Reaching The Perfect Picture Of Education For Malaysia

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From Wan Chang Da
The education ministry is currently preparing a new blueprint to replace the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025.
Given that we are less than 18 months away from December 2025, it is time to revisit and reflect on the existing blueprint before becoming overly ambitious and thinking about the next great plan, lest we forget that those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.

The current blueprint outlines five systems and six student aspirations for the education system.
The five systems are access, quality, equity, unity and efficiency, while the six student aspirations are knowledge, thinking skills, leadership skills, bilingual proficiency, ethics and spirituality, and national identity.
Eleven key areas of the education system have also been identified. Dubbed 
transformation shifts, they are accompanied by tangible and measurable outcomes.
In a nutshell, the blueprint aims to build a strong and efficient education system in three ways. First, by producing students who will perform in the top third of international student assessments (notably the Programme for International Students Assessment or Pisa and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study or TIMSS). Second, by providing quality and equal opportunities for all students regardless of socioeconomic background. Third, and most importantly, by instilling a united Malaysian identity and possibly a sense of patriotism.
The blueprint initially won praise, including from experts and international bodies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The recent call for public suggestions on the next blueprint is a step towards further democratising public consultation.
It was reported that more than 50,000 stakeholders were consulted on the current blueprint through various means of public consultation. The open call for the next plan has enabled anyone with internet access to share their thoughts and suggestions, which could add credence to the consultative process for the next plan.
However, one key prerequisite is still missing. For public consultation to be effective, especially to provide suggestions that are grounded in the reality of our education system, the education ministry should make public the current context, progress and status of implementation, and the performance and achievements of the current blueprint.
There is an annual report on the blueprint’s progress, but it would be more practical for these insights to be consolidated and presented in digestible formats, to supplement the ongoing consultation sessions.
The public also needs to know the impact the blueprint has had since its implementation in 2013. The indicators should likewise be contextualised in the latest developments surrounding the education system.
For instance, the latest OECD report showed that Malaysia suffered its biggest drop in Pisa performance in 2022. Given that Pisa is one of the two major indicators used to measure the quality of education, this development needs to be put in context for the creation of a 12-year picture.
On the national front, the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination is indisputably the most important measure of quality, but the 2023 results have painted a mixed picture.
On one hand, the national average grade improved by 0.14 points and the number of straight A students increased. Conversely, about 10,000 students were no-shows and a third of students failed at least one subject. The failure rate for mathematics and additional mathematics ranked the highest at 23.2% and 25.9% respectively.
There’s also a need to assess how our schools are faring in terms of producing Malaysians with a united identity. Has our current generation of children embraced diversity and are they united by shared values, compared to the generations before the blueprint?
How has our education system performed in terms of reducing achievement gaps across the gender, socioeconomic, urban-rural and type of school (public/private/international/independent/religious) divides?
Devil in implementation details
A glance through the blueprint gives the impression that every aspect of education has been taken care of. But if we read it more carefully, there may be a lack of specificity and, most importantly, implementation beyond what is on paper.
It remains unclear what the blueprint and the next 10-year plan have in terms of policies and initiatives for Malaysia. What will we remember of this blueprint and the structural reforms to the education landscape?
Will it be the blatant infusion of neoliberalism, equating technological advancements in classrooms with improvements in education quality, or the failed attempt of weekly individualised assessments which forced teachers across the country to wake up in the middle of the night to upload voluminous assessments into one centralised database?
The perfect picture of education for Malaysia was beautifully laid out by our forefathers via the Falsafah Pendidikan Kebangsaan (FPK), and is deeply rooted in the principles of the Rukunegara.
The FPK reads: “Education in Malaysia is an ongoing effort towards further developing the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner, so as to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and physically balanced and harmonious, based on a firm belief in and devotion to God.

Such an effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are knowledgeable and competent, who possess high moral standards, and who are responsible and capable of achieving high levels of personal well-being as well as able to contribute to the harmony and betterment of the family,  society, and the nation at large.
Any educational plan, blueprint or policy must be formulated based on these criteria: first, a review of what we have (and have not) done well; second, what is essential and perennial to the student and educator; and third, the constraints and barriers to be addressed so that education can unleash its fullest potential to develop the future generation of Malaysians to meet the aspirations of the FPK. - FMT
Wan Chang Da is a former National Higher Education Research Institute director.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

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