WHEN the Negri Sembilan government implemented the state education policy several years ago, few would have imagined the plan could bring about a vast improvement in educational achievements in a short span of time.
Before the policy’s implementation, the state was often ranked among the worst in the country in terms of public examination results.
All that changed in 2005 when Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan decided to institute the state education policy to improve the poor results the state had previously recorded.
Mohamad said his administration immediately embarked on an effort to turn the state into an educational hub and consistently produce high achievers.
“We have taken it upon ourselves to prioritise education and will do our best to provide aid and support to schools that need them, be it government or private institutions.
“With co-operation from the state education department and schools, we started working towards improving the grades of students statewide and our efforts have already borne fruit,” he said.
He said the vast improvement in results was evident when comparing how the state fared in the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) in 2011 and 2012.
“In 2011, we managed to achieve a state grade average of 2.17 for the UPSR exams while PMR and SPM results recorded grade averages of 2.66 and 4.82 respectively.
“We did slightly better in 2012 achieving a state grade average of 2.14 for UPSR, 2.65 for PMR and 4.86 for SPM,”.
In terms of nationwide results, the state which had once occupied the lower rungs of the ladder managed to place among the top five in the country for all three major examinations in 2012.
“We recorded the second best results in the country for UPSR, the fifth in PMR and the third for SPM,” said Mohamad.
Mohamad said the state government, through a collaboration with private education institutions, also launched programmes to improve the proficiency of English in rural schools.
“We decided to introduce the programme because rural students used to fair very poorly in English although they did well in other subjects,” he said.
Mohamad said to encourage students to study hard, the state had also provided financial aid to students and scholarships with the co-operation of other state agencies including the Negri Sembilan Foundation.
In total, some 10,000 students pursuing their studies at institutes of higher learning received financial aid to help with their initial expenses while 7,923 university students received scholarships.
The state also introduced an incentive programme to reward high achieving graduates of public tertiary institutions.
While only six graduates from the state obtained first class honours in 2006, the number surged to 591 in 2012, a testimony to the success of the incentive programme.
Mohamad said initially, the state used to give out RM25,000 to each graduate who obtained a first class degree.
However, since there was a massive increase in the number of students who excelled academically, the incentive was reduced to RM5,000.
“All these incentives are geared towards producing high achievers who would in future contribute to the country’s progress.
“We want to bring back the glory days when Negri Sembilan produced many notable scholars such as Pendeta Za’aba,” he said.
He said efforts by other state agencies including the Negri Sembilaan Foundation and Islamic Affairs Council also contributed to the success of the education policy.
“With the co-operation of the state Islamic Affairs Council, we sent students to Egypt, Morocco and Jordan to further their education in medicine and religious studies,” he said.
The state government’s commitment in improving education is irrespective of race and the state had contributed to the construction and relocation of a number of Chinese and Tamil schools statewide.
Mohamad said the authorities would also begin the construction of three new Tamil schools in Bandar Sri Sendayan, Taman Desa Puteri in Bahau and Taman Thivy Jaya this year.
“This shows the Government’s commitment to preserve Tamil schools as well as to give parents a choice of sending their children to these schools,” he said.
The growing number of private and public institutions being set up in the state reflects the state government’s vision in turning it into a Valley of Knowledge.
To date, four international schools – Epsom College, UCSI International School, Nilai International School and Zenith International School have set up campuses here.
The Malaysian campus of Epsom College which opened its doors in Bandar Enstek last year is the first British-styled boarding school in the country and the first sister college to be built outside England.
In total, there are 25 institutions of higher learning in the state including both public and private universities and colleges.
(Source : Star May 3, 2013) C. S. NATHAN | metrose@thestar.com.my)
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