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7 minute read

IsIneducation a journey
today’s competitive world, the rat race starts or a race?
early. Excellent grades in academic subjects are the primordial benchmark that
sets kids apart from their peers. FILE PIC

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By Fanny Bucheli-Rotter (/authors/fanny-bucheli-rotter) At least 17 dead in Nepal bus

October 14, 2017 @ 12:53pm accident
(https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2019/11/535588/least-
17-dead-nepal-bus-
UPSR, SPM, STPM, GCE — just a few of the acronyms haunting many young
accident?
minds at this time of the year. Young minds and their parents alike.
utm_source=nst&utm_campaign=recsys&utm_medium=recsys)
Remember the days when everything was a race? First to reach the
bathroom in the morning, rst to down their Milo, rst to call shotgun for the Dr Mahathir blasts use of
ride to school. First to sit on the swing at recess, rst in line for canteen economic sanctions as
lunch. First on the school bus to secure the best seat and rst to reach the illegal
front door and ring the bell. A happy childhood consisted mostly of healthy (https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/11/535519/dr-
competition among friends and siblings, a race to be the rst in all things mahathir-blasts-use-
that, from an adult’s perspective, don’t really matter. economic-sanctions-
illegal?
Most children gladly put their competitive mind to rest between recess and
utm_source=nst&utm_campaign=recsys&utm_medium=recsys)
lunch. Pupils used to run out of the classroom, not into it. Hardly anyone
pushed and shoved to be the rst at the blackboard and try their luck at a
Balotelli threatens to leave
complex math formula. Oh, happy childhood days. Not the most ambitious of
pitch after racist abuse in
times, but happy days, nonetheless.
Verona defeat
So, what happened? Instead of a rambunctious crowd, today’s pupils march (https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2019/11/535583/balotelli-
in single le from their parents’ cars onto the school grounds, born down by a threatens-leave-pitch-
school bag so big and heavy that the child who carries it could easily nd after-racist-abuse-verona-
space to sit in it herself. If Malaysian schools run two sessions per day, a defeat?
fact that absolutely boggles the outsider’s mind, where are all the students utm_source=nst&utm_campaign=recsys&utm_medium=recsys)
that have the other half of the day off?

Why are they not playing outside, in their front yard, in the neighbourhood Students nationwide brace
park? Why are they not hanging out at the local mall or mamak stall? Where for SPM, STPM exams
and when are today’s children being children, where are the nation’s teens (https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/11/535553/students-
being pubescent? nationwide-brace-spm-
stpm-exams?
Youngsters have no time to be childlike, or rebellious, or sullen, or dreaming, utm_source=nst&utm_campaign=recsys&utm_medium=recsys)
anymore. Youngsters are at tuition. They are at tuition centres that have
popped up all over the country like “mushrooms growing after the rain”, to Singaporean activist leads
borrow a local saying. anti-immigration rally as
vote looms
In today’s competitive world, the rat race starts early. Excellent grades in (https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2019/11/535548/singaporean-
academic subjects are the primordial benchmark that sets kids apart from activist-leads-anti-
their peers; the yardstick that determines a parent’s measure of success at immigration-rally-vote-
their job as a progenitor. looms?
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Academic excellence is a must in secondary school; it is even the norm in
utm_source=nst&utm_campaign=recsys&utm_medium=recsys)
 cade c e ce e ce s a ust seco da y sc oo ; t s e e t e o
primary school. Parents and guardians send their scions for after school
Minor re on Japan govt jet
tuition up to seven days a week. Gymnastics and piano lessons are squeezed
with Abe on board: Reports
in somewhere in between.
(https://web.whatsapp.com/send? (https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2019/11/535521/minor-
The “Asian F” is a very real notion. It is the widespread understanding that an re-japan-govt-jet-abe-
text=Is
A- is not good enough. The pressure on school children and their parents is
(https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?
education
growing to unhealthy proportions.
board-reports?
utm_source=nst&utm_campaign=recsys&utm_medium=recsys)
u=https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2017/10/290935/education-
a
(https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?
At the same time, many life skills are thrown overboard in a constant effort
journey-
journey
to be the best among the best. Professors in tertiary education lament the
text=Is
Djokovic cruises past
or-
or fact that they lecture classes of exceptionally well-instructed students who
Shapovalov to fth Bercy
education
race)don’t understand what further education is all about. Students are bright and title
a
a diligent, but they don’t know how to think critically, how to build an argument,
(https://www.nst.com.my/sports/tennis/2019/11/535572/djokovic-
race?
journey
how to debate, or how to work towards a solution as a team.
cruises-past-shapovalov-
fth-bercy-title?
https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2017/10/290935/education-
or If parents and schoolchildren willingly submit to the burden of pushing for utm_source=nst&utm_campaign=recsys&utm_medium=recsys)
journey-
a
always better grades, it is in an effort to be best prepared for the real rat race,
or- the demands of modern career perspectives. Chinese state media urge
race?However, it seems that academic excellence is not the whole ticket.
race) "tougher line" in Hong Kong
&url=https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2017/10/290935/education-
Employers undoubtedly look favourably upon perfect scores. But, recruiters after Xinhua targeted
journey-
also look for attributes such as individuality, drive, passion, curiosity. These (https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2019/11/535603/chinese-
state-media-urge-tougher-
or- aren’t skills learned in the classroom, nor in a tuition centre, no matter how line-hong-kong-after-
well intentioned the teachers and tutors might have been. These character
race)traits are fashioned on the playground, on a football eld, in a band, even xinhua-targeted?
while playing video games. utm_source=nst&utm_campaign=recsys&utm_medium=recsys)

At rst glance, this argument might come across as irresponsible, dismissive Malaysia's growing
of academic values, rebellious even. It is not. It is simply an attempt at partnership with UN
widening the scope of modern education. (https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2019/11/535568/malay
A healthy education should be a marvelous journey, not a race. It is a plea for growing-partnership-un?
restoring a childhood that leaves space for learning how to fail, in order to utm_source=nst&utm_campaign=recsys&utm_medium=recsys)
better succeed, a childhood that is given the opportunity to grow at one’s
individual pace. We're not in a great place
with VAR, says Chelsea boss
It is an appeal, to give children the chance to spend time in a meadow, so Lampard
that they know how to stop and smell the roses when they grow up. (https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2019/11/535524/were-
fannybucheli.rotter@gmail.com (mailto:fannybucheli.rotter@gmail.com) not-great-place-var-says-
chelsea-boss-lampard?
Fanny Bucheli-Rotter is a long-term expatriate, a restless traveller, an utm_source=nst&utm_campaign=recsys&utm_medium=recsys)
observer of the human condition, and unapologetically insubordinate.
952 reads
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