I refer to the letter Siapakah yang hipokrit dan pengecut? I am not totally disagreeing with Ariff Wahab especially when stated that it had cost the government RM1.4 million of taxpayers money to educate Dr Azly Rahman and his wife and they did not to return to honour their contract. Nor am I defending Azly's stand of not returning to service because of the 'Aku Janji' pledge that has to be signed by all lecturers. Being an ex-student of Azly at MRSM Perlis, I would like to elaborate on him as an educator.
I studied under Azly way before he went to US for his doctorate. Even then, he was, to me, an outstanding educationist. His approach towards learning was different from other teachers, not that I am implying that the others are bad. Azly's approach is different. He taught us, among others, how to think critically and how to approach a problem and find the best solution. His style of lecturing kept us awake, with him inserting current issues with facts learned, making us voice out our opinions and creating many discussions one after another.
I can remember many of us coming out glimmering from his class, eager to share the knowledge gained with others who were not so fortunate to be taught by him.
Being a true visionist, Azly had so many ideas on how the education system could be improved. Even with all the bureaucracy in MRSM, he and his wife did all they could to make education fun while at the same time making learning as effective as possible. I remember one time when we were a part of an English club which hosted a Drama Night with dancing, singing and a live band performance - something that was truly unheard of in the MRSM learning system.
After that, some of my friends who were originally quite shy, including myself, were more vocal in class and not afraid to give our ideas which completely reversed our personality. Sorry Academy Fantasia, we were performing way before you (only not on a national level).
As a true educationist and after gaining so much experience abroad, I am sure that both Azly and Marina are eager to part with their knowledge only be bogged down with bureaucracy that will only degrade what they have learned. As an ex-student of Azly, I can vouch that he does care for his students. Many, however, may feel threatened by him because of his approach and how much students responded to his way of learning.
Yes, I agree with Ariff that Azly and Marina should come back and just sign that 'Aku Janji' pledge and prove themselves to this country and how classroom teaching should be. But then again, as an educationist with a vision that is beyond the standards that are here, I wouldn't blame him if he wanted to stay in the US where he would be truly appreciated and given the opportunity to expand his talent.
As Malaysia heads for 2020, 'Aku Janji' and the University and University Colleges Act should be scrapped, giving freedom to both educators and students to express themselves without fear and prejudice, creating the right kind of mentality to appreciate Vision 2020.