IT is commendable that the Education Ministry (MOE) is seeking public input to its planned review of the nation’s education policy, specifically the school system. Higher education is under a separate portfolio.

The exercise, dubbed “Future of Malaysian Education 2026-2036,” is to replace the current Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025. The ministry issued a public statement on June 24, 2024 to this effect and has devoted a specific website for this purpose. 

I am pleased that MOE is taking a decade-long time span and not be forced into the usual five-year Malaysia Plan’s constricted time frame. The effects of an educational policy take some time to be effective, with the impact felt even longer afterwards. Malaysia is still reeling from the negative consequences of its much earlier rash decision to deemphasize English and Sixth Form.

In line with MOE’s “whole society approach” as well as its “comprehensive and holistic” intent, I suggest three immediate improvements to MOE seeking wider public input. First, upgrade the current website; second, seek the views of interested and impacted organizations; and third, issue a preliminary report after all the submissions and then have public hearings specifically inviting those who had contributed significant ideas. Only then issue and adopt a final policy. Then as an ongoing undertaking, have a special body to monitor the implementation as well as effectiveness.

The easiest part is improving the website. The current one is too limited, designed not to get substantive input, rather tips and brief suggestions. As such it needs to be expanded, with the submission window upgraded to handle at least 2,000 characters (about 250 words) together with a link to upload longer submissions, taking the necessary precautions to prevent maliciously corrupted files being uploaded. The current submission site is simply a blank space. I suggest dividing the submissions into headings as with general, curriculum, improving language, STEM, and of course “others.”

It would be prudent to have a separate dedicated website unrelated to MOE to limit damages in case of a digital virus attack. Post all submissions; invite public comments and post them too on the website.

Apart from Parents Teachers Groups, consult the National Professors Council, employer organisations, as well as university chancellors of both private and public institutions. They are most impacted by the products of the school system. As such, they should have many useful observations and suggestions. In seeking public input, I would have those submissions be in either Malay or English, with a summary of under 250 words in both Malay and English.

Designate MOE personnel to “google” articles and commentaries on Malaysian education, both in scholarly journals as well as general publications. Again, post the most relevant ones (subject to copyright rules) or better yet summarise them. Invite their authors to expand on their ideas. I have already read many commentaries in the brief period since MOE’s press release.

MOE should analyze the current as well as past performances at the Program for International Student Assessment as well as the terminal school certificate (SPM, its Malay initials) examinations. Tease those figures with respect to geography (states, rural versus urban), types (national versus national-types and religious), and yes, even race. Decades ago when PISA scores of American students plummeted, there was a national outcry triggering professors and think tanks to analyze areas of weaknesses as well as strengths.

The bane of Malaysia is lack of effective implementation and stringent monitoring, and not just in education. Even the best laid plans would come to nothing if not competently implemented and monitored.

Following my own suggestion, I submitted in Malay (with the English version below) to the MOE website:

“1. Terminate SPM as well as Assasi and Matrikulasi. Extend the school year to Form 6, truncating it to one year. Stream the last two years into academic, general, and vocational a la Germany. Form 6 is cheaper and would elevate the academic standards of a school. Cancelling matrikulasi would end the current recurring divisive debates over admissions. Further, much time is wasted after SPM examination, with much attrition of knowledge and study habits during the hiatus. The rich of course enroll in private classes. Lastly, quit sending students abroad after SPM. It is only middle school caliber.

2. Reserve residential schools to mostly students from B40 families. The rest would pay full costs based on a sliding scale according to the family’s income. Establish comparable less expensive “magnet day schools” in urban areas, also for B40 students.

3. Have all-English immersion classes for the first three years in selected schools where there is low level of English in the community. Alberta, Canada, does this to encourage bilingualism (French and English) among its Anglophone residents.

4. Set up an all-English medium Teachers College to train teachers of English.

5. Special allowances for teachers of English and STEM, as well as those serving in rural areas. Thus a teacher of English in Kenawit could effectively double her salary. 

Further details are in my books An Education System Worthy of Malaysia (2003) and The Rot in Malaysian Education (2023) available for free as pdf file from me at [email protected].”

There you have it, my submission, way under 250 words and 2000 characters, including spaces! – July 1, 2024.

* M. Bakri Musa reads The Malaysian Insight.