Timetable sets off Dr Mahathir’s plan to overhaul education system

The Malaysian Insight The Malaysian Insight Updated 7 years ago · Published on 15 Nov 2018 7:00AM · 11 Comments

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is an advocate for high values and ethics to be taught in schools since his days as education minister from 1974 to 1977. – EPA pic, November 15, 2018.

DR Mahathir Mohamad’s grand plan to overhaul the education system was sparked by a school timetable, said sources.

Just two weeks before making the announcement, the prime minister, studying a timetable, saw that a lot of time is allocated for religious studies, coming in third after Bahasa Malaysia and English, but indiscipline and low ethics remain rampant among Malaysians.

“He asked for the timetable before he went on his trip to Japan,” sources told The Malaysian Insight.

“And when he returned on Friday, he called Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik, and during their one-hour meeting, told him to ‘overhaul’ the school curriculum to produce citizens with good values, including good work ethics and integrity.

“Dr Mahathir was surprised as to why we still lack work ethics when we have ample time for religious studies in school.”

The prime minister told Maszlee that he has long advocated schools teach high values and ethics from his days as education minister between 1974 and 1977.

Dr Mahathir expressed shock that the proposals were not followed through, and now wants to achieve them before the end of his life.

Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik says the ministry will formulate a new school curriculum, which is expected to be rolled out by the end of 2020 or early 2021. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, November 15, 2018.

On Monday, during a high tea with the Malaysian diaspora in Singapore, the prime minister said he has tasked Maszlee with overhauling the education system.

“The current education system is bad. It needs to be revolutionised. What they learn is not what they should learn.

“We need to change the curriculum and timetable for what they learn in school.”

The following day, Maszlee said the ministry will formulate a new curriculum, expected to be rolled out by the end of 2020 or early 2021.

It will be implemented in stages and based on recommendations by the Education Ministry’s policy committee and National Education Advisory Council (MPPK).

The ministry, policy committee and MPPK will meet Dr Mahathir soon to get his views on the matter, Maszlee said.

The ministry will place emphasis on anti-graft lessons in the revamped civics syllabus starting next year and such lessons will be introduced even in preschools so that Malaysians understand from an early age what constitutes bribery and corruption, he added. – November 15, 2018.

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Comments

  • Mazlee is not the right guy to revolutionise our education system.

    Posted 7 years ago by Rupert Lum · Reply

    • He doesn't inspire any confidence whatsoever.

      Posted 7 years ago by Khalid Raffali · Reply

    • TELL YOU YOUNGER MALAYSIANS WHO STILL YET DON'T KNOW A BIG SECRET!..

      Posted 7 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

  • Why take so long to roll out the new curriculum? Hopefully it should be by early 2020.

    Posted 7 years ago by Jordan Lee · Reply

  • We need a good balance of ethics learning and technical knowledge. Confucianism is the way to go.

    Posted 7 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • Maszlee, if you want to survive the cabinet reshuffle you better do as you were instructed. Otherwise you may not be a minister anymore in the new cabinet.

    Posted 7 years ago by Your Grandpa · Reply

  • Maszlee out. Not focused on the problems staring in his face

    Posted 7 years ago by Kenneth Tan · Reply

  • What sort of education minister is he? Simple thing like looking at the timetable and dissecting why our children are not groomed to be honest and ethical citizens needs the PM to advise him

    Posted 7 years ago by Lily Cheong · Reply

  • As a reformist Education Minister, one of the first immediate tasks should be to formulate a plan and time table to correct the education system. Why did he take such a long time before he started to give this a priority?

    Posted 7 years ago by Panchen Low · Reply

  • Maszlee looks like he is deeply entrenched into might of religious studies rather than a curriculum to enhance mental capabilities and knowledge acquirement. His dilly dallying to revolutionise the new curriculum and to displace off the existence useless time tables are so obvious for it shows traces of his reluctance in doing it. His suggestions of black shoes and socks and later down the road of black attire are all alluding to religious fanatics freaks actions. Mahatir should know all that cos' all the while during his time in Umno , all the Malay leaders who held the post of Education Minister do not have the will and sincerity to make changes on the fear that it will affect the 3Rs. Nothing secrete of making prominence in the Bahasa Malaysia and religious studies which supercede any incination to knowledge base lesson and moral ethics which was manipulated to obscurity and sadly the validation of academic excellence was played with lowering the bar to ensure a false success which glaringly in the guise of Ketuanan. . From Anwar to Muyhiddin to the last useless Minister of Education from Umno ( who will be haul up soon for corruptions ) , nothing was done to uplift the education system for fear that the rakyat will be expose and too knowledgeable to the extent of being intelligent to challenge the system. All changes were only face lift and a big charade. Even with the change of Guard in the new PH government, nothing will change if the education ministry were to be stll helmed by Minister on a self serving racist cause of bangsa dan negara. It will never move!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We need a real Educator irrespective of race. No bother if the cat is black but if it catches the mice and get the job done it shall be !!!! for young generations will be educated properly they will know how to assess for themselves to ensure a new good version of "bangsa dan negara". Mahatir should be unconventional and start looking out from his PH camp and appoint Professional as Educator but reporting to parliament or think of someone closer to home who have the love, unbias, ambitions with loads of sincerity to make Malaysia great again and not to be encumbered in Ministerial functions..

    Posted 7 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • It may be time to change out the members of the National Education Advisory Council as well because they have produced nothing in six months! Many members are resisting change and are vested in the old system. And they dont seem to have any clue what the current problems are.

    Posted 7 years ago by Beng Choon Lim · Reply