Tuesday 10 May 2011

..the best shot, part 2..

..auji shopping for bags, towels and stuff with her mama..
...life is always about  making decisions...and for Auji, I know she is finding it hard, not really knowing what is best for her...her teachers were of not much help either, giving conflicting opinions...she retreated into her room for a few days, with her netbook continuously on Korean dramas...her mother gave me a warning look...and I refrained...sheesh...and I thought being accepted into Kolej Matrikulasi Johor for a year is something of a celebration...

..but when she said she is turning it down and sit for STP instead,  I hunched my shoulders and took her aside...

..I have nothing against STP, Diploma or whatever she wants to do with her life..But which father or mother would sit quietly by without trying to put their toe in when it comes to their children's future?..I have to say my piece..and you better remove that plastic wads from your ears and listen up...

..matric is the formal process of entering a university...it is as simple as that..in some countries it is equivalent to the completion of Form Six...in your case, it is an accelerated preparatory course of one year leading to you entering a university, and thereon ends with you acquiring a degree..hopefully in a field of your choice...

..now, you can begin your tertiary education with STP or Diploma..after two or three years...failing which you can fall back on your STP or Diploma...and look for a job, or a husband..unlike matric..if you fail, you have nothing to fall back to, except your SPM...but you will not fail, because you have shown that you are willing to work hard...we will give you all the support you need...take your time to reflect...you have been given a chance..a chance that comes once..take it..grab it...and give it your best shot..and show me that scroll in five years..go, girl...you can do it, as I know you can...

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15 comments:

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Abe Mat,
I think you gave her the best advice. If I were a normal girl, I'd go the matric way. No doubt you'll have to work doubly hard as you'll have to finish what normally takes two years in just 10 months but just concentrate and you'll finish it. Flying colours, you'll end up doing medicine or engineering, not so flying colours, there's a myriad of choices as well. Think outside the box, girl. What's important is the education, at least a degree. Career wise, it's another story altogether. purrr....meow!

June Malik said...

i agree, i say stp isa waste of time, really.

Sally said...

Go for matric.

Wan Sharif said...

I join Form six.. double maths in Sekolah Asrama Penuh.. with Physics and Chemistry as other subjects.. I did not do well in Chemistry.. the subject I loved when I was in form 4 and 5.. probably because there was no teacher to teach organic Chemistry then..
Luckly I did not do as badly in my double Maths and Physics and can just scrape thru to join USM.. Honestly (for me) STPM (form Six) exam was toughest of them all .. even tougher than at University..
Hope Auji follow your advice. :))

Anonymous said...

STPM is mighty tough - you can get through but it is difficult to get a brilliant result. Without trying to be insulting to your girl or you, I feel it would be best that she takes up matriculation.

Teachers will give conflicting opinions because they don't all come from the same background. And I'd add some more, but it will make teachers look bad.

If your girl has made her decision, then so be it. Kids nowadays know a bit more about what they want to do. If she falters, I am sure her family will be there to right her up. The most important thing is, it is HER decision. You need to trust her :)

A

Pak Idrus said...

STP or HSC. Not many understood the philosophy of going for STP. It is not like an ordinary school, it is the start of a thinking process which teaches those who goes through STP the way to think and analyzed and then make decision, which one does not get when taking examination up to SPM.

To me she made a good choice to go for STP instead the metrikulasi program. STP is A level in the Cambridge system and it actually prepare the student to Think and not to just to learn in passing an examination. That is why we have many graduates that got a Degree but did not have the capability of Thinking. When ask say 'the character of Hang Tuah in the Malay society'. For those you did not go through STP their answer would be what the book say but for a STP student the reply would be different for a simple reason STP makes that student Think. Two STP students may produce a different answer to the same question but both are not wrong.

So to me that kid of yours did made a wise decision indeed.

Take care.

Granny Hani said...

you choose but she decides..
solat istiqarah untuk memudahkan pilihan. God knows what is the best for her.

yohteh said...

what's wrong with the STP..? the Chinese, the Indians go for their STPs and not for the most Malays... later in at least 5 years time, the gap will clearly be seen, and this happening is already taken place for many many decades... Pak Idrus had said it all...

Anonymous said...

Pak Mat,
Listen to what the girl wants.My neice got a 3.9 pointer in matric n was given a scholaship to teaching course in the UK.

wawa

Idris Mamat said...

Pak Mat,

If I were your daughter, I would prefer to go for a Diploma course and then on to Degree level. It would take 5 years, the same as the STPM route but slightly longer than through matric but the matric way has its "side effects" as a result of its cramped programme. In case you fail at the Degree level, you have your Diploma to fall back on. For those opting for STPM they will have it in the event they could not make it at Degree level. As for those choosing matric, I wonder what is its value. I opted to go Diploma way in 1970 and was heavily criticised for it as it was not normal to do that at that time (there was no matric programme then) but I never regret doing something very different from the norm of the time. Good luck to your daughter.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps it's the fear of living away from home that is holding her back.

Red Alfa said...

Salam Pakmat

My daughter has done that 1 year cramming of Matric at PASUM and is waiting for her results of the Final.

She was the straights As at SPM. But now she's not confident will be getting the 4 Flat that would be putting her in good stead for UM courses in Medicine or Dentistry. Without the 4 Flat she finds she would be neither here nor there! At best she will only expect to do Science degrees in other IPTAs and in the end she would only be competing for Government employment. (Local science and arts graduates with poor command of English are unemployable for non-Government jobs)

That is the major PASUM Matric disadvantage for not being that very good. Should she just have only good STP, she would have many more courses and many more universities she would be able to qualify for.

In hindsight I should have prevailed my daughter that she should have taken STP, A-levels or I.B. I would be thinking and looking at her future employability.

Even nowadays, companies like mine are just snapping up graduates who have STP/A Levels A's in English.

Al-Manar said...

I beg to defer. I tell my pupils, Metriks is the last choice. I know of many, many non Malay children who have gone to Cambridge and Oxford on non Malaysin govt scholarships on the basis of their performance in STP. Would these top universities accept our Metriks?

Unknown said...

..salam, all..and thank you for all the input...it was of a great help..to her and to me..yes, I was for matrics..but she knew as far as her father and mother is concerned, they will respect her decision and give her support, no matter what..she listened to us and smiled..in the end it was her friends...they came together and decided collectively to give matrics a shot..I kept my peace..but checked up on Tangkak..booked a room at D Anjong Inn..set my GPS..and prepare the Alvanza..she prepared all the forms with her mother and just shoved it to me for my signature..I Bismillah..ed and signed..a hug and a kiss later, it was goodby..we left her there..in Tangkak along with a lil bit of our hearts, and dua..Now its up to her...

hazeleyed lady said...

Ass- salam pakmat...

I would have done the same if thats what my Faiqa would do...

I believe our gal cant see or decide clearly what's ahead of them...
You have done the right thing...explain!
The final say...is up to them
Take care.