Time needed to revamp system, say experts

PETALING JAYA: There is a need to transform the current national education syllabi in keeping with the times and global challenges, but reorienting an education system could take time, say experts.

Dr Yeah Kim Leng, director of economic studies programme at the Jeffrey Cheah Institute of Sunway University, said that for a country to move forward, it is important to create quality and skilled students so that they can compete with their peers globally.

He pointed out that there should be greater emphasis on the four disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and the 3Rs of learning.

The 3Rs refer to the skills of reading, writing and arithmetic.

“The current education syllabi in national schools definitely need to be reoriented to include more STEM subjects while emphasising the 3Rs. Language skills must also be given more focus, especially due to the deterioration of language proficiency.

“Language proficiency is important in a borderless economic landscape, and what more with advanced technology? The emphasis should be on the English language, as it is widely used in the business world, and with the rise of China as an economic power, Mandarin, too, is of much importance.

“Malaysian schools need to enhance learning; students need to learn how to learn so that they can be critical thinkers with a broad understanding of world developments.

“The focus should be on financial literacy and cross-cultural acculturation, which will allow students to be flexible in a multicultural setting. It is very important for Malaysians to be inclusive and apply their skills to take the country to greater heights,” said Yeah.

“The education ministry needs to update itself to incorporate and review the education system to ensure that the national education institutions keep up with the times.”

National Union of Teaching Profession president Aminuddin Awang said the current Malaysian National Education Blueprint ends in 2025, and changing it abruptly would be unwise.

“We cannot deny the recent World Bank report on Malaysia’s education standards, as it was done based on data, and we should accept such criticism for our own good. I believe the Education Ministry understands such criticism from the World Bank and has already started to engage the stakeholders in national education to get their inputs for the next blueprint.”

Parent Action Group for Education chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said teachers are the most important factor in making any national education system a success.

“As long as the teachers cannot deliver, no matter what syllabi you come out with, if the same teachers are going to deliver it the same way, the results will not get any better.

“The authorities overseeing the national education system need to reconsider the training methods for teachers.

“The Education Ministry has obviously been in denial by stating that there is nothing wrong with the education system,” said Azimah.