One of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's avowed priorities was revamping the education system. He was actually openly acknowledging what has long been in the hearts of anxious parents and other concerned parties. Pak Lah's tacit admission of the sad state affairs was an encouraging start.

However, conquering Mt Everest was kacang putih compared to the task of turning over a system that's groaning under the weight of inertia.

One letter to the editor in a local daily provided a disturbing example of the bureaucratic indifference that the PM is up against.

'Working Mom' is a member of the SMK Sultan Abdul Samad, Petaling Jaya's Parent-Teacher Association Board. In the two years on the board she appears to have absorbed enough punishment to be pushed into taking up pen and paper to vent her frustrations.

Her main point is that the school, a premier institute in the district, is being ignored by the state education authorities. It's not far fetched to assume that the situation is being replicated throughout the country, she suggested.