There is still much to be done by the Education Ministry and its stakeholders to ensure the nation’s education vision, mission, and direction are in line with the country’s education aspirations.
The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Fouzi Singon said with less than two years to go to 2025, time is running out to ensure the current education system is in line with the Malaysian National Education Blueprint 2013-2025.
“No mid-term evaluation appears to have been carried out to see if the objectives set under the blueprint have been met, nor has the same been done for the School Transformation Programme 2025,” said Fouzi.
“There should be a mid-term evaluation conducted this year to gauge if we are on track, or to improve on in areas where we are behind,” he said.
Aimed at transforming the education system (from pre-school to secondary), the National Education Blueprint set clear targets that needed to be achieved in terms of quality, equity, and access. The blueprint suggested 11 strategic and operational shifts to transform the system.
Among the shifts included providing equal access to quality education of international standards, ensuring every child is proficient in Bahasa Malaysia and English and is encouraged to learn an additional language, transforming teaching into the profession of choice, partnering with parents, the community, and the private sector, and transforming the Education Ministry’s delivery capabilities and capacity.
The School Transformation Programme 2025 or TS25 meanwhile, is an initiative by the Education Ministry, which began in 2015. It is aimed at increasing student success in schools through effective leadership, competent teachers, and the strong commitment of the Parent-Teacher Association.
“For TS25, teachers must fully understand their roles, and it should not be a burden to those at the grassroots. It is all about improving best practices in management and classroom education,” said Fouzi.
While the blueprint is also aimed at making national schools the school of choice by 2025, Fouzi said this can only be achieved if national schools were ‘Malaysianised’.
This includes offering students of all races, the chance to learn their mother tongue, or a second language of their choice.
“Learning a new language is not the same as learning religion. We must give students the option to choose their second language,” he said.
Fouzi, who spoke to Twentytwo13 in conjunction with Teachers’ Day today, also said there was a need to improve communication between the Education Ministry and schools.
“One example was the recent guideline by the ministry for schools during the heatwave. While the ministry had sent out a circular that all outdoor activities were to stop, the NUTP received complaints that there were some schools that still wanted to hold cross-country events.
“Any circular sent out by the ministry must be clear and easily understood. There are more than 10,000 schools in the country and everyone needs to understand the content.”