Is MOE on the Right Track?

MOE policy makers including the minister, failed to differentiate
and communicate long term cornerstone policies that should not and
will not easily and readily change in short terms, from short term
programs and practices that must promply adapt to rapid changing socio-
economic environments, both local and global. Bilingual and moral
education are example of the first. Use of evolving educational,
instructional and learning technologies and pedagogies, say, applied
to mother tongue for adaptation, is the second.

School principals who are under constant pressure to perform
according to moe KPIs by toeing the line of their bosses at HQ, rather
than professionally, selflessly and courageously acting by convictions
to do what is right and good for students in the long run but may not
be within moe's immedate interests or priorities. The constant
conflict here is what is for students' long term good, may not be good
for the school (in terms of ranking performance, publicity and
popularity) and the principal's personal performance and career
advancement. So, practically all schools degenerate into MOE's
nationwide distributed network of education factories producing 'on-specs' school
graduates with good grades, not necessarily competent, lifelong
learners and good citizens of society. In short, very, very few
principals are running schools according to their conviction and
professional ethics as educators - not independent and autonomous.
Even though they may know what is good and right, they won't do it. In
practice, they are very much civil servants of the ministry and the
ministers, much more than of their students! Sad but true, this is the
pathetic state and harsh reality of the school systems in this nation.
distributed network of education factories producing 'on-specs' school
graduates with good grades, not necessarily competent, lifelong
learners and good citizens of society. In short, very, very few
principals are running schools according to their econviction and
professional ethics as educators - not independent and autonomous.
Even though they may know what is good and right, they won't do it. In
practice, they are very much civil servants of the ministry and the
ministers, much more than of their students! Sad but true, this is the
pathetic state and harsh reality of the school systems in this nation.