Excuse my ignorance, but I only just found out about Ms Nadiah Amirah Jamil who managed to obtain 19 A1s in SPM. (Hehehe, this goes to prove how often I update myself with the Malaysian news!) For my foreign friends, SPM is equivalent to GCSEs…and yes, 19 A1s in GCSEs. This brilliant lady managed 19 freaking A1s.

I have a whole lot to say about this girl, but term just ended and I am in no mood to argue intellectually. If this was a novel case, i.e. in the last 20 years or so, nobody has managed to get such remarkable results, then perhaps I might be impressed. But pardon me if I’m not even slightly interested. After hearing students move up from 10 to 17 A1s in the last 5 years or so, 19 is hardly impressive. I mean, c’mon, that’s just 2 more extra subjects.

Hehe, if you’re not Malaysian, you might not understand why I’m so cynical. It’s just that, the marking system in Malaysia is crap. Let’s be honest – when you give statistics like 70% of the nation managed to obtain all A’s, you have to question the credibility. The intellectual growth of a nation cannot be that progressive. Are you seriously saying that today’s generation is about 2039580346803985435 times smarter than the generation 20 years ago? You’ve gotta be kidding…

 Either the exams are getting easier, or the marking is getting more leanient. Either way, it’s a dumb system. Convincing students that their smarter than they really are is just plain stupid. But anyway, I’ll leave that arguement for another day.

If we were to truly believe that Miss Nadiah Amirah Jamil really is that smart and managed to get 19 A1s, it really is something to shout about. But, there seems to be too much of a focus on academic excellence. Having read through how dilligent and hardworking Miss Nadiah was – leaving a school in a town/city to study in a rural school just so that she can take 17 subjects… what comes to my mind is… “no life”. If someone can be that obsessed about academics at the tender age of 16, there is something seriously wrong with this person. Obviously she must have dedicated countless hours of her life to studying – and it states nowhere in the article about any other aspects she has developed. What about her social skills? Or her leadership skills? Or musical talent? Academic excellence isn’t the only thing we should strive for – we should strive to be well-rounded individuals, perhaps excelling in certain aspects, but we shouldn’t be downright hopeless in any.

Malaysians in general, be it parents, peers or teachers, seem to over-emphasise the importance of good grades. It’s not even an emphasis on learning – it’s an emphasis on good grades. Doesn’t matter how you get your grades, just get them – that’s our motto. Memorize – even if you don’t understand – it’s the former that’s important, not the latter. Getting that shiny certificate at the end of the course, with a big fat A. That’s what matters. Who cares what you remember after that? Or what memories you have? You got your A! Give yourself a pat on the back!!

 And this leads back to the stupid marking system where above-average students are recognized as genius, and the below-average students as average. A viscious cycle..

I wonder, what made us this way ??