Maszlee sets up taskforce to reduce weight of school bags

The Education Ministry has set up a taskforce to look into ways to reduce the weight of school bags.

In the interim, however, Education Minister Maszlee Malik said it is up to schools to find solutions to the problem.

“The Ministry of Education has set up a task force to seriously look for ways to reduce the weight of school bags and we will take the views of various parties into account.

“In the immediate term, however, schools are empowered to take their own initiatives to come up with their own ways to best reduce the burden of the schoolchildren’s bags, and are given full powers to use their creativity for the future of our children,” he said.

He was speaking during a press conference in Putrajaya today after an appreciation ceremony for universities that performed in the QS university rankings.

On another matter, Maszlee announced that the Second Wave Malaysia Education Quality Standard (SKPMg2) series of auditing exercises are stopped, effective immediately.

He said the decision was made in view of the workload faced by teachers, and he wants the teachers to be focused on teaching students instead.

Nevertheless, the SKPMg2 training and guidance sessions will be continued.

Maslee said the audit is meant to help school management to ensure that SKPMg2 is effective and in line with the transformation of the national education system.

“However, the auditing process to verify the SKPMg2 data entered for the year 2017 has caused misunderstanding and anxiety amongst teachers.

“In relation to that, I have decided to stop the series of ongoing audits being carried out by the Inspectorate and Quality Assurance Council (JNJK), effective immediately,” he said.

The SKPMg2 comprises five standards, namely leadership, organisation management, curriculum management, co-curricular and student affairs, learning and facilitation, and student outcomes.

However, the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) had complained of the administrative workload it entails and urged Maszlee to intervene.

The minister had previously said that complaints about the weight of schoolbags and the administrative workload of SKPMg2 are among the most frequent he received through public feedback. -Mkini