Ministry of Education investigates problems in World Bank report

Petaling Jaya: The Ministry of Education said it is working on reforms and addressing issues highlighted by the World Bank in a recent report on education standards in Malaysia. The World Bank report titled “Bending Bamboo Shoots: Strengthening Basic Skills” besides pointing to limited access to quality early childhood education, lack of teacher preparation and robust performance tracking systems. This lack of education contributes to the poor educational outcomes observed in Malaysia.

According to a report released last Thursday, 42% of Malaysian students do not achieve reading proficiency by the end of Standard 5, which is higher than in other countries with similar gross national income per capita (34%). expensive. It was also found that Malaysian students spend an average of 12.5 years in school, but the equivalent study period is only 8.9 years. In comparison, a Vietnamese student spends an average of 12.9 years in school and does the equivalent of 10.7 years of learning, while a Singaporean student spends her 13.9 years in school and does the equivalent of 12.8 years of learning. Masu. “The important issues raised in the World Bank report, such as quality and access to pre-primary education, student effectiveness, and teacher development, have certainly (already) attracted the attention of the ministry,” the ministry said in a statement. ” he said. “The ministry is currently implementing important initiatives towards national education reform, including restructuring the pre-primary education system, implementing the 2027 school curriculum, and interventions for dropouts.”

The ministry also said it would expand pre-school classes with the aim of helping to address dropouts early. The report said a variety of programs are being offered to enhance the competency and professionalism of working teachers, with the recently introduced learning management system platform to meet the digital competency needs of teachers.

“The ministry is committed to ensuring the success of the reform of the national education system. This is an ongoing effort that requires the dedication, cooperation and support of all involved,” the ministry said. Among those commenting on the World Bank report was former minister Rafidah Aziz, who called for immediate reforms to the education sector after it painted an “alarming” picture of the country’s education standards. In a statement to FMT, Rafidah said that if these issues are not addressed, Malaysia will fall “far behind” in important aspects such as competitiveness and socio-economic development. He also said the country’s education system must be able to produce a skilled and competent workforce in response to market demand.

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