PMR and UPSR exams may go...

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examinations may be abolished.

Finally! They are doing something to CHANGE the rather RIGID education system of Malaysia? Students these days are all EXAM-ORIENTATED! All students think about these days are about how well they can do in EXAMS, whether the student pass or fail the EXAM, or whether the student goes to enough tuition to pass in EXAMS. Notice that everything has to do with EXAMS? EXAMS, EXAMS, EXAMS! What happened to those days where in the evenings one could play sports with friends? Or developing hobbies? Interests? It seems with the EXISTANCE of exams, 24 hours is just NOT enough for a day. There are just TOO MANY things to do. And speaking of exams, I think my first Form 6 exam is round the corner. It's time to cut down on luxuries. Sigh.

I have a friend who is taking SPM this year, going to 6 or 7 tuition a week! Can you believe it? It's sure insanity! Every single day, there is a tuition to attend to. There isn't even enough TIME to reflect on life and have a good REST. One is almost oblivious to the surroundings. And for what purpose does one go for tuition? To get tips and notes on how to pass the exam with flying colors. I wonder how much extra pocket money tuition teachers earn on top of their fixed income. It's no wonder why teachers who give tuitions are so RICH nowadays.

And even in Form 6, many (I think all) of my friends all currently attending tuition for EVERY subject. Hm... This got me thinking. Is this implying that the government has failed to ensure that the schools give the proper education to students? I mean, if schools can teach a student the stuff they need to know well, there will be NO NEED to attend tuition right?

He said the exam pressure was wrong and defeated the true purpose of sending children to school.

Another quote from our Minister of Education. And I have to admit, the exam pressure is KILLING students. Come to Keat Hwa, and sit in any of the top three classes of any form, and you can feel the PRESSURE! Even in my class, during free periods, almost everyone is flipping through some notes and STUDYING. Talk about PRESSURE.

“The main objectives of education is for children to gain knowledge in a holistic manner - where creativity, innovation and interaction thrive,” he said.

I think this has to do more on the teacher's side rather than on the students. If teachers can't teach in a creative, innovative and interactive manner, education is rather boring. Take history for example. If a teacher teaches by dictating notes in a monotonous manner, learning is DEAD. There is NO LIFE in it. The teachers teach for the sake of teaching, and the students learn for the sake of learning. End result, students passes the exam, and throws everything away after the exam. True...?

So, is taking away PMR and UPSR exams a good thing? And oh, taking away this exams will mean a DEATH to tuitions for UPSR and below PMR level. Hahahahahaha... =D

France and Italy OUT! Which Giant Next?

Can you believe that Italy and France are out of the World Cup? Furthermore, finishing LAST place in their respective groups! And Italy is the defending champion! They won the last world cup in 2006, and they have won it 4 times already. How can they just go down in the qualifying rounds?

Goodbye Italy and France! ;(

Next BIG game, GO GO PORTUGAL! Beat BRAZIL! Show them who is boss. =D

World Cup Fever! =D

World Cup has started! =D

I can't believe that I actually watched almost the entire game of the opening match of the World Cup! Usually, I wouldn't be bothered to even look at the times of the World Cup matches. I would just check the scores the next day. And, previous years', these matches would be held and aired live past midnight, in the wee hours in the morning due to the different time zones. But fortunately this year, since it's held in South Africa, the time gap between Malaysia and South Africa is smaller than the past years, bringing the matches earlier.

South Africa versus Mexico. End result. 1-1. A tie. A pity. I was hoping that South Africa would win their first match, since they were playing on home-ground, but, alas, at least they managed a tie. Mexico, to me, played lousy tonight, I think. I always thought that Mexico was much better than South Africa. There were a lot of good saves by the teams' goalkeepers, and also a lot of near misses that could have helped South Africa to win their opening match. Oh well, good game! =)

Form 6.

I'm beginning to wonder how one can survive in an environment so pressured? In my class during free period, among the 4 science classes, it's the quietest. And it's the class where you can see my fellow classmates studying and revising. And that's where peer pressure comes in. After all, I was brought up in a "kia su" environment, and I'm a little "kia su" myself, although how hard I try to make myself not to.

This year, I begun attending tuitions, *finally!* my friends told me. *laughs* I was known for not attending tuitions for form 4 and 5, except for Accounts (because it wasn't taught in school) and the other language subjects. I'm now currently attending Chemistry and Biology. I'm thinking of stopping Bio tuition, because I think I can study it on my own, after all, it's a study subject right? I'm thinking of trying a month of Maths tuition. Should I? Or should I just borrow the notes from my friends? Hmmm....

Hm. My advice to all the future generations of after SPM-ers, do not take form 6 UNLESS you can stand the pressure. If not, you'll be feeling pressured all the time, and in the end, end up tired JUST because of the pressure. =)