Fresh start: Fadhlina delivering her New Year’s address. — SAMUEL ONG/The Star
THE Education Ministry is listening to and acting on the voice of the people.
This, says Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, signals a new era of collaboration between the ministry and Malaysian society, where every initiative and policy is informed by those it impacts most – students, teachers, parents and the community.
“Pupil development only has meaning when we truly listen to the voices of pupils and teachers, because that is where the pulse of education lies.
“That is why every aspiration of the people must be taken into account and considered immediately,” she stressed during her New Year’s address to ministry staff in Putrajaya on Jan 9.
She said 2026 marks a defining year for Malaysian education, as the ministry is committed to delivering long-planned reforms that move beyond pilots and promises, ensuring that policies translate into measurable outcomes for every child.
“We must make this year our year because there are two very significant things happening.
“In 2026, the preschool curriculum will be implemented, and we will also launch our new education blueprint.
“These two initiatives must be given full focus, and we will continue to give attention to educational development issues through the human-centred approach that has always been part of our agenda,” she said.
The minister also emphasised that the ministry’s goals must be effectively communicated to the public so that everyone can clearly see how these initiatives are shaping and benefiting the entire education ecosystem.
“Teachers are involved, as are the District Education Offices (PPD) and State Education Departments (JPN). Those making decisions in the Education Ministry are experienced as teachers, PPD and JPN officers, or within the ministry itself.
“We not only engage with stakeholders, but also work collaboratively with parents and the wider community to ensure the success of our school programmes this year,” she said.
Prioritising human values
Meanwhile, Fadhlina added that while rules and guidelines are necessary, there must be a clear distinction between enforcing them and prioritising human values that safeguard the interests of students, educators and the wider education community.
“That is why even though we always want to make our education humane, it cannot work if our administration is inhumane,” she said, adding that the lessons of 2025, a year marked by significant tragedies, had shaped the ministry’s immediate reforms.
She emphasised the importance of awareness and responsibility as human beings.
“What we learnt about mental health, which is part of our immediate reform, is that it must not only be supported at the community level but also as a team.
“That is why our focus at that time was to ensure we addressed everyone’s mental health together,” she said, adding that the ministry had established a special committee focusing on 11 initiatives to strengthen school safety (see infographic) and address student discipline issues across all educational institutions.
She also noted that numerous proposals, including written suggestions, protests, demonstrations, memorandums and objections, were submitted to the ministry to improve its initiatives and decision-making processes.
“The ministry received all of these in good faith, engaging openly and wholeheartedly to continue listening and responding,” she added.
She highlighted that school safety guidelines will be strengthened through collaboration with the Royal Malaysia Police, the Health Ministry, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, and local communities.
“The core of this guideline is the 3K committee: Cleanliness, Health and Safety.
“Our focus this year is to ensure the implementation of these 3Ks, particularly for school safety.
“This time, we are improving it by involving students, elevating their voices in the 3K committee alongside community members and other stakeholders,” she said.
Empowering teachers
Fadhlina also stressed the importance of support, professional development and fair workload for educators
To address this, she said the ministry has taken phased steps to reduce teachers’ workload, including deploying 1,470 teaching assistants and 600 hostel warden assistants under the Malaysia Short-Term Employment Programme (MySTEP) (see infographic).
“These were implemented so that teachers can return to focusing on their core duty, which is teaching,” she said.
She also noted that several reform elements will be strengthened this year, including enhancing student voice, understanding how students support teachers, and introducing student feedback on administrators’ performance.
“So far, only administrators evaluate teacher performance. This time, teachers will also be able to evaluate the performance of administrators.
“This ensures reciprocity and brings back the voices of teachers and students, allowing us to see if reforms are being implemented effectively at the grassroots level,” she said.
On school leadership and teacher development, Fadhlina said there must be continued focus on strengthening professionalism in schools, particularly among those leading and implementing reforms.
“The most important thing is to produce more quality principals and school heads, as well as leaders who can effectively implement the reform process,” she said.
She added that 2026 will also see the alignment of the School Improvement Partners (SIP) and School Improvement Specialist Coaches Plus (SISC+) structures, with SISC+ governance now placed under the Teacher Professionalism Division, focusing on guidance by subject-matter experts.
“These individuals must be strengthened through proper divisional support so that their planning, training and, most importantly, their purpose when visiting schools, to support and work as a team, can be carried out in a more professional manner,” she said.
