I READ with disappointment our Malaysian schools’ dismal performance in the global school maths and science tests despite the large budget allocated by the Education Ministry and the many plans initiated to achieve the level of education of developed countries, “Big money but little progress in education” (The Star, March 14). I therefore want to share my observations as a volunteer at a community-based tuition centre for underprivileged children.
Some of the children I teach are in Year Two and Three but they do not know the answers to simple sums like 5+6, or 11–2. They have to count with their fingers and sometimes still get it wrong. These are normal children, perhaps poor and even a bit slow in their studies, but they do not have learning disabilities. They perform quite well in the language of their preference and respond well to coaching.
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