Now Everyone Can Study

When I read the article 'Time to move on' by P. Gunasegaram, in Star BizWeek, Saturday 12 May 2012, I was actually seeing a lot of similarity between what he said about the Malaysian Airlines (MAS) and the teaching profession that I am directly involved in. I will highlight those parts mentioned by the author that is related to my field without the risk of quoting out of context. In that article, the author was commenting on the unwinding the so-called strategic share swap between MAS and AirAsia and the subsequent rebranding effort by MAS to prop up its sagging fortune after much time loss in the ill-hatched plan eight months ago. I hope the author is not exaggerating in mentioning that the rebranding of MAS is just about changing a two-colour vibrant on to a single colour with no discernible improvement in overall dynamics, an extravagance and distraction at a time when real effort should be concentrated on operational improvements. Furthermore, according to the author, it is only logical that rebranding comes after improvement, not before. Otherwise it will be rebranding of the same product which simply makes no sense.

In the field that I am involved in over a period of twenty over years, I see a lot of so-called new ideas, innovations, paradigm shifts, all kinds of high-sounding labels for selected schools, all kinds of awards, incentives (as well as punishments) in the name of improvement, paper works, perpetual keying-in of data, filing and endless rounds of evaluations and re-evaluations but always wonder how such branding or rebranding can improve when such exercises seldom touch on the factors of clear-cut operational improvements just as mentioned by Mr Gunasegaram about MAS. Perhaps he is not getting the whole picture and perhaps I am also not getting the whole picture. But when I see the crucial training for teachers as implementers in the newly minted school-based assessment for the secondary 1 being carried out in a rather haphazard manner 4 months after the system is supposed to be implemented (January) and the new system for the sixth form being implemented for the lower six students under a layer of thick haze, I tend to think of a strong parallel between our beloved golden airline system, MAS and my profession. Further more, the insular mode of some officers-in-charge who feel more irritated by queries rather than being helpful and proactive create further doubts about the actual state of preparedness at the implementation stage. Neither do many people volunteer to give opinion or criticism beyond coffee shop talks, perhaps to play safe. However, I hope and certainly like to see people irrespective of position and power to work together to give the best possible service. Just like MAS, an education system cannot effort to fail too many times. There are many people at the grassroots level who actually see the real things, beyond the glossy covered brochures or beautifully bound reports and can tell very good real-life stories if given the chance to do so without fear or favour.

So, rebranding is not just about dumping money, providing more physical facilities, more trips, more self-congratulatory banners or more flower pots and gold-rimmed skirting. It should be accompanied by higher competency, better leadership, better teaching skills and so on. It is not just about more checking, questionings, forms-filling, and similar activities. Simple logic tells us that just testing, evaluating or whatever form of squeezing without teaching do not make a person more learned or skillful. Neither is it logical by thinking that more checks and evaluations will make an organisation improve if the people who man the organisation simply do not have the skills and the wills to do so. Perhaps it just create more awareness only. In other words, to have improvements, we must have more trainings rather than just more checking and evaluating. Short-cuts like reducing student intake, selecting only high achievers, providing extra fund....may after all improve results but not necessarily increase the competency of the leaders or teachers to make lasting impact.

Coming back to airlines, I will prefer to emulate the philosophy of AirAsia : Now Everyone Can Fly. Faced with real challenge of putting ordinary folks in an airplane for their dream flight under various constraints and obstacles, yet to make profit, it is no wonder that AirAsia came out with various genuine innovations and succeeded under difficult conditions. In the school context it should be 'Now Everyone Can Study', at least in enough 'ordinary' schools. Certainly it is good news for parents whose children somehow or rather do not excel in their academic studies that there are still airplanes....oop....sorry....schools who are willing to accommodate them.

Do not get me wrong. I am genuinely concerned and interested in seeing and helping either directly or indirectly to improve the well-being of our education system and this article is written in  good faith. Please do not get angry. It is just 'Thinking Allowed' after all. Those with powerful English, please do not be too strict with my English unless you really do not understand what I write, in  which case, may not actually be my fault too. Those with power or authority, just do a bit of reflection which is better than getting angry--trust me.