Don't spread ideas that judge skin colour, religion in schools: PM

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim warned against spreading narrow-minded ideologies that judge individuals based on skin colour or religion in schools.

Calling it foolish, he said such views would divide the people and damage Malaysia.

“I don’t care if it is a Malay school, a religious school, a Tamil school or a Chinese school - this kind of thinking must not exist because it will divide and destroy our country,” Bernama reported him as saying.

Anwar said this in his speech at the Santuni Kasih programme with students from the Tambun parliamentary constituency today.

Meanwhile, Anwar also called for the mastery of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI), referring to them as future technologies that must be mastered from the school level.

ADS

He said the country is advancing and attracting significant investments, particularly in semiconductors, data centres, and AI, therefore, students who wish to succeed must master new knowledge.

“We must master digital technology and AI. These are the technologies of the future. To succeed, you must master them. That is why our universities now have AI faculties, every university has an AI unit and department, and it cuts across all disciplines.

“I also hope schools move quickly. We cannot plan for five years before starting. It must begin that same year.

“If we cannot start with 100 schools, start with 50. We must have the courage to bring change,” he added.

In addition, Anwar said English proficiency is important from a trade perspective, and with China’s growing economic influence, Mandarin is increasingly seen as essential.

The prime minister said that although Malaysia has made good progress, it still faces workforce challenges, especially a shortage of engineers to meet demand from the various companies investing in the country.

“We now have prominent AI, digital, and semiconductor companies, but if we continue with the current projections, we will be short of 30,000 engineers,” he added.

- Bernama