By Danial Dzulkifly
SHAH ALAM, Dec 5 — The national education system needs an urgent and complete overhaul to produce globally competitive workers, said former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Muhammad Ibrahim.
The Universiti Selangor (Unisel) pro-chancellor said there is a critical need for structural reforms, particularly decentralisation, that would grant more autonomy to local schools and educators to address specific educational challenges.
“A decentralised education system is beneficial. The centralised system hinders innovation, competition, and promotes mediocrity across the system. Let the states, parents and teachers manage their education; they should know what needs to be taught and what is best.
“Implementing a decentralised system will allow for more autonomy for local schools and teachers to make decisions based on specific surveys.
“It enables faster and more dynamic responses to educational challenges, while empowering principals and parents to manage schools during their scheduled periods,” he said in his lecture at the Dialog Shah Alam event at Unisel here today.
[caption id="attachment_382322" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Bank Negara Malaysia ex-governor Tan Sri Muhammad Ibrahim delivers a lecture during the Dialog Shah Alam event, held at Universiti Selangor’s Shah Alam campus, on December 5, 2024. — Picture by NUR ADIBAH AHMAD IZAM/MEDIA SELANGOR[/caption]
Another reform Muhammad proposed was a multilingual approach to education. He advocated moving beyond the traditional Malay-English debate and opt for a curriculum that incorporates multiple languages, including Mandarin and Arabic.
“We should not be overly sensitive about language, and instead view it as a tool for acquiring knowledge,” he said, stressing the importance of language skills in enhancing global competitiveness.
“The world has changed, and we need to change with it. We (should) implement the trilingual programme in the curriculum, along with one additional language. Teach our children to speak multiple languages fluently.”
Further reforms that must be implemented, said Muhammad, are a simplification of the curriculum to reduce student overload, promotion of global knowledge, and the introduction of robust critical thinking skills.
“Curricular reform requires significant changes. Reduce complexity and promote a deeper understanding of global events, especially in technology, politics and finance. We must teach history in a way that fosters critical thinking and an inclusive understanding of our country,” he said.
Muhammad also emphasised the importance of continuous professional development for teachers and advocated for allocating more resources to support them, ensuring they have the tools and knowledge to adapt to the evolving education landscape.
The second edition of Dialog Shah Alam was held today, with the first edition held in 2019. It was halted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Also present at the event was Selangor Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari, state executive councillor for Islam and innovation Dr Fahmi Ngah, Darul Ehsan Institute executive director Prof Emeritus Datuk Mohammad Redzuan Othman, and Selangor Research Institute director Ammar Gazali.
