Important events in schools, institutions of higher learning
January
> Back to school
Students returned to school for the 2021/2022 session (third term) starting from Jan 9, after almost two years of mostly virtual education necessitated by a series of Covid-19-triggered lockdowns.
Second stint: Mohamed Khaled is back at the helm of the Higher Education Ministry.The Education Ministry allowed students – whose old uniforms no longer fit – to wear their own clothes, as long as the attire was proper and neat.
While face-to-face lessons resumed starting from November last year, not all students returned to school as the ministry only permitted half of a class to be in school, while the other half had to continue with virtual lessons using a weekly rotation model.
> Flood menace
More than 300 schools nationwide were affected by floods, resulting in some schools serving as temporary flood evacuation centres and schools that were in the process of being cleaned up reopening later than scheduled. A total of 263,662 textbooks were spoilt due to the floods, affecting 14,422 students.
March
> New academic year begins
For the first time in the country’s schooling history, Year One pupils began their school life in March, instead of January.
The 2022/2023 school year began with close to three million primary school pupils attending face-to-face lessons. Years Three, Four and Five pupils in schools with an enrolment of over 600 pupils attended classes on a rotational basis.
Secondary school students underwent home-based teaching and learning for two weeks before returning to face-to-face lessons without rotation starting from April 4.
June
> Release of SPM results
Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2021 candidates, who sat for the exams in March, received their results. These candidates were the first cohort to undertake the Standard-Based Curriculum for Secondary Schools (KSSM). Besides that, they underwent nearly two years of home-based teaching and learning due to the pandemic.
Lightening the load: Lockers were installed to address the heavy schoolbag issue.
Despite the dip in the national average grade (GPN), more students obtained all As in 2021, with a total of 2.54% (9,696 candidates) obtaining all As, compared to 9,411 candidates in the SPM 2020. The SPM 2021 GPN was 4.86, compared to 4.80 in 2020.
> Abolishment of PT3
Students no longer had to sit for the Form Three Assessment (PT3) from this year onwards. Instead, their academic performance will be gauged in decentralised exams held at school at the end of every academic session.
With the PT3 out of the way after the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) was abolished in April last year, the first centralised exam students will ever sit for, starting from next year, will be the SPM.
> Educationist honoured
Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah decreed that the Persiaran Institut road in Seksyen 1, Shah Alam, be renamed Persiaran Tun Arshad Ayub, in honour of the late notable educationist.
Arshad, the first director of Mara Institute of Technology (ITM), now known as Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), died on June 14 at the age of 93.
> Affordable study hub
Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur broke into the global top 30 best student cities to live in. According to the latest QS Best Student Cities Ranking 2023, Kuala Lumpur is now placed 28th globally. The capital moved up by three spots in the 10th edition of the global ranking, beating cities like Beijing, Los Angeles, Adelaide and Taipei. Coming in sixth in Asia, Kuala Lumpur is also ranked Asia’s most affordable study destination.
Upgrade: The new student centre currently under construction at the TAR UMT main campus in Kuala Lumpur is dedicated to enriching students’ multidimensional learning.
July
> PTPTN loan waiver
The government reinstated the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan waiver for students who graduate with first-class honours regardless of their socioeconomic status.
The award will be given to students who graduated in 2019 and onwards.
During the announcement of Budget 2019, the exemption was halted for all and given only to students from B40 families.
> Launch of APEL.Q
In addition to APEL.A, which focuses on access to higher learning institutions (HEIs), and APEL.C, which allows students to transfer credits and complete their studies in a shorter time, the Higher Education Ministry launched APEL.Q, which takes into account the knowledge gained from one’s previous learning experience to determine whether he is awarded a diploma, degree, master’s or even a doctoral degree without having to follow the entire study programme at HEIs.
A first: The appointment of Fadhlina (right) and Lim marks the first time two women are heading the Education Ministry.APEL, which stands for accreditation of prior experiential learning, began on Sept 1, 2011, and has benefited over 26,000 students.
August
> Bullying complaint portal set up
A bully complaints portal was created by the Education Ministry to enhance anti-bullying efforts in schools. The portal allowed parents, teachers and students to lodge reports of bullying by phone, email or the portal itself, while protecting the complainant’s confidentiality.
September
> Passing of former education DG
The country lost an eminent educationist with the passing of former education director-general Tan Sri Dr Wan Mohd Zahid Mohd Noordin on Sept 16.
> 100% financing
Students from the lowest tier (M1) of the M40 (or middle household income group) will be entitled to full PTPTN study loans.
Besides a loan increase from 75% to 100%, the government also agreed to provide PTPTN borrowers in the M40 group with loans to purchase laptops, in a move to protect and safeguard the welfare of students.
October
> Lockers in schools
The Education Ministry rolled out the first phase of the school locker initiative for Years One and Two pupils to address the issue of heavy schoolbags.
The first phase benefited 626 double-session schools nationwide with the installation of 249,646 lockers. An allocation of RM37.3mil had been set aside for the initiative.
The second phase is expected to start next year, where it will be extended to Years Four, Five and Six pupils in double-session schools.
> Launch of Sulung
The Keluarga Malaysia First Child Student Development Programme (Sulung) was launched by the Higher Education Ministry.
The programme, designed to grow the potential of selected B40 students to become catalysts for individual and community development, aims to provide opportunities for the first generation in B40 households – who have yet to see a family member pursue a bachelor’s degree or higher qualification – to continue their tertiary studies.
> Budget 2023
The education sector received the biggest slice of the pie, with a total of RM70.7bil – RM55.6bil for the Education Ministry and RM15.1bil for the Higher Education Ministry.
The more than 5% increment from the previous RM67.1bil is set to benefit students and parents, especially those from the B40 group.
The budget, however, will be reviewed and modified, taking into account the views of the new unity Cabinet, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, is expected to retable the budget in February 2023.
November
> University status
After more than five decades of serving as a community college in 1969, then as a university college in 2013, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC), with five branch campuses in Penang, Perak, Pahang, Johor and Sabah, was upgraded to a full-fledged university. On Nov 7, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) was officially formed upon receiving the certificate of registration from the Higher Education Department.
> Free food for pupils
The Supplementary Food Programme (RMT) spending was raised from RM2.50 per pupil to RM3 for Peninsular Malaysia and from RM3 to RM4 per pupil for Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan to benefit 813,393 pupils.
Healthier fare: RMT allocation increased.
RMT was introduced in 1979 to provide daily meals to poor pupils in schools.
December
> Appointment of new ministers
Lawyer Fadhlina Sidek, appointed minister on Dec 2, became the first female to lead the Education Ministry. Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin’s appointment as Higher Education Minister is his second stint – he first assumed the post under the sixth prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Lim Hui Ying and Datuk Mohammad Yusof Apdal were named Deputy Education Minister and Deputy Higher Education Minister, respectively.
> Revival of the NEAC
The 15-member National Education Advisory Council (NEAC) will be reinstated to advise the Education Ministry, to look into the continuity of the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, and to tackle issues facing the sector, including student dropouts and extremism in schools.
The council, which was set up under the Education Act 1996, was disbanded when former education minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin took office in 2020.
> 2023/2024 school session
The ministry announced that the academic calendar for the 2023/2024 school session would be from March 19, 2023, to March 9, 2024, for Group A (Johor, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu), and from March 20, 2023, to March 10, 2024, for Group B (Selangor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak and the three Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya).
Delayed reopening: SK Taman Sri Muda 2 in Selangor was closed due to floods.
> Passing of ‘mini-budget’
Until Budget 2023 is passed, a temporary operating budget of RM24.97bil and RM5.85bil had been allocated for the Education Ministry and the Higher Education Ministry, respectively.
This followed the passing of the Consolidated Fund (Expenditure on Account) Bill – dubbed the mini-budget – involving funds of RM107.72bil to pay off urgent expenditures for 64 government entities including ministries.
> Early schooling aid
The government will continue giving the early schooling aid of RM150 to all pupils next month, regardless of their parents’ income limits.
