The equation is missing an 'algebra'

According to Berita Harian, 20 December 2009, the cause of Malay students underperformance in mathematics is attributed to the following:-

Lack strong foundation + Lack Parental Support + Lack discipline = Underperformance in maths

Understandably, there is truth to this equation but I felt that it is missing an additional 'algebra'.

We are quick to point out that many of those who lack strong foundation are those kids that were not sent to preschool, thus it is definitely the parents to blame for having such a lackadaisical attitude and for not having the mindset that early years learning is super important. Thus, it has been reiterated many times, and by every community leaders and even the media that parental interest, support, motivation and ambition are extremely crucial in nurturing the basic foundation in maths.

Now, I am just wondering for those who did not do well or have failed maths in this year's PSLE results, how many of these children did go to preschool - at least 2 to 3 years of preschool education? I would really be interested to know the numbers, and if possible even the preschools they attended.

Why am I curious to know?

I read a report on the best-performing school systems in the world, and it cited that the best-performing school systems emphasised the quality of its teachers and instruction (McKinsey, 2007). In other words, for every child to perform outstandingly and to succeed, these countries which include Singapore, do not underestimate the qualification of its teachers and the way subjects are taught by them.

Based on the above report, Singapore has one of the best-performing school systems in the world. However, I'm just thinking, whether this best performance trickle down to the early years schools ie. preschools. Our preschools, though regulated by MOE, do not have to come under its direct administration. And furthermore, I believe, by and large, besides PCF kindergartens, most of our Malay children attend preschools by private Malay-owned, Malay voluntary organisations and mosque-based kindergartens. I do not want to make baseless assumptions but I am just questioning whether in our Malay and mosque-based preschools, do we have truly qualified teachers and excellent instruction?

There is some kind of regulation that in each preschool there is at least a minimum number of teachers with early childhood diploma amidst the certificates. However, do we have teachers who have degrees - bachelors and masters in our Malay and mosque-based kindys? Do these teachers have continual professional development to enhance their teaching?

All this relate to another thing. Again, $$$.

You see, the fees for many Malay and mosque-based kindys are in the range of $90 to $130 per month, and yet many Malay parents cannot afford or lament that it is still expensive. How much can you pay your teachers if your school fees are such? How qualified can your teachers be if you are not able to pay your teachers well? And if your school fees are such, do you have quality curriculum and materials?

Now, if raising the school fees is not an attractive option, what else can be done to improve the quality of teachers and instruction in our Malay and mosque based kindys?

This is one area that our community leaders could and should look into. Beside all that I have mentioned above, the community leaders should also look into whether the preschools have the right pedagogy to teach early childhood maths in an effective and efficient manner?

In this time and age, the buzz word in the education sector is professional development. We need teachers who are highly qualified who go through various professional development courses so as to deliver quality instruction. Even if the curriculum is below par, a teacher with high qualification and excellent knowledge, pedagogy, capacity and instruction will be able to take one more child up the learning ladder.

And I hope I have many who will agree with me on this.

Let's look at a case study reported on the same newspaper on the same day. The paper reported a girl who failed her PSLE maths last year and had to repeat her primary six again this year. The equation on the headline for her looks like this:-

Don't Understand + Not interested = Not Passing.

According to the news report, Girl, who is 12 and shy, admitted that she does not understand what her teachers taught her, and as a result she is not interested in the subject. She has not gotten more than 40 marks since primary 3, meaning she has been failing the subject since then.

According to girl's mom, she is not able to teach her maths, but is able to motivate her to practice. She also buys her workbooks and encourages her to practice at least one page a day. However, girl still don't quite understand how to do her worksheets. Mom added that she sends girl to tuition classes by Mendaki and AMP, and extra classes in school.

It is without a doubt that if you don't understand something, you will not have interest in it. And if you have no interest, your mind will drift away while in class and you just don't do well in it.

Whether or not this child go to preschool, we do not know, but what we know is that her basic foundation in maths is totally weak. Her mom admitted that she does not have the skills to teach her child maths, but if this child keeps saying that she does not understand maths, despite the tuition at Mendaki, AMP and extra classes in school, what should we do? Should we keep pressing her to practice, practice, and practice without understanding?

Let's face it. This child needs help beyond mere practicing and parental motivation. Does she have good teachers and good instruction in her preschool, school and tuition classes? Her teachers must not only teach but need to assess her strengths and weaknesses and come up with appropriate strategies and instruction for her so that she is able to learn efficiently and effectively and thus leads to understanding the math.

Her parents could have done more when the child is not performing at p1 and p2 rather than wait till p3. By now, it may seem a little too late, but before we lose hope, let's try another 'untested' avenue.

There are already many educational centres that claim accelerated learning and some even advertise how the students who enrol in their programme is able to turn an "F" grade into an "A" grade. We hope her parents will be able to send her to such a programme. Eventhough there is no guarantee, there is the hope - the hope of a higher grade and the hope that the low self-esteem in herself and maths is lifted and she will be more positive and believe that she can and will score in maths. If money is a problem to send her kid to such a program as the cost is quite high, please seek help from your MP, and the MP must give it a try - either offer her the financial aid or get the centre to sponsor the child in their programme.

We need this sort of rags to riches story - from an F to an A grade, to boost the morale of our community as well as to boost our statistics. Thus, both equations must not miss out on the importance of teachers' quality and their instructions as well as curriculum and materials in our preschools.