OCTOBER 23 — Much has been lamented lately (or has it ever stopped) about the state of our education system. From the bottom we have the recent UPSR leak scandal, and at the top we have the incessant debate (or denial) of our university rankings. From the outset, all signs and statistics seem to be telling us that the quality of education in this country is going down into the dumps.

But what is the meaning of education? Sir Ken Robinson posited in his famous TED talk that current education systems are one size fits all models that churn robots but kills creativity. I for one am very taken by his idea, but I also want to add that the basis of education should be grounded on humanity. Education is about gaining knowledge and learning skills. But I believe that education should ultimately shape us to be a better human being and citizen of this world.

Learning facts and figures is becoming irrelevant in this era of Google. Almost anything can be found with just a click of a button, but to sort out this information dump we need more than just memorised lists or exam answer schemes. We need critical thinking skills to decide which sources are reliable and logically sound. We need ethics to guide us in choosing a stand that is morally right. We need courage and conviction to use that information in pursuit of a goal that is beneficial and just for the world. We need maturity to understand that truth can be relative, and we need empathy to understand the position of others who see things differently than us.

Humanity? Am I making grand claims here? I do not think so. All I want are fellow citizens who do not double park indiscriminately, and wait for the light to turn green; fellow citizens who care to listen and argue soundly without an instinctive reaction for retaliation; fellow citizens who can see the plight of their neighbours and dare to fight for equality on behalf of those who cannot; fellow citizens who can profess their faith and beliefs openly without the fear of harassment and discrimination.

Children are like sponges – they see parents jostle their cars right to the school doorstep, and learn that personal convenience supersedes public safety; they browse Facebook, and see all the vitriol in the comments voiced freely and unabashedly; they learn how sensationalism can create and drive public discourse, regardless of the legitimacy or moral standing of the issue; they learn not to put up their hands in the classroom to voice an opinion, but to rant and vent anonymously behind a digital profile; they learn that there is a system to follow, and they should follow it because an authority said so.

It all trickles down. There used to be a saying that Malaysia has first world hardware but third world software. Well, I think a lot of our talk on the education system is focused on the hardware, while our software is grossly outdated and corrupted. Education is also not confined within institutions – all of us are a part of that software in our everyday thoughts and actions. What is the use of having an “educated” population holding paper certificates and yet is unable to treat each other with respect, compassion and integrity.

And so the cycle continues, unless we finally see how far down the rabbit hole goes and decide to do something about it.

*This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.