PETALING JAYA: Meeting a delegation from Afghanistan’s education ministry was to show them how a modern Islamic nation’s education system should be, says the Education Ministry.
It said a presentation that provides a comprehensive overview of the country's education system, including education for girls and women in Malaysia was shown to the delegation.
“It (the presentation) demonstrates the country's inclusive education system and its focus on increasing access and equity across socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity and geography. “This is in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education (SDG 4), including eliminating gender disparities and ensuring equal and comprehensive access at all levels of education,” it said in a statement on Thursday (Nov 21).
The ministry was responding to Lim Guan Eng asking Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek to clarify why the ministry hosted officials from Afghanistan's Taliban-run government.
Lim, who is DAP national chairman, raised the matter as Afghanistan is known for its restrictive access to education for women and girls.
The ministry stressed that the visit was carried out based on guidance and advice from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, together with support services from other relevant ministries and agencies for security screening and continuous monitoring until the programme was completed.
“This visit is an effort to support the direction of Malaysia's foreign policy approach towards Afghanistan, for which the Malaysian government is prepared to assist in terms of capacity building in the health and humanitarian fields which will contribute to the country's social progress,” it added.
The ministry also said the delegation has expressed interest in making Malaysia a reference for best practices in developing education policies in Afghanistan, especially in the aspects of curriculum development, teacher training and development, and educational technology.
While the ministry’s commitment is in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s statement that he is ready to increase cooperation with Afghanistan, the ministry said the right to education cannot be denied.
“Therefore, Malaysia is committed to and fully supports the right to education for women and access to education for girls,” it added.
On Nov 16, Fadhlina confirmed that her ministry hosted officials from the Afghanistan government earlier this month.
She elaborated that the visit by officials from the Afghanistan Education Ministry has concluded, adding that her ministry just shared insights on education with them.
It was reported that the Afghanistan delegation visited several schools and educational institutions during their week-long visit to Malaysia.
