Long hours torture for pupils
I am responding to V.W.’s letter of Johor Bahru. ” It’s too taxing for students” ( NST, Oct 12)
I ‘m an upper sixth student in a premier school in Kluang, Johor, that has implemented the new longer school session for Form Six since January. I couldn’t agree more with V.W.
I believe the ‘ masterminds’ who proposed the new schooling hours for Form Six pupils had the noble intention of making Form Six schooling on apar with the matriculation colleges in the country.
However, they failed to take into account many other factors before implementing it.
These ‘masterminds’ have ignored the fact that most schools offering Form Six classes do not have hostels, unlike matriculation colleges.
Many of us travel long distances to attend school and we wake up as early as 5 am to catch the school buses, unlike matriculation students who stroll to their lecture halls or tutorial rooms. Can you imagine how tiring it is to wake up so early and return home at almost at 5pm ?
We do not have air-conditioned lecture halls which would help us avoid the heat and fatigue of long hours of schooling. Yes, we do get an hour’s break, but where are we supposed to rest?
Our counterparts can go back to their hostel for a nap or a refreshing shower. What about food? Our parents have to folk out more money for us to buy food but our counterparts get free meals.
It is easy for bureaucrats at the Education Ministry to look for something ” new” to implement without taking into account other people’s proplems.
They stand a good chance of getting promoted although we have to suffer long hours in stuffy classrooms.
If these educators really want to place Form Six on a par with matriculation, why don’t they scrap the present examination-oriented Form Six and replace it with an evaluation system adopted by matriculation colleges?
Longer Form Sic hours are window dressing. Just do away with in.
S.M.
Kluang
New Strait Times