THE Academy of Sciences Malaysia recently hosted a discussion among concerned individuals on the state of science education in the country. Representatives from both academia and the government came. No one came from industry.
The issues raised were not new. These included students shying away from science, parents not positive about the science profession, ineffective science teachers, poorly equipped laboratories, laboratory experiments are almost non-existent, examination questions requiring less thinking skills, and the list kept growing.
The meeting was told that teachers were struggling to use the inquiry based approach which the academy has been pushing hard for years. There is no shortage of initiatives launched by the government. Unfortunately coordination is poor. Most are not properly monitored and evaluated. Therefore there is very little sharing of feedback from such efforts.
Another concern for the nation is the big difference in science education opportunities between rural and urban schools. Not to mention the double standards between full boarding schools and the day schools. The full boarding schools in the country, which now number close to 70, enjoy much better facilities than most other schools. And since the students attending such schools are all picked from among the top performers, they show better results.
The day schools on the other hand are a mixed bag. Some enjoy a better learning environment in science, especially those which receive extra financial support over and above those allocated by the government. Many of these day schools enjoy healthy injection of funds from rich individuals and the corporate sector. These are mainly in the urban areas. But there are also day schools in the urban areas which are not well patronised by such philantrophy. These are mostly in the more marginalised urban areas. These are where the urban poor live.
The meeting was told that in some of these less privileged schools, the gates have to be kept locked to stop students from playing truant. Many would rather loiter in the shopping malls than listen to boring lectures on science.
As the nation is trying hard to achieve the developed country status, we should all be concerned about the sorry state of science education in the country. This is because many studies have confirmed that a nation’s strength in science and innovation is a major prerequisite for competitiveness.
The meeting was told that our students have for years fared poorly in many of the internationally organised science competitions, such as Pisa. This does not reflect well on the education system that we have in place. How then can we be the destination of choice for foreign students?
Over the years, we have loudly declared our intention to be the regional hub for excellent education. With such poor showing at the international level, it would be difficult to be recognised as such. We need to pay serious attention to this shortcoming if we are to realise this noble aspiration.
Admittedly, the declining interest in science among students is not just a Malaysian problem. It is a global issue. Even the world’s number one economic power, the United States, has lamented over this issue. That explains why they have invested heavily in STEM education. STEM here refers to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Many other developed nations have followed suit.
Our close neighbour Singapore, for example, invests a lot of money in science education. Their science teachers are picked from among the top students. And professors in their universities are not just given the KPI to publish in well-heeled international journals. One of their KPIs is to mentor students in science in the schools. Even the country’s leaders would occasionally come down to spend time talking and discussing with the students. No wonder the ecosystem for science there is vibrant.
We were told about how Israel has created a dedicated institution to coordinate the nation’s mentor-mentee relationship between accomplished professors and aspiring science students. The government may want to consider appointing the Academy of Sciences Malaysia to undertake such task. As a neutral body made up of many of the nation’s top brains in science, the academy is well placed to play the role of chief coordinator of all initiatives to reinvigorate science education in the country. Science education needs urgent redress.
The writer is Fellow at the Academy of Sciences Malaysia