I received many comments for my post on schools in Brunei a few months ago. While I do not doubt that parents’ involvement in their children’s education is imperative, I still believe that schools and teachers equally play an important role. I also agree that at the end of the day, it is the children’s own efforts that determine their achievement and those who have ‘the brain’ will make it anywhere. Although I do not think this is fair.
It still appears to me that most parents (including myself) do not really have a concrete reason why we send our children to a private school than to a government school. We assume we know the reason. We assume that by paying more, our children will learn more. Often, our choice of school is influenced by words of mouth. When we see or hear children of our friends or relatives are doing well in a particular school (which is almost always a private school), we assume our children will also be doing well in the same school. Now, if this is true (i.e. a private school is better) then those children who have able parents will almost certainly get better education. What about those children whose parents cannot afford to send them to a private school?
But the question remains, do we really know that a private school is better than a government school? Does the money we spend worth the quality of teachings our children are receiving?
Generally, we do not know the real performance of a school, the performance of the students, let alone the performance of the teachers. We do not know whether school A is better than school B. I remember when my husband and I went for school-hunting a few years back. We went to a few schools and all we were given was a few forms to fill along with the fee schedules. There was no information on the performance of the school or any information why we should choose that school. In the end, I had to rely on words of mouth, which is not an informed decision.
Here in the UK for example, we have the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). Every school is inspected and assessed. In the comfort of my chair I get to read reports about all of the schools in the area which are published in their website. Every school that I visited also gave me a copy of this report.
Now, this is what I call a transparent system that leads to an informed choice which we are sadly, lacking. Now, I don’t know the content of the Ministry of Education’s SPN21, I hope transparency is also one of the agenda. It will not only help parents make the ‘right’ decision, it will also ensure the quality of our schools, be it private or government. And most of all, it can ensure that every child receives a good quality education.
When all schools are assessed and results made public, naturally every school will want to be the best and want to improve their past performance. This will not only benefit the children and the parents but will surely benefit the entire education system. Who knows, if the government schools prove that they are better than the private schools, parents don’t even have to fork hundreds of dollars each month. And that will be sweet indeed…
Salaam.
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Life (as what we make it), Mrs RE, can be unfair indeed. I am an academic failure although I showed early signs of 'brightness' in the foundation years of schooling. It could be fate and destiny ("Qada' dan Qadar") that I am what I am today - a total misfit in society:(
Still, in my honest opinion, it is not the school and academic system which mould the individual into an intellectual being. It is the True Power of God the Almighty to bless each of His human creations to become who he or she was; is and will be (in this temporary world and the Hereafter). Of course, one has to make every effort to the best of his and her ability to become somebody in their lifetime.
Which school he or she goes to is irrelevant as to what contributed to their intelligence. My kids would really, really love to enrol in Jerudong International School (JIS) but I certainly cannot afford to send them there. On the other hand I only want them to be enrolled in any Islamic school, be it in Brunei or abroad. But that would go against their own wishes and could lead them to rebel...
Even Yusuf Islam in London has set up quite good Islamic schools for Muslim children to go to. But I would not know if sending them to such religious-based educational institution will make them more Islamic than other Muslim kids? I mean I have friends who had attended the Arabic Boys and Girls schools respectively in Brunei Darussalam. Some of them ended up to become less religious-inclined in their later years, sad to say.
However, I have to agree with you that a certain set of ruling as to being transparent about the track record of each school's quality of teaching and performance in exam result-oriented studies must be considered as one of the criteria for parents to choose which school their children should go to. The future of their kids lies in the school environment the students are exposed to, I must say. The surroundings (whether conducive to excellent teaching and studying or not) are equally important, too.
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