In the meantime, there is over a year left before the current education blueprint ends. So it’s not too late to step on the pedal and address issues that need the most attention. — RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star
THE quality of education at national schools in Malaysia has been a hot topic of late.
The issues involve teacher quality, a curriculum that appears to have lost its relevance, education inequality and the many flip-flops in government policies that sit right at the core of these problems.
The good news is the Education Ministry is coming up with a new blueprint to replace the present one, which ends next year.
It has asked for public feedback. Suggestions can be submitted on the Proposals for the Future of Malaysian Education 2026-2036 Portal developed by the ministry.
How will it go about fixing things?
Donnie Adams, a lecturer in Educational Leadership at the Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne reckons not all is lost.
In fact, he believes that the current blueprint (2013-2025) has made “significant progress”, particularly in its second phase (2016-2020), although there is still much to achieve.
Adams, a former director of the Centre for Research in International and Comparative Education at Universiti Malaya, does point out that the current blueprint had set ambitious goals, such as positioning Malaysia within the top one-third of nations in global assessments like the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
“Despite these efforts, Malaysia remains in the bottom third as of the latest results.”
He says the new blueprint must expand on the previous five system aspirations of access, quality, equity, unity and efficiency, and add on diversity and inclusion.
“A new educational philosophy is required — one that emphasises on producing citizens who appreciate cultural, religious and ideological differences.”
He notes the importance of middle leadership, which includes positions such as heads of departments and panel heads but admits that “the heart of a successful education system lies in its teachers.”
He also advocates student learning outcome programmes that need to be measured carefully to ensure that the quality of teaching is monitored and nurtured.
Teach For Malaysia co-founder Dzameer Dzulkifli notes that the Malaysian education system is at a critical juncture.
“In the past decade, we continued to make significant strides in expanding access to education, and we saw incrementally stronger student outcomes,” he says but notes that progress is “still far behind the aspirations laid out in the current blueprint, which aspired to be amongst the top third of countries in PISA.”
He says while the blueprint has been touted as a comprehensive document, the reality is the problem lays in implementation fidelity.
“Although it secured an unprecedentedly strong mandate, it became subjected to the country’s most politically uncertain period in recent history...while it has prevailed as the guiding blueprint of the ministry, its mandate has been watered down, and many of its key reforms remain undelivered.”
In this vein, he suggests implementing structural reforms and a commitment to continuous transformation of the organisational culture at the Education Ministry, above and beyond any recommendations or feedback.
“Before we consider what recommendations should be in the blueprint, we need to first consider what conditions need to be in place for the new blueprint to be implemented successfully.”
To facilitate this, he proposes the setting up of an independent education commission and fostering a “deep culture of continuous learning and collective leadership” within the ministry.
Staying relevant
Senior lecturer at Universiti Malaya’s Faculty of Science, Kenneth Fung Hon Ngen, talks about higher education and argues the case for technical and vocational education, saying that it is vital to note that “a weakness of Malaysia’s talent pool in past years was not just in the competitiveness of its universities, but also at the bottom of the pyramid and middle levels that required upskilling to make them competitive”.
Fung believes the mindset that “you have to have a degree or attend a top university” is very much “endemic to the way Asian cultures perceive social status — that university degrees equate to better livelihoods and successful careers.”
“However, in some countries, joining the industry early means that you are financially stable much quicker than those pursuing higher degrees. And, there is much less stress on the wallet.”
That said, he acknowledges that obtaining an education is not merely about “spending money to stay in school” but also about getting qualifications and building a network to face challenges.
Education Ministry undersecretary of strategic planning and international relations Fadzilah Fadzi says all feedback is vital in the development of the new education blueprint.
“In principle, the ministry notes seriously the feedback from the public or stakeholders on the current basic education system. The ministry is looking at a revision of the curriculum. Currently, engagements are being held, so feedback is being gathered.”
She tells Star Biz7 details of the new blueprint and its focus cannot be shared yet as the ministry is still at the engagement stage.
Fadzilah says approaches with regards to education for sustainable development or ESD, an area which teaches students how to respond to urgent challenges the planet faces, will be taken into account in the upcoming blueprint.
It remains to be seen how all these feedback and suggestions will be put together to ensure that the local education system moves forward.
In the meantime, there is over a year left before the current blueprint ends, so it’s not too late to step on the pedal and address issues that need the most attention.
This article first appeared in Star Biz7 weekly edition.
