Editor’s note: The good intention of Cikgu Fadli Salleh who took the initiative to point out weaknesses in the education system via the social media channel – especially in the context of national schools – has landed the Sekolah Kebangsaan (1) Gombak teacher in hot soup.
He alleged he could be demoted or lose his job due to his action where he revealed about weaknesses in the education system without naming any individual or department responsible for it.
The following is a reaction from the Federal Territory DAP secretary and Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng on the issue.
RECENTLY, there was this issue that went viral regarding the strict action by the Education Ministry on mathematics teacher Mohd Fadli Mohamed Salleh or better known as Cikgu Fadli.
Civil servants who voiced the truth are often told to be silent as it seems that the image of an institution is more important than the flaw in the system which is only becoming more and more dilapidated over time.
What was stated by Cikgu Fadli is something that has been discussed for a long time; in fact, the issue of weaknesses in our education system has been a topic of daily conversation since the days of our parents.
Let’s look at two famous cases involving the education system in our country. These two cases are enough to illustrate what sort of state our country’s education system is.
A teacher was absent from work for 15 months from 2011 to 2012 but was only fired seven years later. In 2018, an English teacher at a Sabah school was sued by his students because he failed to fulfil his obligation to teach for seven months in 2015.
If we look at both issues carefully, there are many systems in our country that need immediate reform – from the healthcare system to the welfare system to the police institution.
Year in and year out, the public is told that the Government is conducting studies and discussions to overcome a problem but at the end of the day, there is no conclusive solution to rectify the problem.
At the ministry level, ministers come and go and so do the directors, but the performance of our government machinery remains at a very worrying level.
Caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and incumbent Senior Education Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin are now scrambling to hear Cikgu Fadli’s views on how to improve the education system in primary schools only after his proposal and imminent dismissal went viral on her Facebook page.
I am confident and pretty sure that over the years, many letters have been sent by teachers all over the country to expose flaws in our education system only for their moans and cries to fall on deaf ears.
Now, fellow civil servants can emulate Cikgu Fadli by extending their criticism and feedback to the authorities via the social media channel. Maybe this way is more effective and probably the desired changes and achievement of various government departments can be realised faster. – Oct 18, 2022
