Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin yassin.

The state's education leaders' concern about the issue was voiced out and Masidi said he proposed that the recruitment of teachers be done locally.

According to him, Muhyiddin said that the ministry would seriously consider the proposal.

"If have also spoken to the director general of education and he personally assured me that they are taking steps to rectify the problem. You see, if you recruit Sabahans, the possibility of them moving to other states doesn't arise. So they will stay on and the students will gain from their experience,,'he said and disclosed that up to June this year, more than 150 teachers from Peninsular Malaysia had been transferred to Sabah.

"Our stand is very clear, if they want to recruit new teachers, they must come from Sabah and I think we have graduates who are more than capable to be trained as teachers,", Masidi stressed.

Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi also denied the claim of sending 80,000 teachers to the two states, saying that of May 11, there are 80,382 teachers in Sabah and Sarawak, both in Primary and Secondary schools and only 15,641 of the total were from the mainland.

"If we want to send 80,000 teachers from the mainland to Sarawak, who is going to teach in West Malaysia?," said Mohd Puad when commenting on a report that Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) was deeply concerned because such a move would compromise the potential of teachers in Sarawak.

On May 25, PRS president Datuk Dr James Jemut Masing had said that he was concerned with an alleged move by the Education Ministry to send additional teachers termed as 'counselling teachers'.

Mohd Puad said in Petaling Jaya yesterday that PRS should get in touch with the Education Ministry for clarification first because such reports to avoid any negative perception.

He said the Education Ministry had always been receptive of efforts to increase the number of local teachers in Sabah and Sarawak to teach in their own respective states.

"Since last year we have been practicing a 30:30:40 ratio in the policy of intake for teachers training institute. The ratio means 30 percent will be from Sabah and another 30 percent from Sarawak while the remaining 40 percent will be from West Malaysia.

"However, when we are faced with situations whereby there is a lack of teachers from Sabah and Sarawak who met the criteria for j-QAF grade teachers, English and Mandarin teachers, we need to recruit them from the mainland," he said.

Sabah teachers neglected?

Sabahans shut out of teaching jobs - MP

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) felt that the Education Ministry's plan to transfer 80,000 Peninsular Malaysia teachers to Sabah and Sarawak is worrying.

Its deputy president Datuk Eric Majimbun said it saddened him that tenth of thousands young Sabahans holding degree, STPM and SPM certificates are jobless.

"Those young locals were not even given any consideration when they applied for places at teachers' training colleges either within or outside the state," said Eric, who is also Sepanggar member of Parliament in a statement here yesterday.

He was commenting on the ministry's plans which were made public recently and were totally rejected by one of the ruling coalition parties as well as the opposition parties.

On the State Education Department's statement that more than 20 percent of the teachers placed all over Sabah are outsiders (not from Sabah), Eric said the real figure could be higher.

He said most of the teachers currently placed either at primary or secondary schools statewide are outsiders so the percentage must be higher.

"I was informed that recently there were closed door interviews for intake of teachers, which was held at Telupid, but most of the applicants went home disappointed.

"Such intake must be held openly and not in secrecy as it could reflect that the government is trying to hide something," he said.

Eric further said it seemed that the locals were being marginalised while peninsula youngsters were given priority. He added that senior local teachers were also sidelined in terms of promotion. According to him, many senior positions either at primary or secondary schools such as principals, headmasters and senior assistants went to teachers from peninsula.

He said teachers from peninsula were also given better and more allowances like housing, hardship and others while local teachers were being neglected.

"I always raise these problems facing local teachers but the ministry seems to ignore them," he added.

The Borneo Post

Malaysia's education system a laughing stock!

WHAT IS THE QUALITY STANDARDS OF EDUCATION IN THE GOVERNMENT OF
MALAYSIA UNDER UMNO-BN?

Food for Thought: Top 10 universities in South-East of Asia..!

According to Webometric Ranking of World Universities, the Top 10
universities in South-East of Asia are:


1. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

2. NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, SINGAPORE

3. KASETSART UNIVERSITY, THAILAND

4. CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY, THAILAND

5. PRINCE OF SONGKLA UNIVERSITY, THAILAND

6. ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY THAILAND

7. CHIANG MAI UNIVERSITY, THAILAND

8. THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY, THAILAND

9. ASSUMPTION UNIVERSITY OF THAILAND

10. KHON KAEN UNIVERSITY, THAILAND

Out of the top 10 ranking South East Asia universities, 2 are from
Singapore, and the balance 8 universities are from Thailand . Also, on
the Top 100 list, Thailand has 41 universities, Myanmar 18, Indonesia
14, the Philippines 13, and Singapore 7.

In Asia , the Top 10 universities are:

1. UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

2. NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY

3. KYOTO UNIVERSITY

4. BEIJING UNIVERSITY

5. KEIO UNIVERSITY

6. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

7. UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

8. CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

9. NATIONAL CHIAO TUNG UNIVERSITY

10. NAGOYA UNIVERSITY

Out of the Top 10 ranking universities in ASIA, 4 are from Japan, 5
are from China, and the remaining 1 is from Singapore. We are also
nowhere near the Top 100 universities in Asia. In terms of Global
Ranking, None of Malaysia 's universities are anywhere near the TOP
1000 universities.

Well, the fact speaks for itself ! Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia,
Philippines, and Singapore are way ahead of Malaysia. Despite all our
constant shouting of Malaysia Boleh this and that, and all the
emotional rhetoric of SYOK SENDIRI and self denials, we are already an
academic backwaters nation in South East Asia , I shake my head...

I have always personally railed against Man's dependency on numeric
evidence as proof of superiority but before I get too ahead with this
argument, let me explain.

'Numeric evidence' means the use of numbers to represent one's status.
If you have $500,000 and I have $100, you are wealthier than I or so
the numeric evidence suggests. If you have a 5-liter engine motorcar,
it is definitely a better car than my 1.6-liter car or so the numeric
evidence suggests.

If you have 10 titles bestowed on your life by the Sultan and the
King, you are most assuredly a better person than most of us are. And
so it goes that if a student scores an exemplary number of
distinctions (A's in Malaysia ) in a public exam, he/she is considered
the pinnacle of what the country's education system is capable of
producing. He/she is expected to go through tertiary education
anywhere in the world with flushing success. So what could possibly
have happened if she fails abroad?

Malaysia's education system has always been a laughing stock. Based
purely on numeric superiority and mindless rote learning methods that
even the British has long abandoned decades earlier, Malaysia
continues to believe that the more A's a student attains, the better
equipped he/she is. It doesn't matter how he/she gets the A's so long
as the aim is to get them and get as many in the process. So if the
student were to labor over numerous past year exam papers in the
library, memorize the answers and focus only on what the teacher
'suggests' are likely to come out for the exam, that's alright by
everyone.

The education system doesn't teach the students to UNDERSTAND the
material. It doesn't encourage proactive teaching methods that
encourage students to discover knowledge but to merely be taught. When
a student with 17 Distinctions fail in the real world, it is not a
surprise. Perhaps it is to many Malaysians, but it's a system that is
waiting to reward its students with spectacular failure when they
leave the shores and compete overseas or when they enter the
workforce.

Many organizations in the private sector have continued to be
horrified at the performance of such students during interviews.

Communication skills are absent. Standard ethics are absent. Common
courtesy codes are absent. Presentation skills as well as personal
grooming are absent. What has the education system taught them?

If Malaysia continue to embark on the road of plain numeric
superiority instead of to challenge the students to think, provoke
them to create their own opinions and to communicate expressively, to
eloquently define their standing in the world, there can never be an
international leader in any field or industry emanating from Malaysia.
It never produced one in the last 20 years. It never will for the next
100 years.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2009

The Failure of Nur Amalina (who scored 17As)

I was really shocked and speechless to be informed about Nur Amalina Che Bakri.

Nur Amalina had held briefly the record of the most A's scored in the
Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia. Upon the announcement of results of SPM 2004
on 26 March 2005, she received 17 1As - a record for number of A's
received by a student in the history of Malaysian education back then.
She was sponsored by Bank Negara Malaysia to study medicine in the
United Kingdom, and did her A-levels at the Cheltenham Ladies College
in the UK.

I was informed that she had failed her second year medical study at
the University of Edinburgh. I really hope this is not true......if it
is, what went wrong?

Could the English language be the problem? WE'RE GOING BACK TO MALAY
MEDIUM AGAIN AND THAT'S MEAN TROUBLE......!

By Joseph Wilfred

Sabah schools want to keep Math, Science in English

The Association of Sabah National-Type Chinese Schools is preparing a memorandum on the continued teaching of Mathematics and Science in English in mission and other government-aided schools in the state.


The association has set up a sub-committee to complete the memorandum in two months for submission to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak. The document will include the findings of a survey conducted by the association.

“We will get in touch with mission schools to get their support for the memorandum. The eight national-type Chinese secondary schools in Sabah have already expressed their support,” said sub-committee head David Chan.

The eight schools are Kota Kinabalu High School, SM Chung Hwa Tenom, SM Ken Hwa Keningau, SMJK Chung Hwa Sandakan, SM Sung Siew Sandakan, SM Lok Yuk Kota Kinabalu, Lok Yuk Secondary School Kudat and SM Shan Tao Kota Kinabalu.

The initiative, said Chan, follows up on a statement last week by Najib that “the government will seek input from parents and teachers” on the continued teaching of the two subjects in English.

He disclosed that board members of Chinese schools in Sandakan and Tawau will communicate with the churches in their respective areas to pass on details on the memorandum. The approach is expected to save time which would otherwise be spent going to each school to seek input.

Chan does not expect any problems in forging consensus. Many parents have rung him to express support for the memorandum.

“Many students who had registered to enter Form One in government schools had opted to study in independent schools. They are not comfortable studying Math and Science in Bahasa Malaysia,” he said.

Explaining the rationale for the memorandum, Chan pointed out that the two subjects are important and form the foundation for professions such as engineering, medicine, pharmacy and related disciplines.

More importantly, the retention of English in teaching these subjects would enable Malaysians to enter the most prestigious colleges and universities in the world.

“Many Malaysians have gained places in universities like Harvard and Princeton in the United States and the Imperial College in London. They could not have done this if not for their proficiency in the English language.”

“Globalisation has brought competition right to our doorstep. We need to gear our future generation with the best to gain a competitive edge. It is therefore of the utmost importance that secondary schools be allowed to continue teaching Math and Science in English.”

'Don't tamper with system'

Association chairperson Wong Yit Ming said he has written to Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on the memorandum, and sent copies of the letter to all BN component parties in Sabah.

The association wants federal ministers from Sabah and Sarawak and the MCA to bring up the matter in the federal cabinet and support the use of English to teach the two subjects in secondary schools in both states.

Explaining the merits of the memorandum, Wong noted that the unified examination system had allowed for two approaches to the teaching of Math and Science in Chinese secondary schools - in Chinese in Peninsular Malaysia and in English in Sabah.

The approach, according to him, has so far worked very well and there is no reason to tamper with it.

“If the system is maintained, the examinations results will not drop and can even be expected to improve,” said Wong.

He also said that the Malaysia Agreement of 1963 provides for the retention of English in the respective state assemblies in Sabah and Sarawak, the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak, and the respective state cabinets in Malaysian Borneo.

Hence, Wong does not see any reason why English cannot be retained in secondary schools in Sabah at least for the teaching of Math and Science.

The association, at its annual general meeting on March 26, had passed a resolution calling on the Education Ministry to continue implementing the teaching of Math and science in English in government-aided secondary schools and mission schools in Sabah and Sarawak 'according to the wishes of the majority of the parents'.

The federal cabinet had decided last July that the medium of instruction for Math and Science would revert to Bahasa Malaysia in national schools and mother-tongue language in national-type schools from next year.

By Joe Fernandez

Islamic-Malay bias in history text books

Historian and writer Ranjit Singh Malhi contended that in his expert opinion, there is an Islamic-Malay centric bias in Malaysian history text books and will not stay silent about it.

"So what, I lose a few million(in book contracts). I will be unpopular. It's all right. Don't sell your soul... Speak the truth and shame the devil," said the historian at a forum organised by the Catholic Teacher's Asociation in Petaling Jaya.

Bemoaning the "lopsided" and "biased" crop of local history textbooks, he lamented some historians do not admit that such things occurred in our history text books.


He quoted a local historian whose statement was published in the Malay Mail on Dec 17 last year dismissing bias in the writing of history text books.

As proof of his claim, Ranjit submitted his own research which has shown that references to other religions were reduced significantly while those to Islam have bloated from 17 percent in the previous form four history text book, to 41 percent in the current one.

Proving perhaps that you can read the book by its cover, Ranjit held up successive versions of history textbooks and how significantly they differed from the early ones compared with the current crop.

He argued that previous covers included representations of non-Malays as well as civilisations other then Islam, but noted that in the current versions, only Malay leaders and depictions of Islamic civilisation are included.

Ranjit (left) who has written numerous history textbooks for the Malaysian education system said that he had stopped doing so being unable stand the shenanigans he had observed in the way history was selectively written.

"History was distorted. It all started in 1996. Prior to that there no value judgements in history text books. But the form four history text books for example are full of value judgements,"he said.

Value judgements mar text books

He was commenting on recent addendums to such text books which he indicated has prescribed morale judgements on historical events biased in favour of one race and one religion in particular.

At the time when Ranjit said that these "distortions" began, current Premier Najib Razak was the education minister, serving from 1995 to 1996 prior to taking on the mantle of defence minister.

Such practices as putting in value judgements in historical texts said Ranjit go against the principles of good history text.

Good history text books, he said, must be;

•Factually accurate,
•Generally objective,
•Well balanced, and,
•Devoid of value judgements.

However ,he argued that he can prove that history text books nowadays are totally the opposite of such values.

Ranjit listed four faults of our current history textbooks after poring over them word by word. In his expert opinion, the current crop exhibit;

•Islamic-Malay centric bias,
•Some half truths,
•Numerous factual errors and contradictions, and,
•Politically motivated orientation.

'Historical death'

One 'crime' observed the veteran writer, is the intentional 'killing off' of certain important non-Malay historical figures from the pages of official history.

"I call it historical death, you won't find it in books, because it is a term I invented,"he explained in relation to non-Malays and their contributions to Malaysian history he claimed were edited out.

He listed several key figures, crucial to Malaysian history who have been left out of in the modern official re-telling;

•Yap Ah Loy responsible for building early Kuala Lumpur, well acknowledge by world historians, have been reduced to one sentence in Malaysian historical text books,
•Gurchan Singh, the 'Lion of Malaya' who published and distributed an underground newspaper during the Japanese occupation, and,
•Sybil Karthigesu, the nurse who helped treat MPAJA soldiers and did not desist even after the Japanese tortured her.

As for factual errors and half-truths, Ranjit pointed out a few of the more glaring ones, including the omission of the fact that Parameswara was Hindu and died a Hindu and the glossing over and belittling of the contribution of non-Malay troops in the defence, of then Malaya, against the Japanese onslaught.

"This is bulls***t!" he jokingly exclaimed, quickly apologising for swearing in a holy place of worship.

He also pointed out the miraculous appearance of references to Ketuanan Melayu which was not found anywhere in history text books prior to recent events.

The historian also recommended several steps which he believes will help to resolve the matter;

•A review of all history text books to ensure factual accuracy, consistency, objectivity and a balanced account,
•History text writers must have content mastery, good track record and are meticulous,
•History text books must be devoid of value judgements,
•Emphasis on critical thinking and learning as opposed to rote learning and memorisation, and,
•More involving and inclusive history lessons as opposed to traditional lectures.

However, Ranjit clarified that he has no problem with the Malays or Islam in general, but his problem lies with the lopsided depiction of history alone.

The forum about the biased depiction of history in school text books was held at the Assumption Church in Petaling Jaya and was well attended by NGO representatives, parishioners and members of the media.

It also featured a commentary on the same issue by SUN editor Terence Fernendez and was moderated by Father Micheal Chua.
By Hazlan Zakaria