"Why Are We Still Behind?" – Syed Saddiq Says M'sia Lags Behind SG By 3 Years In Education
Statistically, 15-year-old Malaysians fall below the global average median in multiple academic subjects.
Muar member of parliament (MP) Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman brought up the issue of the Malaysian education system trailing behind Singapore's by three years in Dewan Rakyat this morning, 15 February
According to Malay Mail, the MUDA president quoted the Programme for International Student Assessments (PISA) statistics, saying that the Malaysian education system is in dire straits.
"A 15-year-old Malaysian student's understanding of mathematics and science is on the same level as a 12-year-old Singaporean student," Syed Saddiq claimed.
The 2018 PISA report indicated that 15-year-old Malaysian students fall below the global average median in academic performance for multiple subjects, such as reading literacy, mathematics, and science.
Syed Saddiq elaborated that many Malaysian middle-class families would prefer to shell out more money to send their children to private institutions, indicating the nation's lack of confidence in government schools.
He also said that Malaysian teachers are forced to juggle multiple hats and are unable to put their full focus and energy into teaching students, causing the education quality to dip.
2018 PISA report indicating where 15-year-old Malaysian students fell in terms of educational performance compared to the international average median.
The former Youth and Sports minister went on to highlight actions that the education system needs to undertake in order to improve
For starters, Syed Saddiq said that the class gap between the rich and poor needs close, and accessibility to quality education has to be available to all economic classes in Malaysia.
He also said that the local syllabus is in need of an update.
"They (teachers) also have to ensure that the syllabus system follows the modernisation of global civilisation."
"Therefore, we need to [be bold enough] to think outside the box and we need to have the moral and political courage to overhaul our education system," he added.
Image via Utusan Malaysia
Last year, a Malaysian father compared the Standard One syllabus in Malaysia and the US, and the differences were glaring:
On the other hand, Malaysians have also argued over primary school questions that seemed like they are too hard for kids:
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