The importance of quality education for all students

 

The image above reveals that The Star newspaper on September 25, 2022, featured the topic of education equality as crucial to unlocking the potential of young Malaysians.

    Chan Soon Seng, the chief executive officer of Teach for Malaysia (TFM), an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to enabling all children to fulfil their potential through high-quality education, clarified that children from less privileged communities do not receive the same educational opportunities.

    This is because students from low-income or rural backgrounds face greater challenges to accessing and engaging in quality education. Some students need to work after school to support their families. These students are already struggling to make enough money to buy food. Thus, school supplies are not their priority. Their failure to purchase basic school supplies, such as a calculator and exercise books, will cause them to fall behind in their studies.

    On top of that, students who need to work after school to earn money are also less likely to have enough time to complete their homework. As a result, students will be unable to deepen their grasp of the lessons they learned in school.

    Not only that, but these students also tend to have problems focusing on lessons in class. This is because students who have to work a night shift before school will be fatigued, causing them to fall asleep in class.

    According to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number four, which is quality education, this issue must be addressed promptly. To address the issue of education inequality, effective alternatives need to be applied by various authorities to overcome the problem. In fact, education equality is important to create a quality education, and all students deserve equal opportunity in their studies.

    The government must ensure that each school receives funding to upgrade its facilities, allowing students to learn in a conducive environment. On behalf of the school, they need to conduct a survey and ensure that each student has adequate learning equipment. Meanwhile, teachers must always encourage pupils, particularly those who struggle with studying, so that they can grow and avoid falling behind.

    In summary, all parties must cooperate to ensure that students receive a high-quality education. This is in line with the teachings of Islam, which urges its believers to cooperate with one another in goodness as opposed to getting involved in committing evil activities, as Allah has mentioned in Surah Al-Ma'idah, verse 2:

وَتَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى ٱلۡبِرِّ وَٱلتَّقۡوَىٰۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى ٱلۡإِثۡمِ وَٱلۡعُدۡوَٰنِ

    Which means, “And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah”. Therefore, let us all work together in an effort to achieve quality education that is in line with SDG number 4.