Education ministry can’t keep on doing ‘business as usual’, says Maszlee

 

Former education minister Maszlee Malik said he believed that parents and students themselves have lost hope in the current education situation.

CYBERJAYA: Former education minister Maszlee Malik has criticised the education ministry for not having a holistic plan to revitalise the country’s education system.

When asked about his biggest concerns surrounding education, the Simpang Renggam MP said he was worried about the system’s “lack of direction, uncertain future and unclear direction”.

Warning that the pandemic-interrupted classes over the past two years will have a long-lasting impact on students, Maszlee noted that the education ministry had not drawn up post-Covid-19 education plans for this “lost generation”.

“The loss of learning over these past two years will have an impact for the next five, 10, 20 years,” he told FMT.

“(But) if they (education ministry) carry on doing ‘business as usual’, even though the impact of Covid-19 has been very severe, there is nothing we can expect from them.

“It’s not just me. I’m confident that the media, parents and even students themselves, it’s as if… it’s hard for me to say, but they’ve lost hope in the current situation,” he said.

Crucially, Maszlee said he hoped to see other ministries work together with the education ministry and higher education ministry to address issues related to the national education system.

Commenting on reports of students forced to climb trees or hills to get internet access and follow online learning classes, and others having to cram into boats or use dilapidated bridges to get to school, Maszlee said it was unfair to pin the blame solely on the two ministries.

“Students having to use a sampan, a raft or a bridge (to go to school)… That is not the work of the education ministry or the higher education ministry. That is the work of the rural development ministry, state government and local authorities,” he said.

“Then we have issues about the lack of internet coverage and students having to climb trees. It’s not the job of the education ministry or the higher education ministry to solve – although they can do something… The solution should lie with the communications and multimedia ministry, the state government and local authorities.

“The long-term plan (to solve these issues) is not just centred around the education ministry. We need a comprehensive solution that requires the collaboration of all parties.” - FMT