Malaysia’s recent performance dip in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) 2022 paints a sobering picture of the state of our primary and secondary education.
While this can be blamed on Covid-19’s far-reaching impact, it is undeniable that the pandemic exposed some existing structural and systemic flaws that accelerated the onslaught of challenges we face today.
History, however, reminds us that such challenges can also be powerful catalysts for change and innovation. In the late 1950s, the United States faced its own educational reckoning, known as the “Sputnik moment.”
Sputnik, the first satellite launched into space by the Soviet Union, served as a wake-up call exposing that the USSR was ahead of the US in key aspects of technology and engineering.
The historic event led to a profound overhaul of the US education system, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, and spurred advancements that ultimately propelled the US to the forefront of the space age.
Malaysia stands at a similar juncture today. The decline in Pisa scores should not be seen merely as a setback but as a clarion call for transformative educational reform. This is an opportunity to not only address the gaps exposed by the pandemic, but also to leap forward and align our education system with the demands of the 21st century.
With the existential challenges we face particularly with the environmental degradation and the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and its disruptive impact on society and the workplace, new educational outcomes at primary, secondary and tertiary levels are needed.
If we capture this opportunity, we can have a chance at getting the Malaysian economy out of the middle-income trap and into the high-value-adding sphere. To achieve this, there are a number of things to be considered:
> Education reform is a marathon, not a sprint. Educating a child up to the university level can take up to 18 years and the reform should start from pre-school to university.
> Education policy stability and longevity are crucial. We should spend more time developing the appropriate policies and seeing them through.
> Education and higher education should be led by technocrats.
> Professional leadership capabilities should be developed at the school level.
> Attract the best minds to become teachers and raise the pay and the status of the teaching profession. Empowered teachers are key to curriculum, pedagogical and assessment reform.
> Recognise the need for intrinsic motivations for students to learn and engage positively with their studies. Adopt purpose-driven education where time is carved to help students explore, discover and articulate their purpose and the impact they want to have in the world. This should be the basis for raising students’ aspirations and encouraging them to study STEM subjects.
> Embrace a holistic approach to education reform, one that blends the development of hard skills in science and technology with the cultivation of critical thinking, creativity and ethical reasoning.
> Foster public-private partnerships to jointly invest in infrastructure, facilities and technology.
> Promote equity in education by implementing targeted interventions to support underperforming and disadvantaged schools, including resource allocation, specialised programmes and community partnerships, to address socio-economic barriers to education.
> Make financial literacy, digital literacy and carbon literacy key aspects of education from an early stage.
> Strengthen the role of communities and parents in the educational process, encouraging involvement, feedback and support for students’ learning journeys.
Malaysia’s journey towards educational excellence is not only about improving test scores. It’s about preparing our youth to be global citizens in an increasingly complex world, equipped with the skills and values needed to contribute to society meaningfully.
In this light, Malaysia’s current educational challenge is not a dead end but a launchpad. It’s time to embrace this challenge as an opportunity to build a resilient, innovative and equitable education system that can lead Malaysia into a bright and prosperous future.
PROF MUSHTAK AL-ATABI
Provost and chief executive officer
Heriot-Watt University Malaysia;
Chairman
Vice Chancellors’ Council for Private Universities
