masterwordsmith-unplugged

This morning, I had the shock of my life when I read this story in THE STAR while surfing for news on Bagan Pinang.

New grade of A+ for SPM

A new grading system for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) will be implemented from this year.

Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom said the change would provide a detailed breakdown of excellent candidates who obtained grade As in the examination.

“The change means there will now be a new grade of A+. Previously, the highest grade possible in the SPM was 1A,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Under the present system, students are graded as 1A, 2A, 3B, 4B, 5C, 6C, 7D, 8E and 9G while the new grades would be from A+ to G (see chart).

Alimuddin said the change was based on feedback from various quarters that the existing system did not provide a more detailed breakdown of excellent students.

“The change in the grading system will enable more qualified candidates to be chosen for training programmes and new scholarships, such as the one announced by the Prime Minister recently,” he said.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said in June that a new category of Public Services Department scholarships would be introduced next year based purely on merit, regardless of race.

Alimuddin said the Cabinet approved the change in the grading system last month.

“This will not affect the examination at all as it only involves a change in the grades given,” he said.

He said school principals have been directed to explain the new grading system to students sitting for the SPM this year.

As it stands, the marking scheme for SPM subjects seems to make it so easy for students to score straight A's. With this new grading scheme, it seems that the authorities are more interested in adding feathers to the caps of mediocre students and to give them a false sense of security by allowing them to think that they are good - but only at national level because when they compete at the international level, they are not in the running at all.

And why so?

Because the SPM system DOES NOT encourage independent critical thinking at all. Students are taught to memorize, regurgitate and to meet standard requirements as tailored according to the so-called marking scheme.

An 'A' is an 'A'. How can there be A+??? Does it mean the achievement of the student is beyond 100%?

Instead of coming up with A+, should they not TIGHTEN the system so that the examination does not become a programmed machine that churns out "A's" without keeping a tab on standards?

Doesn't the range of grading show the "detailed breakdown of excellent candidates" by virtue of the fact that each paper should have a grading scheme and marking scheme?

With the high number of students achieving straight A's, this new move seems meaningless.

It would be easier to RAISE standards rather than to add a new grade which would cost a lot in terms of printing and other logistic requirements.

I wonder who the DG was referring to when he said that "the change was based on feedback from various quarters". Are these people from the education sector and actively involved in moderating SPM papers?

I cannot understand the rationale that the new grading scheme can enable more qualified candidates for scholarships when such a system means FEWER will be getting A+ whilst MANY will still be getting 1A and 2A.

Apart from that , it is about 1.5 months before the SPM exam begins. Don't you think this news will rattle the current cohort of SPM candidates and give them undue stress because of uncertainties instead of reinforcing a sense of confidence in the system that seems to have no system?

Other international examination systems have had A* grades for many years - since 1989 and my former colleagues have also lamented on how an A* is meaningless these days because standards have deteriorated and the calibre of students is certainly in a pathetic state of want not just in Malaysia, but also in many parts of the world.

So are we improving or worsening the state of affairs in the education system?

It is my pleasure to feature yet another piece by a very dear blog reader who hails from UK. This is the third time I am featuring Tony's writing and I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do.

When Tony first told me about Jimmy Nail, the first thing that struck me was his name. I found it intriguing and thought his music would be even more so and I was utterly delighted with Tony's recommendation and invited him to share this with us.
Thanks Tony for the great effort and the willingness to share.

If any of you would like to share your writings, please get in touch with me via this web page. In the mean time, enjoy this piece and leave a comment if you wish. Thanks and have a lovely weekend!

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THE BIG RIVER by T.B.


Recently I've been listening to music – no big deal I hear you say –and you'd be correct but when I say I,ve been listening to music I mean I have spent almost all of my free time sat,or lying down on my favourite settee,wearing my Hitachi headset –circa 1985- engrossed in the tracks that were popular in my teens and twenties.

Bob Dylan,Fleetwood Mac,Genesis,Janis Joplin,The Eagles,Jethro Tull,The Stones,The Beatles and Jimmy Nail I have them all and many, many others.

Now I know what your thinking “Who the hell's Jimmy Nail,never heard of him”.Well I,m not surprised at this. He was a popular singer/songwriter and actor during the eighties in the UK but his fame was confined to the sceptered isle.

Jimmy is a big,lanky,ungainly lump of a man blessed with a face only a mother could love.He had a reputation for being a bit of a handful, a hard drinking,hard playing man who loved nothing more than to round off a drinking binge with a fight – and to look at his face he came a poor second to most of his opponents.But Jimmy had/has two redeeming features – one,he has a hell of a voice and,two, he,s a Geordie and for those that don’t know – a Geordie is someone who was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne –my city,my home town and that makes him special and his song Big River is a very special song for me.

I can remember the day I first heard this one particular track by Jimmy.I was sat in the departure lounge at Newcastle airport waiting for a plane that would carry me away from my home town, to a new job,a new beginning in a foreign land.As the track played the words that echoed around the lounge held a relevant reminder for me for they told of the decline of industry in my part of the UK –the reason I was leaving my home, leaving my young wife and and young daughter.

As I sat in that lonely airport lounge reflecting on what had been, and dreaming of what was to come,I noticed that I was not the only one with damp eyes –there were many others who shared my fate-many others who had heard Jimmy's evocative words.

Now,whenever I hear this track I am instantly transported back to a time tinged with the disappointments of the past and trepidation of what the future may hold..

To understand the sentiment and emotions involved in the song you need to know a little of the history of the Big River – The River Tyne.

There has been shipbuilding on the Tyne for hundreds of years -a story is told by the old men of the river,how true it is I don't know,that the order for the "Ark" was first placed with a Tyneside shipyard but when it became apparent that the vessel was only required to complete one single voyage the yard withdrew from the contract citing a possible loss of reputation if it built a ship of such low specifications...the order eventually went to Noah and Sons – the first recorded ship being built was in 1294 –first were wooden craft and then in the 19th century iron was used.Whole communities were sited around the shipyards –close knit communities who depended almost solely on the yard to provide their living and the yards were dependent on the communities for the pool of highly skilled labour, welders, platers, burners, electricians, draughtsmen and designers, that lived there.Each depended on the other to function – take one away from the other and they both perished – there was a bond between the yard and the community a very close, tight, bond that ensured a loyalty to each other that knew no boundaries.

During the 1960's there was a steep decline in shipbuilding in the UK –and the Tyne suffered greatly from the downturn and many yards closed their gates for the last time –the last to go,in the mid eighties, was the Neptune yard.Communities were split –the menfolk forced to leave their beloved Tyne and search for work. This quest for work took Geordie to the ends of the world for ships and the sea course through his veins and wherever you go you,ll always find a Geordie either building ships or down in the engine room nursing and caring for his charges.

Take a few minutes to listen to Jimmy's song,and marvel at the unique qualities of his voice, it’s a requiem hymn celebrating the death of not only an industry but the communities that serviced, nurtured, and put their faith and hopes into that industry. It also hints at what might be for the river itself for nothing, not politicians, not human hand, can control or influence the spirit of the river Tyne.

Enjoy this youtube clip of his music and singing.