Is Malaysia’s Education Curriculum Comparable to Others?

Recently, Education Minister said something so mindboggling - that Malaysia’s curriculum is comparable to countries such as Singapore and Japan. She justified it by saying it was based on a comparative study the ministry conducted - which also involved comparing Malaysia’s curriculum to that of Australia, the United Kingdom and Finland.

Just three days earlier, Muar MP cautioned the government by saying that the Malaysian education system is in crisis and needs reforms. The Muda president added that the weaknesses in the education system had caused even Malay middle-class families to send their kids to private or international schools.

Source: https://www.wikiimpact.com

The rot began when the then Abdul Razak Hussein administration started playing the nationalist card. English medium schools were converted to Malay-medium schools. Another issue, behind the problem, was that since Merdeka, many politicians who take on the education portfolio assume they will eventually become prime ministers. As such, our education system is the “playpen” of education ministers.  In the process, they have turned our children’s future into a national nightmare.

The enacting of the Private Higher Education Institutions Act 1996 (Act 555), the government has allowed the creation of private colleges and universities, popularly known as “mushroom colleges”. While these institutions (mainly tertiary ones) charge exorbitant fees, the quality of education may be poor. In some cases, it was so bad that students had to take these establishments to court.

One way to mend the situation is to table a White Paper on education reforms. First, start with reviewing the problem with our education system and what caused it. Engage with all possible interest groups. Then, investigate why non-Malay parents rather send their kids to vernacular schools or pay exorbitant fees to send them to private or international schools.

Finally, determine a way to ensure national schools become a top choice for all Malaysians. Perhaps, English schools are necessary. That’s what the private sector does and even UiTM. Perhaps, it is best the Minister appoints an independent commission to review and recommend the future of education in Malaysia.

The government must realise that the quality of our education system would reflect the employment numbers of the country. Many graduates are struggling to get jobs not only because of a sluggish economy but also due to the education quality. The graduates are not at fault. They definitely did not decide on our education policies. The politicians did.

If the education system was so good... 

• why are graduates retrained by SC, BNM and others?

• why do parents go looking for tuition teachers?

• why do the middle-class Malay parents struggle to send their kids to private schools or Chinese schools?

• why are civil servants today delivering such low-quality output even with a PhD (from a local university)?

I can go on. If you don’t acknowledge your own wretchedness, you will never fix the problem. We can blame Mahathir and all the rest but today is your time Fadhlina, so fix it or move out!

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Comment: Fadhlina, how’s view from under the sand? G Vinod, Malaysiakini, 19 Feb 2023