THE education sector has historically always been allocated the biggest chunk of the national budget, an indication that teaching and learning rank high on the government’s priority list.
In Budget 2022, a total of RM67.1bil was allocated, with the Education Ministry receiving RM52.6bil and the Higher Education Ministry acquiring RM14.5bil.
Noor Azimah
Despite receiving the lion’s share this year, funds are still needed, particularly in ensuring equality of education for all and to make up for learning loss compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that an immediate allocation of RM2mil to assist hardcore poor students from the Indian community had been approved.
He had earlier announced a National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan waiver for all students who graduate with first-class honours, and an increase from 75% to 100% of loans for students from M40 families.
Mara scholars are also set to receive an immediate allowance increase to deal with the higher cost of living.
While the timely boost for education is welcomed, stakeholders are hoping for more, leading to calls for a bigger allocation for education in Budget 2023, which will be tabled this Friday.
Speaking to StarEdu, educationist and former Universiti Malaya professor of education Tan Sri Dr T. Marimuthu said better infrastructure is needed in schools, mainly in Sabah and Sarawak, which are in need of better school buildings and fields.
Rural schools, he said, are disadvantaged in terms of infrastructure, resources and digital learning facilities.
“The infrastructure, which forms part of the ecosystem in schools, makes a difference in terms of academic achievement,” he added.
Marimuthu also said teachers are being overloaded with tasks other than teaching.
“They could do with some administrative staff and teaching assistants to help lighten their load,” he asserted.
Echoing Marimuthu’s views, Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said more emphasis should be placed on information technology (IT) and building infrastructure in schools.
Training – particularly for English language teachers and for teachers who teach Science and Mathematics in English – should be also be prioritised, she said.
“English is the language of knowledge, especially in the digital era, but our proficiency leaves much to be desired,” she said, adding that close attention should also be given to special needs education.
But a large allocation alone is not enough. What is needed to see these things come to fruition, she said, is proper follow-up and interventions. While much has been promised in Budget 2022, the implementation lacked focus, Noor Azimah noted.
Bumiputra Private Skills Training Institution action committee chairman Nordin Abdul Malek hopes technical and vocational education and training (TVET) will be given more emphasis in the upcoming budget and for the allocation to be used properly and in “a meaningful way.”
Nordin
In Budget 2022, the TVET sector was awarded RM6.6bil under the various ministries overlooking it.
The perception of TVET and its career paths is still very low, and this needs to change with more investment used for promotional campaigns, he said.
He added that the government should not just focus on providing grants and study loans to students.
“Please think of enhancing the capacity building capability of private training providers, including providing incentives for infrastructure development and training more qualified trainers.
“While money is important, what is even more crucial is for the funds to be effectively utilised and clearly divided between the public and private institutions.
“If TVET isn’t given the attention it deserves, the future of our economy, expertise, and skilled worker supply in the short and long terms will be greatly impacted,” he added.
National Union of Teaching Profession of Malaysia (NUTP) secretary-general Fouzi Singon said the union hopes money can be used to hire more teachers to fill in manpower gaps at many schools.
He also asked for replacement rest leave to be granted to all applicants. On infrastructure, Fouzi said minor maintenance allocation should be given directly to the school for fixing minor issues such as broken air conditioners.
He has also called for an increase in the provision of food for preschool students from RM2 to RM5.
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry has proposed a bigger allocation for the Supplementary Food Programme (RMT).
Its minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin said this was on the wish list submitted to the Finance Ministry.
Many canteen operators expressed their concerns over the rising cost of food, he told reporters on Sept 23.
Earlier on Aug 18, academics told StarEdu that the quality of canteen fare for B40 may be compromised if RMT budget is not reviewed.
Higher education
Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities (Mapcu) president Datuk Dr Parmjit Singh said inflationary pressures have resulted in the cost of running private institutions to rise rapidly.
“Dramatic increases in contracting services, general purchases and expenditure in managing infrastructure are making it increasingly difficult for institutions to continue to offer affordable education while maintaining current fee structures.
Parmjit
“Our request for Budget 2023 is for the government to consider providing private higher education institutions with an enhanced package of fiscal incentives and other forms of assistance to enable our members to sustain their operations,” he said.
Parmjit said among the association’s proposals for the budget, which have been submitted to the government for approval, is to provide tax exemption to higher education institutions (HEIs) to encourage acquisition of new or upgraded technology teaching aids, solutions, equipment and facilities.
HEIs are also asking for incentives to develop programmes related to new technologies.
Mapcu has also suggested extending the coverage of PTPTN loans to students pursuing the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) accredited foundation and pre-university programmes at private HEIs in Malaysia.
“This would ensure that institutions are able to continue to provide access to affordable, quality education to students who would otherwise not have the opportunity to further their studies,” he added.
National Association of Private Educational Institutions (Napei) secretary-general Dr Teh Choon Jin said tax incentives should be given to private HEIs that provide scholarships to needy or deserving students such as students in the B40 or M40 category.
“This would provide opportunity for underprivileged students to have access to higher education, reduce the financial burden of parents and encourage more students to continue their tertiary education after the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM),” he said.
He also said incentives that allow private HEIs to grow, such as tax benefits or breaks for ICT and digital teaching and learning transformation, or bring in international students, should be considered as half of Malaysia’s tertiary education students are in private HEIs.
“It means that private HEIs are taking on the role to train talents the country needs to become a high income nation. We shouldn’t be burdening the government with building more public universities, and the huge cost and allocation of maintaining them.
“We should facilitate the growth of private HEIs, which in turn contribute to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), besides producing the manpower needs of the country,” said Teh.
Vice-Chancellors’ Council for Private Universities chairman Prof Mushtak Al-Atabi called on the government to bring back the MYBrain grant to support students who want to pursue postgraduate studies.
He said government sponsorship of students to study abroad should be redirected to support the many HEIs in the country.
“This will not only help reduce the budget expenditure, but also support the many local industries and reduce the outflow of the ringgit,” he added.
In a bid to attract expatriate academic staff in areas where the country lacks talent, he said it would help to offer them a tax holiday for two to three years.
Prof Mushtak also hopes for double tax deductions for scholarships awarded to students by private HEIs and for R&D investment in private universities.
Budget must prioritise learning
'Improving access to education, providing better infrastructure, and getting dropouts to return to school – all these justify a bigger allocation. Usually in the budget, education gets the largest amount, followed by national defence. We need a bigger allocation in the budget to compensate for the loss of learning that happened during the pandemic. The education system is the engine on which everything else is dependent.' -Educationist and Universiti Malaya former professor of education Tan Sri Dr T. Marimuthu
'Higher education plays a key role in ensuring that the nation remains competitive and the economy vibrant. It does all of that through the development of talent necessary to keep the wheel of the industry going, as well as research and development that keep new discoveries coming for the betterment of our collective future. Prior to the pandemic, the annual contribution of private higher education in Malaysia to the country was estimated to be RM30bil.To realise its full potential, we need a budget that helps private higher education grow to well beyond the pre-Covid-19 levels. A key element to achieving this would be to make Malaysia an attractive destination for international students and a global hub for higher education.' -Vice-Chancellors’ Council for Private Universities chairman Prof Mushtak Al-Atabi
