Zahid Hamidi Says No Need To Blindly Follow Education System Of Other Countries

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Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today acknowledged that there was a need to overhaul the education system but said there was no need to blindly follow the system of other countries. - NSTP/HAIRUL ANUAR RAHIMKUALA LUMPUR: Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today acknowledged there was a need to overhaul the education system but said Malaysia should not blindly follow the system of other countries.
Touching on issues raised by SK(1) Gombak teacher Mohd Fadli Salleh on the shortcomings of the local education syllabus, he said matter raised by the latter should not be viewed as a threat to the national education system.
Zahid said the issue was not just on the syllabus but also other aspects including facilities, teaching time and available resources.
"We should not get too excited about following other countries, as they too may have moved on to other more effective systems.
"The foreigners place more emphasis on facilities, teaching time and other resources whereas we need to look at issues facing rural schools like in Sabah and Sarawak.
-ADVERTISEMENT-Ads by "There are also the Orang Asli settlements and other places where there is no internet access," he said in a Facebook posting today.
The teacher is said to be facing dismissal or demotion for being vocal on social media about the country's education system.
The teacher uploaded a letter dated Sept 22 titled "Tindakan Tatatertib Dengan Tujuan Buang Kerja atau Turun Pangkat" (Disciplinary action with the purpose of firing or demotion" where it was mentioned that he allegedly committed three offences.
Caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had expressed hope for a positive outcome from the issue.
Caretaker Senior Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin also said that he was ready to meet the teacher to understand the issues raised.
Zahid said since the country went into lockdown two years ago, children had faced learning losses from the 41-week school closure period, while online classrooms were hampered by inaccessible internet connectivity in rural areas.
He said learning losses would affect the cognitive and socio-emotional development of the children.
If it continues, it would cause long-lasting negative effects on the employment sector, productivity and a widening income gap among the people, he said.
"Bait Al Amanah in collaboration with the Centre for Market Education has estimated that the country will bear a loss in the context of gross domestic product (GDP) of RM80 billion a year, which is a loss of RM464.26 to RM1,121.95 per student," he added. - NST

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