THE next education minister does not necessarily have to be a politician, said Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim. 

Someone who was not a politician but was concerned about educational issues could also be considered for the job, she added.

She said the person appointed for the position need not be from the education field but must be one who would always fight in the interest of students and teachers and work to ensure the best quality of education. 

For example, she said, Musa Mohamad was the first person to be appointed the education minister in 1999 although he was not a politician. Such a person would be able to make bold decisions without any political influence.

“The problem now is when the education minister is a politician the individual will have to balance his role in championing the country’s education system and his tasks as a politician. Any decision made involving the education sector will affect the individual’s political career.

 “In other words, sometimes the decision made is not focused on students, but whether, the decision made will be politically suicidal to the person’s career or not,” she told Bernama.

Noor Azimah said this when asked to comment on the key attributes of the new education minister to replace Dr Maszlee Malik resigned today after helming the ministry for 20 months.

Meanwhile, Universiti Putra Malaysia Faculty of Education lecturer, Prof Madya Dr Wan Marzuki Wan Jaafar said the education minister should be an educationist at heart with a clear vision of the future of education in the country.

“The individual must be charismatic in introducing changes and making continuous improvement in the quality of education that can ultimately lead to a knowledgeable and prosperous society,” he added.

Joint Councils of Presidents and Honorary Secretaries of the Malaysian Universities Staff Union president Zulkifli Mohamad said, apart from having a background in education, the individual must have close ties with educational institutions to understand the needs of schools especially in the rural and remote areas.

A former lecturer at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Professor Emeritus Othman Lebar said the person helming the Education Ministry must have the determination to enhance the national education system and improve teachers’ professional abilities.

He said that is the basic requirement towards the development of the national education system in line with Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025.

“The successor needs to have the knowledge and experience related to international education because we lack the ability to internationalise our education system.

Tthe person should have a comprehensive plan on how to improve the quality of the education in line with international standards,” said Othman. – Bernama, January 3, 2020.