Malaysia Offers Incentives to Study Science — Good or Bad?

When Malaysian students reach Form Four, they must choose between science and the humanities. According to reports, roughly 30 out of 200 students join the science track, meaning that fewer than one in five graduates becomes professionally equipped to work in a science-related field.

To increase these numbers, the Malaysian government plans to give tax breaks to parents whose children study science, in addition to providing financial aid and grants for science students. Its long-term objective is to have 60% of secondary school students studying science, along with a 10% increase in the number of science students, by 2014.

Surprisingly, educationists view the plans as impractical and potentially counterproductive. “The government’s plan to increase the number of science students using tax breaks might backfire, as it could result in a big group of students who lack interest in science,” said science teacher Marcus Khoo.

“It is far more important to develop scientific thinking skills in students, than to focus on efforts to get students into the science stream.”

Educationist Wong Jia Hui thought the government should veer away from traditional test-driven approaches that have students hyper-focused on getting As when they should be developing their skills. “To encourage more science students, some examiners were willing to lower their marking standards.”

The government could’ve really used this as an opportunity to devise plans for building science laboratories and recruiting quality teachers, as proposed in this years’ Education Blueprint. “I have to share equipment with at least four other classmates,” stated Nuraina Izzaty, a student from Petaling Jaya. “Our teachers also place more emphasis on textbook learning, which leaves us little time in the labs.”

It appears that Malaysia may be better off investing in quality rather than quantity.

Creative Commons Love: Ian Russell on Flickr.com

Written by Alice Formwalt