KUALA LUMPUR: The education system has made steady strides towards a performance-oriented culture through various government initiatives, said Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.
He said this mainly followed measures implemented through the National Transformation Programme (NTP) on education since 2010.
“We have identified the need to improve the ability of students to guarantee that they can compete globally and contribute to our economy.”
As such, Mahdzir said the ministry had kept its focus on initiatives to raise the quality of the nation’s education system.
He said this resulted in a steady progress towards a performance-oriented culture of teaching and learning.
“This is a stark contrast to the situation prior to the NTP’s Education initiatives in 2009, when it was found that our students were lagging behind their peers in Asean.”
He said their comparatively low performance was based on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
“To ensure that our students are competent in English, the roll-out of the Dual Language Programme (DLP) and Highly Immersive Programme (HIP) have continued to show positive results.”
Mahdzir said last year, DLP was implemented in 1,214 schools, an increase from 378 in the previous year when the programme started as a pilot project.
He said knowing the importance of English proficiency among educators, the ministry was focused on conducting more training for teachers.
The Malaysia Education Blueprint (MEB) was introduced in 2013 as an expansion of the transformation of Malaysia’s education system, which was boosted by NTP.
The blueprint is being implemented in three waves — Wave 2 of the MEB started in 2016 following the completion of Wave 1 in 2015. Wave 3 is scheduled to begin in 2021.
In Wave 2, continuing innovation in parental, community, and private-sector involvement are being explored through public-private partnership initiatives aimed at empowering communities to support and motivate schools to raise their performance.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said Ma-laysia had become a choice destination for international students, with 170,068 enrolments last year compared with 70,000 in 2010.
“With 11 renowned foreign institutions establishing their branch campuses and collaborations here, Malaysia is on its way to become a leader in international education.”
In addition, Idris said Malay-sian universities had been ranked among the top 50 in the world in subject areas, such as hospitality and leisure management, electronic and electrical engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering and environmental sciences.
He said the ministry had recognised the need to streamline efforts to market Malaysia as an attractive education hub.
The government has aggressively promoted technical vocational education and training (TVET) to provide an alternative route for school leavers to further their studies.
Last year, under 18 different agencies, 8,380 students were trained through an industry-based approach.
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This helped minimise skills gaps and contributed to higher employment rates for TVET graduates.
The Islamic finance and business education cluster is being developed through the leadership of the International Council of Islamic Finance Educators (ICIFE).
To boost its membership, ICIFE participated in regional Islamic finance conferences, such as the 14th Kuala Lumpur Islamic Finance Forum 2017 and the 5th Global Waqf Conference in Indonesia, both of which were held in October.
Following the participation in these conferences, 16 bodies and institutes applied for ICIFE membership.
The EduCity@Iskandar (EduCity) initiative, Asia’s first multi-varsity educational complex, further marks Malaysia’s strategy to distinguish itself as an education hub at the tertiary level.
The EduCity houses universities and higher learning institutions, academia, industry action and research and development centres, student accommodation, recreational and sports facilities in a single location that is the first of its kind in Asia.
Conceived in 2011, EduCity now counts over 4,500 students and 600 alumni in its ranks. Last year, it saw an enrolment of over 4,393 students with ongoing efforts to attract more students.