Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin confessed that he was shocked with the recent revelation that Malaysian students performed poorly in international asessment tests, despite the millions of ringgit the Federal Government had pumped into improving the education system.
The Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) ranked Malaysian studentsw 52nd on a list of 65 countries. By contrast, Vietnam’s students were ranked 17th.
According to Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Malaysian students’ ranking in mathematics and science was similarly dismal; the country’s ranking in maths fell from 20th place in its rankings in 2007 to 26th in 2011, while in science studies, Malaysia fell from 21st in 2007 to 32nd in 2011.
“The issue that we are facing, not only the ministry but also as an education minister, is why our education system is not as advanced as developed countries despite the huge funds being pumped into the education sector,” Muhyiddin said today, as quoted by The Malaysian Insider.
“They (students) are smart, but when placed in international tests like TIMMS and Pisa, it is not a secret where we stand. The bottom one-third, not the top.
“I, as the education minister, am shocked at the report but I have to accept that the education standards, although said to be good, is not enough.”
This is the first time Muhyiddin has expressed his disapointment in the country’s education system in his capacity as Education Minister.
The drop in academic performance is in stark contrast to Putrajaya’s expenditure to develop Malaysia’s education system. In the last budget tabling in Parliament, education received the biggest allocation from the Federal Government – RM56 billion.
“We find that Malaysia invests a big portion, something like 21% of the federal budget, into education – for pre-school, primary and secondary as well as tertiary education,” Muhyiddin said.
“This is on par or even more than what some developed nations spend on education.
“It is bigger than developed nations, bigger than America. It is clear proof that if some parties accuse the Barisan Nasional government of not paying attention to education, it is a lie.”
He defended the gradual benefits of the Education Development Plan Malaysia 2013-2015 implemented under his supervision, and said that results from such projects would take time to appear.
“Who can wait for 12 years, that is quite a long time. But that is the reality because we cannot make drastic changes as there will be those who question why the new minister would want to change this and that.
“The change process is already happening, but there are parents who are unclear and we have organised seminars to bring understanding to them. There were questions when the PT3 was first introduced, they said their children’s results were not good.
“I urge the parents to be patient and understand our initiatives so that by this, we can identify students’ weaknesses and we improve on that. This is for the benefit of the country’s education system.”
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