LETTER | When it comes to education, no children should be lied to.

According to a recent parliamentary speech by Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek almost half of 2021 SPM candidates are uninterested in pursuing higher education after their school years are over.

This finding triggered an online fuss among Malaysian netizens, many of whom argued that the root cause of this disinterest among Gen-Z children lies within their prospective future post-graduation.

On Twitter, users were debating that higher education in recent years has proven to be a loss-generating scheme, where the return of investment (ROI), or the lack thereof, makes higher education unworthy for school-leavers to think about.

While the real root cause has yet to be figured out by the relevant authorities, the fact that Malaysians are thinking so about education is concerning.

Many of the preceding generations living today have been raised to believe that education is something sacred; one that surpasses the realms of profits, losses, ROI etc.

In fact, parents encouraged their children to pursue education to the highest possible level. This is because education has long been seen as the practice that can bring about goodness and benefit not only to individuals, but also to familial institutions, community, nation, and of course, the world.

Education is part and parcel of one’s life. For instance, before being able to walk, one will learn via standing up; before being able to speak, one will learn through babbling; before being able to read and write, one will learn by knowing the alphabet. These are just some examples of one’s journey throughout life facilitated by education: a lifelong journey.

Sure, people may argue on how fundamental the levels of education shown in the examples can be as compared to the necessity of higher education today.

A baby’s attempt to stand is necessary for them to move and eventually walk. A toddler’s attempt to utter A, B, and C is a ladder toward verbal competence and literacy.

It is not the same case with higher education now because the job market no longer requires tertiary education to help human capitals obtain their skills.

See, this is where we are all wrong.

We are quick to dismiss education in relation to its necessity to the industry. That is the current position of education today: a “manufacturer” for the job market.

Universities are no longer factories for knowledge but rather factories for human capital. Education’s importance is only there to fulfil the needs and demands of the workforce. Nothing more, nothing less.

If it really is that extreme, then it is a saddening future we are heading towards.

Our children no longer see education as a crucial cog in their development as human beings and community members. Rather, they see education as either a way to obtain money or worse, a stumbling block in their quest for wealth.

Is it their fault? No.

We are the ones who have long bequeathed lies upon lies to the newer generations about the importance of education. For some, we were told to only select certain courses to study as our higher education, lest we risk getting good-paying jobs after graduation.

To this new generation, we tell them that education is no longer that important, as they can easily generate money as early as they are four years old!

Look at the YouTubers or TikTok personas we have today. How old do you think some of them are?

The deception begins when we attribute education to something that should never have surpassed it in the first place.

Education in the past had been a channel for societal development, cultural exposure, and value-laden community engagement. Unfortunately, it is now perceived to be just a tool for monetary gains.

Dear Malaysians, education should never be just a tool for wealth and profit. That should never be the paradigm we believe in. Education has long been the weapon used to cultivate good values and mould world-class community members through its more implicit contents.

For example, learning engineering can craft engineers who make lives better for others. Learning languages can help fortify relationships and establish new ones. Learning humanities can carry values and principles that facilitate the growth of better human beings.

With education, be it at any level, we equip our children with all the solid and abstract qualities that they will definitely use as they grow up: thinking, research, independence, collaboration, professionalism, and many more.

Miss one step, and we risk them missing these key qualities.

So, instead of telling our children that education is only worth it if it gains them profit, lay off the monetary perspective and uphold education for what it truly is: a saving grace for humanity.

Stop lying to our children about education. Or better yet, stop lying to ourselves.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.