EDUCATION Minister Fadhlina Sidek recently caused a storm with her statement that the Malaysian education system is on par with those in Singapore and Japan.Fadhlina stated the findings “showed that the school curriculum in Malaysia is comparable to the curriculum of the other countries”.However, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said in Parliament that Malaysia’s education syllabus lags behind Singapore by three years.Citing the Programme for International Student Assessments (PISA), he said the report shows a 15-year-old Malaysian has the same comprehension and understanding as a 12-year-old Singaporean.However, Fadhlina said her statement is based on a comparative study comparing the Malaysian syllabus among others that are regarded as “first world” countries.“To ensure that the curriculum is always relevant, the Education Ministry is open to hearing the views of various parties and is committed to improving the implementation of the curriculum,” she added.As usual, netizens have something to say about it. Twitter users discussed the matter, some found the statement to be true but felt the execution methods required improvement.Twitter user the hazxman @hazxman said:
Syllabus yes, execution probably not, especially hard when covid hit. My daughter I feel is still delayed by at least a year in education experience. Not every kid could keep up during the times of online classrooms.
— the hazxman 🏴🇲🇾🏴 (@hazxman) February 19, 2023
He meant that he feels his daughter is lagging after taking online classes during the COVID-19 lockdowns.Meanwhile, some defend our education system, such as Twitter user @1Obefiend who noted:
She is correct. Try looking at the current KSSR. My daughter is in English/Bahasa stream where she can choose to learn in English. Her knowledge of science is amazing for an 8 year old. On par with my knowledge at 13. They already learn about substance in std 2 now. Amazing.
— Effi Saharudin ❄️ (@1Obefiend) February 19, 2023
Basically, many Malaysians agree that the local education standard has improved compared to a few decades ago.Nevertheless, in general, the syllabus offered in our education system is thought to be on par with that of other first-world countries.Netizens are claiming that the quality has improved further over the years, and while some do admit that certain schools lack some implementation, many are following the government’s guidelines. — Feb 19, 2023
Main photo credit: JUICEOnline.com
