December 22, 2005

• Adi Putra Abdul Ghani,
  a six-year-old mathematics prodigy from Perak is drawing attention from
  government types. Minister of Education  Datuk Seri
  Hishammuddin is impressed. “He sat on my chair just
  now. He looked so comfortable there that I started to worry that I may lose my
  job to this brainy boy,” joked the Minister.

  The boy’s father Abdul Ghani Abdul Wahid is a Tenaga
  Nasional Berhad officer
  while mother Seri Hana Ilias teaches English in a school. News reports
  said Adi who was taught at home (he was never enrolled in a
  kindergarten is what they mean) surprised everyone with his grasp of
  algebra, trigonometry and indices. Meanwhile the Terengganu
  State government announced that it was adopting Adi, and that educational expenses and training programme of the math genius
  would be borne by the State government.

  But what caught my eye
  was what Hishamuddin said next.

  According to Hishammuddin the ministry was looking into ways to promote
  a more flexible education system which could be equally accessed by all
  students regardless of their social backgrounds. “We don’t want to see any students in rural areas, who are poor,
  handicapped or smart like Adi Putra, to be marginalised or deprived of access
  to education,” he said.
  

  Although I suspect homeschooling was not on the minister’s mind when he talked about a flexible education system, wouldn’t it be great if the MOE start looking at it as an option – and not just for rural kids?

   

  • 6:02 am
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