The PISA Wake-up Call?

Education-Key to Your Future

Imagine. 

In the last triennial PISA International Student Education Assessment conducted globally by OECD in 2013, only one out of a hundred 15-year old student from Malaysia was able to solve the given creative problem-solving questions posed. This compares dismally with five in Singapore, Korea and Japan.

Creative Problem-solving

Industrious Asian countries like Korea, Japan, Macau-China, Hong Kong-China, Shanghai-China and Chinese Taipei, along with Singapore, as usual, make up the top seven of the list.

Malaysia ranked close to the bottom of the study at 39th out of 44 countries. This meant that Malaysia took the last 6 position in this study. Her mean score was only 422.

Singapore, meanwhile,came up tops with a score of 562.

The overall mean score for all countries was 500.

Where Malaysia Stands

Let us look at some of the details.

Malaysian students scored below average or ranked 52 out of the 65 countries in mathematics, science and reading.

Malaysia also registered more than half of the share of low achievers, which means the students lacked the skills needed in a modern workplace.

Malaysia's share was sadly below the average percentage of 11.4%.

In the top performance category, Malaysia only had 0.9% share (not even one percent) of top performers as compared with Singapore's 29.3%.

Conversely, Singapore only had 8% share of low achievers. The mean share was 21.4%.

An interesting observation is Vietnam. She fared much better than Malaysia although 45% of its 15-year-olds did not even have the opportunity to go to school. 

Vietnamese students ranked 17 out of 65.

It was perceived that countries which performed well in the PISA invested in education as a vehicle for a better future and ensured accountability in educational standards.This investment in education is oftentimes, accompanied by high aspirations as a nation to build on human capital for the country's betterment and economic growth.

For competitive nations, the government and society have a big responsibility in education. Schools are not seen as a means for a select few to go on to a government career. Instead, it is regarded as an avenue where every student can learn to make the best of their own potential and talent.

The Psychologists Take on Profiling

Are these psychologists using free rein and poetic justice when they do profiling ?

See which do you agree.

Gems of Wisdom

These sayings are great motivators and reflectors for us to live forward.

Have fun!

Natural Mosquito Repellant

Hope this works!

I got this from a friend.

I am not sure whether it truly works.

No harm trying. It's just a few limes cut into halves and studded with cloves or star anise.

Our Sister, Hedy

The 4 Sisters-Hilda,Helen,Hazel and Hedy

I remembered watching this black and white movie when I was a little boy. Perhaps it was in 1960.

Those days, I lived in a plantation and one of my father's duties was to be a projectionist to show movies to the plantation workers once a month, courtesy of Harrisons and Crossfield. The hall was used for this purpose.

Family Squabbles and Machinations

Before the movie started, mats would be placed on the floor of the hall and it will be fully crowded just as the movie was about to begin.

One Chinese New Year weekend, my father showed the movie, "My Sister,Hedy". Before the showing, it was the talk of the Chinese folks in the plantation.

Boyfriend Conversation

In anticipation,we all watched to movie in joyous satisfaction.

The story revolved around 4 sisters. The eldest is Hilda (Mu Hong), followed by Helen (Julie Yeh Fong), Hazel (Dolly Soo)and Hedy (Jeanette Lin Tsui). They lived with their father after their mother passed on.

Hilda was too responsible and acted as a substitute mother busy with housework; while Helen was playful and careless of the woes of the world but to gather boyfriends. Hazel was on the softer side but attractive enough to attract a pilot. As for Hedy she was a tom-boy with nary a worry in the world but her family and school responsibilities.

Family Joys

It's the usual family story where the daughters woo the love of their father, bicker over boyfriends and finally settled into life married to their spouses,for better or worse.

Though filmed in 1957, dialogue was peppery and it was enjoyable to watch.

For me watching the movie again after almost 50 years is indeed nostalgic!

Chopstick Rendition for a Birthday Portrait

Chopstick Effect

Our own local Malaysian artist Hong Yi celebrated the 60th birthday of Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan by creating a portrait of him with 64,000 chopsticks.

This 28 year old Sabah lass took 12 hours a day tying chopsticks together in March 2014. She then presented the portrait to Jackie in Beijing on his 60th birthday.

Observance of All Soul's Day-Cheng Beng

A Heavenly Paradise Beyond Wonder

We observed Cheng Beng for our grandparents and youngest brother on 6 April 2014.

This is one rare day that I had to get up early at 5.45 am, rush through the morning hour chores and drive to Rasah Jaya to pick my brother Jit Cheng.

After almost 50 minutes, I was at the door-steps of my brother's home and sister-in-law served me breakfast. I had a half-boiled kampung egg, a charsiew pau and a a cup of hot Milo.

We were soon on our way to Malacca. After talking with Father, we took Sister-in-law Bo Kiak and our nephew Bo Jee and headed for the Simpang Krayong Christian Cemetery where  our our ancestors laid buried.

I extract some important information from my elder brother,Jit Cheng's email on Cheng Beng.

"The Heng's family siblings namely Jee Heng , Gee Tan and myself in addition Bo Kiak and her  son Bo Jee paid their respect  to our  deceased grand parents at The Simpang Krayong Christian  cemetery  on the 6th April which is  our Heng's family observance  for Ching Ming. 

We cleaned the graves, mopped the headstones and plucked the grass off the grave sites. We offered fresh flowers in the vases on the grave. We then said prayers and sang hymns. The  prayer session was conducted by  Jee Heng with the service ending  with  a song Amazing Grace being  sung together  by all of us.

                         

                          I  am grateful   to  those   who   took the trouble to come to  observe Ching Ming on the 6th.of April. Many  thanks  for participating in this  annual  ritual especially to Jee Heng  and Gee Tan."