With the suspension of the controversial School-Based Assessment (SBA), the Education Ministry should also revoke all disciplinary action against Suara Guru Masyarakat Malaysia (SGMM) chief Mohd Nor Izzat Mohd Johari and all teachers who criticised the SBA.
The heavy-handed response by the Education Ministry to penalise Nor Izzat and teachers who have come forward to criticise the SBA is totally uncalled for and unjustifiable and must be deplored as a very mean and cowardly manner to suppress legitimate criticism in the education service.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should give his personal attention to ensure that all disciplinary actions against Nor Izzat and teachers who had criticised the SBA should be revoked immediately.
The SBA fiasco transforming teachers into data entry clerks, forcing teachers to get up at 2 or 2 am just to input the grades of students because of online network problems, should be an expensive lesson in the so-called educational transformation of the country.
Nor Izzat and all teachers who had come forward to criticise the SBA should be invited by the Education Ministry to participate in the evaluation of the SBA to date.
The SBA woes is a reflection of the pitfalls and disasters awaiting the so-called educational transformation in the country, based on an educational blueprint outsourced to highly-paid foreign consultants instead of being a product of local educational experts.
Muhyiddin should give a full report to Parliament next month on the SBA fiasco and disaster.
(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 24th February 2014)