WHILE the Dewan Rakyat was supposed to be the place where lawmakers get answers on the direction of the country from the Cabinet, it is not always the case when it comes to reality.
And it was again proven by the Education Ministry (MOE), when it gave a vague reply to a question posed by Simpang Renggam MP Maszlee Malik.
In a question posed by the former education minister on Dec 9, Maszlee asked Senior Minister (Education) Datuk Mohd Radzi Jidin on what are the long term plans his ministry has embarked upon to improve the national education system post COVID-19.
“What are our plans in terms of policy, pre-school education, higher learning and technical and vocational education and training (TVET)?
“And is the Government planning to get views from all quarters, irrespective of political affiliation and expertise, as decreed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong?
In a one-page reply, MOE replied that it acknowledged that COVID-19 had disrupted teaching and learning process in the country. With that said, the minister started giving incoherent answers by saying that his ministry has embarked on a comprehensive plan to reopen learning institutions as usual.
“Under the plan, we will consult all stakeholders and get their views. Among those we are consulting are school administrators, Parent Teachers Association (PTA), students and experts from the Health Ministry (MOH) such as psychologists and pediatricians.
“We will scrutinise our reopening plans with the MOH and the National Security Plan, so as to coordinate it with the National Recovery Plan,” it reads.
Directionless
Taking to social media, Maszlee said in a jest that he was unsure whether Radzi provided him with enough specifics.
Echoing the PKR lawmaker’s remarks, user Jia added: “Don’t see any long-term planning included in the ‘skema jawapan’. (answer sheet)
However, education movement Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE Malaysia) was not amused by MOE’s reply and shot back.
“Jawapan tidak tepat (Wrong answer). It should be about teaching & learning to bridge the learning loss. Not about opening & closing schools @KemPendidikan.” – Dec 13, 2021
