KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 — The second day of debates on the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) in the Dewan Rakyat today was dominated by education reform, with many MPs urging the government to introduce new policies and strengthen the existing education structure for the next five years.
Among the proposals raised was the introduction of a dedicated preschool education Act to streamline the early childhood education system, which is currently managed by government agencies, the private sector, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The proposer, Ampang MP Rodziah Ismail, said it was time for the Education Ministry (MOE) to review the current framework so that preschools could be coordinated systematically under a single legal framework.
“We have agencies such as Kemas (the Community Development Department), Abim (the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement), and many others running preschools, with some NGOs registered without proper oversight,” she said during the debate.
Meanwhile, Hulu Selangor MP Mohd Hasnizan Harun proposed reinstating the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Pentaksiran Tingkatan Tiga (PT3) examinations to provide students with clear direction and defined goals.
He said the absence of such assessment systems had led to claims that students were losing direction and motivation, while parents and teachers now found it difficult to gauge their children’s performance levels.
Other MPs who raised issues concerning the education sector included Seputeh MP Teresa Kok Suh Sim, Pokok Sena MP Datuk Ahmad Saad @ Yahaya, and Sri Gading MP Aminolhuda Hassan.
The matter also drew the attention of Sabah and Sarawak representatives, among them Sri Aman MP Datuk Seri Doris Sophia Brodi, who stressed the need to bridge the education gap between regions, and build more fully residential schools and vocational colleges in rural areas.
Citing her constituency as an example, she said Sri Aman still lacked a fully residential school, which was important to give rural students opportunities on par with other areas.
Bullying in fully residential schools also came under sharp scrutiny as MPs raised concerns over student safety.
Kinabatangan MP Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin urged the MOE to adopt a new approach in tackling the growing problem of bullying in schools, particularly in fully residential institutions.
Such incidents are alarming not only because they compromised student safety, but also left many parents traumatised and fearful of sending their children to these schools.
“Whether it is religious, vocational or national secondary schools, bullying remains a problem. Students go there to learn, yet we hear of cases where they are killed.
“The MOE must explore new ways to address this issue because, in Sabah, many parents are now too fearful to send their children to boarding schools,” he said.
On a related note, others including Kudat MP Datuk Verdon Bahanda and Padang Besar MP Rushdan Rusmi extended their condolences to the family of Form One student the late Zara Qairina Mahathir, who died on July 16 in a case linked to alleged bullying.
The sitting resumes tomorrow.
