Why Malaysia needs to look at EU’s education philosophy

Revamping the education system will create more indigenous innovation within the economy and will lead to productivity gains.

When I was a visiting professor at FH Krems University of Applied Sciences, about 65km west of Vienna, Austria, the aptitude of my undergraduate students was impressive.

All of them could speak at least three languages fluently, could think critically, express themselves with confidence and write competently in the English language, which in all cases was not their first language.

Many Malaysian educators, academics, administrators, civil servants and politicians have travelled extensively around the European Union on study tours.

There are also a number of people in education who studied at these higher education institutions, completing their post graduate studies and doctorates.

Sadly, little or none of what the Malaysian education administrators have learned and experienced first-hand of the EU system has found its way into the Malaysian system.

For a start, the European education system is completely secular.

Religious education is considered a family matter and parents can arrange for after-school extra-curricular activities for their children.

Primary and lower secondary school is aimed entirely at preparing students for their next step in education.

According to Eurostats, nearly all primary students learn English as a foreign language and nearly half of all students in upper secondary learn two or more foreign languages.

In the final two years of secondary school, students can choose to go into one of two streams.

These decisions are made based on their aptitude and grades as well as whether they are motivated to go for either tertiary education or vocational education and training streams.

A strong positive of upper secondary vocational education is that students will be taught the basic skills of starting up a new business coupled with the necessary entrepreneurial skills.

Thus, a vocational student who finishes secondary school and goes no further will understand the fundamentals of business.

Under the university stream, students would undertake a Baccalaureate. There are national, international and specialised baccalaureates.

Specialised baccalaureates might focus on economics, science or engineering etc.

Baccalaureates are similar to pre-university studies and are recognised in many parts of the world.

Students can then enter the university system, where courses are dedicated to the discipline.

Other alternative studies are pursued through university clubs and organisations and are not compulsory.

Students in the vocational education and training stream would pursue either a VET certificate or diploma in trade fields.

At national level VET education advanced diplomas are offered, which are equivalent to university standards and recognised as such. VET is the EU version of TVET.

In European schools, creativity and critical thinking is a major aspect of the education process.

Rather than be taught as a separate subject, creativity and critical thinking is infused into the class teaching experience.

Creativity and critical thinking are major learning goals. Teachers learn the necessary tools and teaching techniques through educator short courses, taught in all EU states.

Underlying primary and secondary education are the 4Cs – creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration.

Communication and collaboration bring out assertiveness and self-confidence in students.

The ability of students to succeed in the outside world depends on their ability to communicate.

European schools have wide ethnic diversities and are built upon integration rather than segregation.

There are no Chinese’ Malay or Indian” schools. There are only national schools.

Education is not ethnic based, it’s based upon knowledge, talent and abilities.

Students are graded into classes based upon academic levels only. This reflects outside society and adds to the wholeness of education.

The product of such a system is a self-confident, self-assertive person who is motivated and able to communicate with others around him.

Back in Malaysia, many students lack self-confidence, while some need external motivation to pursue goals.

One of the biggest problems in Malaysia is that the benchmarks are much lower than other nations. This takes away incentive and competition in the classroom.

There was once a belief that a competitive environment was unhealthy for students. However, competition is a major source of motivation that Malaysian classrooms don’t have.

When Malaysia had the old British level system and exams meritocracy was part of the environment, many Malaysian secondary school graduates became the top of their classes in Australia, the US and Europe.

Malaysian secondary students miss the opportunity to go into fulfilling vocational trades, which today may provide incomes greater than what university education would for them.

They are brainwashed into believing that university entrance is the sole objective to strive for. This is short-changing many Malaysian students.

Revamping the education system will create more indigenous innovation within the economy.

Revamping the education system will lead to productivity gains and help create many new growth-based SMEs.

Changing the nature of the Malaysian economy starts with education.

There are continuous calls to revamp the education system.

What is disappointing is that the solutions are known, but ignored just because they are considered too hard to do.

The education system is full of complacency, which has no patience for those who want to change or improve it.

Originally published in FMT 3rd September 2024

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