Educational system or societies’ perception?

8 years ago, I was in the same situation as most of the SPM leavers today. Since my high school was 2 hours away from my hometown, I was on pin and needles along the way to get there. I didn’t know why I felt that way. I was already in for a place and during that time, I was doing my foundation earlier 5 months than any other normal kids. I should be grateful for that but on my second thought, should I? I was so confused that time. I didn’t know what I want to do in the future or what course should I take for my first degree. The worse part was none of my family members can give me an advise on that topic and my friends were as confused as me. There were some seniors and counselor tried to help, but I guess they can’t clear my path either. I used to dream about study abroad and took medicine course, but since I didn’t get straight A’s and with my result that time, the only choices I had was either to finish my foundation and take any course which suit me the most or go for matriculation and start struggling all over again to get 4 flat, and then go to medical school. One thing that I can admit is I’m the type of person that love to do anything faster or take a shorter cut than long way. So, I guess you knew which path I took. Well, that was a part of the story in my book.

It is true that you’ve to get straight A’s to get into medical school. But that is if you want to. You, not your parents. Sadly, not all students think they have any other option when they have straight A’s result in their hand. The choices are tight between being a doctor or an engineer. If they have any other dreams or plan for the future, maybe they still have to choose between that either since their parents will say “You got straight A’s but you want to take an art course? Are you insane?” Yeah, kinda like that. That is how societies’ perception either. They look up really high to you when you get more A’s and asking the same question “So, you’ll be a doctor, huh?” And when your results have less A they will say you’re not trying hard enough or you don’t have any future. I teach this one kid and her mother really wants her to get all A’s printed on her result. Even she just takes UPSR, she struggles like a university student. No kidding. People should aware that we are not machines that produce A’s on a paper. We’re more than that. What a waste if a student can score straight A’s on an examination but their thinking is not like their result? They can’t make any own decision or have critical thinking, they only memorize the text book and exam format. I didn’t say all of them but maybe some. If someone not excel in her/his examination, maybe she/he can be successful too by being a good writer or international chef (for example). The only thing that can measure people success is how they can turn their failure into a motivation to change her/his life.

I know I write too long for this entry, but I have the last part which to blame on our educational system. Another example on my another student; he is a form 4 student this year and he is no choice but to take some subjects that he is not interested. I asked him once why and he said the school give not too many options and either you like or not, you have to take the combination subjects. Yup, NO CHOICES. So, some students in our free country have to study some subjects they don’t like because of no choices. And then when they did not success in that subject, people will say that they didn’t try harder. Fair enough. As we know, pmr will be the last this year and it changes into the band system from next year on. I just hope there is a room to change for spm too. By change I mean is not terminated the examination but students should give more options on subjects that they want to take. Like US educational system for example. Declaration of Bahasa, English and history as subjects must pass is a good thing, but again the marks of the paper when it comes to big examination is based on the graph. I’m still not sure if it is a good thing or not. It maybe helps some students that are weak in the certain subjects but the question is, The number of students that got straight A’s every year is just a number or it is based on what they are?