Education policy – Malaysian diplomat spewed absurdities

The United Nation’s (UN) - Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum (YF)– concluded on Jan 31. This was attended by youth ministers from 30 countries, national youth representatives and NGO and government delegates from over 120 nations.

The UN-ECOSOC-YF- the biggest of its kind and its level - is convened to discuss and promote innovative, institutionalised approaches, initiatives, policy frameworks and solutions for advancing the youth development agenda at all levels of governments- ultimately towards achieving the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

One of the many side events that took place at the fringes of the mammoth global assembly in the UN headquarters in New York was a panel discussion entitled “Youth and Global Goals in Asia and the Pacific: The Role of Social Innovation and Entrepeneurship.”.

This featured the Malaysian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Bin Yaakob.

I felt compelled to attend this panel talk as it was an opportunity to engage with a high level Malaysian diplomat on neutral political ground.

Furthermore, the capacity in which I was attending the UN-ECOSOC-YF- as the head of an ECOSOC international NGO with consultative status - called for me to participate in a topic of such gravitas.

In the context of the impending 4th industrial revolution where millions of youths are facing prospects of job displacement due to technological disruptions, it is worrying that the Malaysian education systems is still the same one that have been in existence for half a century or more.

It is therefore only fair to conclude that it is not fit for the purpose of facing the new economy soon to rudely confront us.

The pressing question is whether or not the Malaysian government acknowledges the problem, and secondly what is being done to overcome it. These I posed to Shahrul and the panel.

He started by blaming Malaysia's multi-religion, multiracial and multicultural demographic composition as being “an issue” causing the Malaysian education system having to constantly be playing “catch-up”.

He justified his views by citing how “certain segments of the Malaysian society are critical of the Malaysian National Education Policy” yet others would say that “it is the minimum that they can accept”.

Another Malaysian expert panelist echoed my observation of Malaysia’s public education system of not being up to mark. Citing his own son who has been through the Malaysian education system, he described it as “challenging” and one that he finds himself “always being at loggerheads with”.

The executive director for MaGIC Academy said that a policy change would take “longer than usual” and asserted that it's better not to rely on government intervention.

There was a clear atmosphere of discomfort emanating from the permanent representative. However, what is disappointing is that one of the most senior diplomats representing Malaysia at the global level, is spewing such absurdity on the international arena.

It is unacceptable for anyone to blame a national policy failure on the demographic composition of a nation.

Video footage of the above-mentioned exchanges can be found here.

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The writer is president, International Union of Socialist Youth.