BN’s manifesto not solving basic education issues, says Syed Saddiq

 

Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman speaking at an afternoon tea programme with young voters in Gombak.

GOMBAK: Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman says Barisan Nasional’s (BN) manifesto does not address key issues in the country’s education system in a holistic manner.

“I went through the policies one by one and they do not address the basic and structural issues facing the country’s education system. Their (BN) solution is just to pump money (into the education system),” he said.

“How will this (manifesto) solve the problem of unemployment?

“Two out of three young people don’t want to go to university. What is being done (to help) them? There are no structural changes in the (BN) manifesto,” he said during an afternoon tea programme with young voters in Gombak.

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BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said yesterday that if the coalition emerged victorious in GE15, it would make higher education free for B40 students, provide them with laptops, and ensure that schools have 5G internet access.

He said this would digitise the education system, which would resolve issues such as heavy school bags and enable syllabuses to be updated faster.

Public higher education institutions will also offer hybrid systems, said Zahid. This would allow half of the lessons to be held online and the rest in campuses, which would reduce the cost of studies.

Zahid also promised free early childhood care and education for all children aged six and below to help reduce the cost of living for young families.

Commenting further on the BN manifesto, Syed Saddiq pointed out that the previous government was unable to deliver on its promise of free tablets for B40 students during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“When the country was hit by the pandemic, an education ministry study found that in Peninsular Malaysia, one in three students did not have a gadget for online learning,” he said.

“Their online education was interrupted for two years, and their tablets have only arrived now – when the pandemic is over. That’s why implementation is key.”

Syed Saddiq is looking to defend his Muar parliamentary seat in the 15th general election (GE15) and he will be up against BN’s Helmy Abdul Latif and Perikatan Nasional’s Abdullah Husin. - FMT