LETTERS: I support the call in the article, "For effective school-based assessment, there should be 20 to 25 students per class", by Teh Athira Yusof and Nor Ain Mohamed Radhi (NST, Aug 24).
In fact, this is already in the education blueprint of the ministry for more than 50 years. For this to materialise, the government needs to build more schools in every village and town in years to come.
I taught in a primary school in Manjung, Perak, with a small enrolment more than 20 years ago.
Each class had about 15 pupils and the UPSR results were always about 100 per cent pass every year as the teachers could pay personal attention to each pupil, especially the weak ones.
I remember for my English Language classes, I used to bring books with lots of pictures and few words to encourage and enhance their reading skills. It really helped in improving their command of the English language.
Teachers got to spend quality time with their pupils as they were able to reach out to every student.
The school-based assessment should be set based on the pupils' ability so that they are not pressured. However, I strongly suggest that the final test be standardised at the district or state level. This is to ensure that pupils are on a par with their peers.
Apart from that, the teachers can also build rapport with parents when classes are small. Parents can be roped in to help out in school activities and share their expertise, especially in sports and co-curricular activities.
The ministry should also encourage schools to have field trips for their pupils to learn outside the classroom, similar to schools in Canada, Japan, South Korea and other European countries.
Yes, this may incur a high cost, but I believe that money spent on education is never a waste. It is a great investment for the progress and development of the country.
A few years ago, I visited a war museum in South Korea and saw many schoolchildren around age 8 to 10 in school uniforms.
They were in small groups. I saw one of them taking photographs with her handphone, the others discussing about what they saw and one pupil was jotting down notes of the discussion.
I was amazed by their enthusiasm and could see the value of patriotism being instilled in them.
Therefore, I strongly believe that field trips should be included into our education system as this will broaden the pupils' horizon holistically.
We should also consider a hybrid learning system in this present technological era. Hybrid learning refers specifically to synchronous lessons that are taught live and remotely at the same time.
This means that it is part of blended learning that includes methodologies, approaches and techniques through online classes to scale up the teaching and learning process in an effective way.
Pupils may undergo face-to-face and online learning on rotational basis, and this can promote autonomous learning, where they become independent learners and can keep up with the rest of the world.
Let's create a future generation with intelligence and character to build a progressive nation that will be respected in the eyes of the world.
F. PETER G. FRANCIS
senior lecturer
UiTM, Perak
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times