PETALING JAYA: Education advocates have urged the government to focus on efficiency and smarter spending rather than reducing investments in teaching and learning.
This came following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s call for ministries, including those overseeing education, to cut expenditure.
Malaysian Association for Education secretary Hamidi Mookkaiyah Abdullah said maintaining education quality while reducing spending would be challenging but achievable if ministries targeted inefficiencies instead of implementing blanket cuts.
He said costs could be reduced by streamlining bureaucracy, digitising processes and reviewing consultancy fees and other non-essential expenditure.
“Schools can optimise resources by sharing facilities such as laboratories, sports complexes and libraries while procurement of textbooks, computers and teaching materials can be centralised to secure better prices through bulk purchasing,” he said.
Hamidi said technology should be used strategically, including expanding digital learning resources and online teacher training programmes, while ensuring technology complements rather than replaces classroom teaching.
He also called for spending to be prioritised towards teachers, teaching materials and student support programmes while reducing expenditure on projects with limited impact on learning outcomes.
“Teachers should be allowed to focus on instruction, mentoring and student development by reducing non-teaching duties,” he said.
National Association of Private Educational Institutions deputy president Dr Teh Choon Jin said Anwar’s call was understandable given current fiscal and economic pressures.
“However, education should never be viewed simply as an expense. It is an investment in the country’s future,” he said.
Teh said there was room to improve efficiency and eliminate unnecessary spending but measures should not affect students’ learning experience, graduate readiness or overall education quality.
“The focus should be on spending smarter, not spending less,” he said.
He stressed that repairing and upgrading dilapidated schools should remain a priority, saying students and teachers deserve safe, comfortable and conducive learning environments.
For higher education, Teh said spending should continue to prioritise teaching quality, employability, industry exposure and student development, while research funding should focus on projects with clear economic and industry impact.
“Less urgent or non-critical projects can be reviewed and deferred until the fiscal situation improves,” he added.
Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said universities were already facing rising operational costs, lecturer retention challenges and pressure to remain globally competitive.
“Any austerity approach must avoid weakening research capacity, graduate employability initiatives or financial aid for lower-income students,” she said.
She said the success of any spending reduction programme would depend on transparency and careful prioritisation.
“If ministries clearly identify wasteful expenditure while protecting core educational functions, the policy may improve efficiency.
“But if reductions begin affecting teaching quality, student support or educator morale, the long-term cost could outweigh the short-term savings,” she added.
