THE Education Ministry will do away with the white shoes as part of the school uniform by next year, said Maszlee Malik.

The education minister said the decision comes after parents’ groups had made the request to the ministry.

“Parents have requested for students to not wear white shoes anymore. They want the children to wear black shoes.

“Starting next year, they (the students) will wear black shoes to school,” he said at a forum organised by Sinar Harian in Shah Alam today.

He joked that mothers have shown concern with regards to the shoes that are worn by school children.

“This is the parents’ hope. Not so much for the fathers but more towards the mothers,” he said as the audience laughed.

This is among the changes in the education system that Maszlee hopes to implement in the next five years.

He said he also hopes that students will no longer have to carry heavy bags to school and stressed that the ministry will look into the matter to solve it efficiently.

“I also want to ensure that school graduates in the country will be recognised at international levels and Malaysia becoming the region’s focal point for education,” he said.

He added that he hopes to see public schools becoming the main choice for the people.

Maszlee had mentioned in the forum that public schools were never the first choice for locals due to various reasons involving location, society and class levels.

He said the schools are also perceived to lack quality in education and the right facilities to enhance the learning experience for students.

“There is also a perception that the grasp of the English language is low and that causes the graduates to be unable to go abroad and be competitive.

“We are reviewing all of these reasons and we will do a consultation process to upgrade public schools in the next five years to ensure that they become the first choice for locals,” he added. – July 19, 2018.