Balancing quantity and quality for youths

IN RECENT years, Malaysian youth education has faced an imbalance between quality and quantity.

Despite the rapid development of Malaysia's higher education system, high academic qualifications may not meet the needs of society.

This imbalance in youth quality has drawn the attention of the community. Even though there are more than 1.4 million students registered in Malaysia’s public and private universities, which is significantly higher than the average of other Southeast Asian countries, this large number of students does not completely fulfil the demands of society.

To make our youths more globally competitive, we need to improve their quality. Parenting plays an important role in addressing this issue because it is the primary environment for children's growth.

Parenting is the cornerstone of all education and the first education a child receives. It plays an important role in their growth, significantly affecting youth development in all spheres, including academic achievement, personal abilities, thinking skills, and physical fitness.

While social and academic education have a tremendous impact on youths, parenting serves as the foundation of a child's character and abilities.

Numerous Malaysian parents focus their expectations on academic achievements, believing that education can determine a child's destiny, with academic achievements and exam scores being the only measures of success.

Asian parents often adopt a strict academic approach to education, with high expectations emphasising grades and behavioral norms. Although this educational method has its advantages, it can also present major challenges to youths' social and psychological development.

Poor parenting may lead children to linear thinking. Most inventors come from Western countries because Western parenting promotes the all-around development of children and fosters reverse thinking.

Reverse thinking not only helps people solve problems but also inspires creativity leading to different outcomes. To cultivate reverse thinking in children, parents must avoid rigid, traditional mindsets and prioritise the mental development of their children.

This approach effectively fosters children's self-confidence, preventing them from being self-contained and allowing them to face all situations with an open and enlightened mindset.

Cultivating children’s independence is an essential lesson in parenting, and parents need to keep this goal in mind. In many Asian families, parents overindulge their children and strive to fulfill their needs, believing this will allow them to focus more on their academic achievements.

This can lead to dependency, making it easier for children to evade responsibility when faced with difficulties. Parents should let go and allow their children to learn how to handle situations independently.

Through this process, children can learn how to take responsibility, face setbacks, and make mistakes, enabling them to reflect and grow more rapidly.

Growing children’s knowledge and etiquette also contribute to their overall quality, enhancing their language skills, observational abilities, and interpersonal skills. In Asian parenting, we often overlook small details and sociological aspects, yet these can reflect a person’s quality and character.

In Western countries and Japan, education includes basic sociology, which is fundamental for training children's thinking. For example, dining etiquette requires waiting for everyone to be seated before starting to eat, as a sign of respect for others. Additionally, no sounds should be made while eating, such as smacking lips. The setting of tableware is also significant, and different placements convey different meanings. How one eats and sits matters; the new generation of youths habitually put their feet on the dining chairs, which is unacceptable in Western societies.

Dressing is also an art, with each occasion requiring appropriate attire, such as suits, shirts, and even ties. External appearance reflects a person's cultivation and education. One need not rely on brand names to feel confident, as long as their clothing is neat and appropriate, which can also increase others’ positive impressions.

Dressing appropriately is not only a form of etiquette and respect for others but also signifies self-discipline.

These good habits should be cultivated from a young age, but yet they are often rare in Asian families. Many Asian parents lack awareness of this, making it impossible to educate their children effectively.

This has resulted in Malaysian youths becoming more competitive internationally.

To adapt to the needs of future society, the education system should focus more on balancing quality and quantity.

It should shift from an academic performance-oriented approach to one that focuses on the holistic development of the child, helping children’s self-discovery, encouraging their interests and potential, and aiding in the development of their social skills, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving abilities.

Parenting plays a fundamental role in this process. Parents should not only be academic supporters but also mentors for their children in independent thinking, creativity, and emotional management.

Overall, youth education is facing the challenge of an imbalance between quality and quantity, with parenting playing a critical role. To help them adapt better to future society, parenting should emphasise children's comprehensive quality cultivation and love, focusing not only on academic performance but also on developing children's emotional intelligence, independence, and sense of responsibility.

Education through love, not limited to physical punishment and reprimands, through effective communication can foster a healthy and strong psychological quality in children. With the joint efforts of family and school, youth will be better equipped to face future challenges and develop into innovative, socially adaptive leaders.

The success or failure of education is closely linked to the role that parents play. We cannot shift all the responsibility onto the school and the government. As parents, we must take on social responsibility.

DATUK DR ENG WEI CHUN

Managing Director,

Orando Holdings Sdn Bhd

The views expressed here are the writer’s own.