Mobile Phones in Classrooms

Refer to this news article.

I only have one question regarding this quote:

“Having handphones in classrooms are disruptive because pupils are found to be more intent on sending SMS rather than paying attention to the lessons,” he told reporters after chairing a meeting of the Committee on Controlling Discipli nary Problems in Schools yesterday.

Question: Did the deputy minister conduct any meaningful survey / study on this issue? How did he come to the conclusion that having handphones in classrooms are disruptive? Where did he get his information that pupils are found to be sending SMS rather than paying attention to lessons?

Next he also mentions the following:

“I urge parents not to allow their children to carry mobile phones to schools. In cases of emergency, the school office phone is always available,” he said.

Question: Is the school office phone really available for students use? How can it cater to the hundreds of students when the final bell rings and parents are looking for ways to communicate with their children on where to wait for the car?

Basically, the ministry is still stuck in the 20th century, in the unconnected era. In this age of seamless always-on communication, I would actually encourage the use of any ICT device, and this includes handphones (mobile communication devices) that are able to access the Internet and help students in supplementing their lessons with independent online research. If discipline is such a concern, then the school administrations should think of better ways, such as imposing a "silent mode only" ruling in classrooms, and training teachers to cope with the new generation of connected young leaders.

Prof Chuah is UTAR's new CEO!

Wow. This is just so random. Apparently, UTAR (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) has appointed Professor Chuah Hean Teik as their new CEO.


For the uninitiated, Prof Chuah was the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering in MMU (Multimedia University), my alma mater. I personally received my graduation scroll from him during my convocation in 2003. Interestingly, the news article mentions nothing about his involvement in MMU.

21 A's in SPM... now this is just getting out of hand!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this article in The Star:

21 A's! What the heck was the student thinking? I remember during my years, where the most keng student in the class took 10 subjects and we were like "wah you take 10 subjects ah!" See, most of us opted for 9 subjects. Some even went below that to the minimum of 8 subjects. So to get an achievement of straight A's (average 9 A's) was considered amazing. But today we have students who actually take 21 subjects and gain 21 A's. OMG. I wonder how big is his certificate going to be to fit all those A's.

Seriously, is education all about getting a string of A's? I won't judge this student. Who knows, he may actually be a well balanced person in life. However, I feel that this development is unhealthy as it places too much emphasis on academic achievement, leaving almost no room for creative and physical development. What use is an A in "English for Science", "Mathematics", "Advance Mathematics", etc. if one can't function well in university, speak up and think critically to solve issues at hand? Many SPM leavers who enter university for the first time face difficulties catching up to the demands of the new environment. Many still rely on handouts, "tips", step by step guidance, all the trappings of the primary and secondary education system.

Now that Tony Pua has been elected as an MP, let's hope that he will bring his plans for educational reform to national highlight and hopefully we will soon see a change in this country's educational policies!