Wish list for the Education Minister

• Main Author: Lee, Julia Ai Cheng
• Format: Newspaper Clipping
• Language: English
• Published: The Star 2018
• Subjects: L Education (General)
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/28469/1/wish-list-education-minister; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/28469/; https://www.nst.com.my/education/2018/06/384582/wish-list-education-minister

WITH the change of the government from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Harapan after the recent 14th General Election, the nation saw the formation of a new cabinet lineup. Dr Maszlee Malik was appointed as Malaysia’s Minister of Education after Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad vacated the post just one day after taking it. And the Education Ministry and Higher Education Ministry have merged into one. Maszlee joined Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia on March 12 this year and was elected as Simpang Renggam Member of Parliament after he won his seat in the general election. –– ADVERTISEMENT –– A former lecturer at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Maszlee has written a book on Islamic governance published by Routledge. He pursued a major in Islamic Studies in Jordan and University of Malaya, and has a doctoral degree in Public Policy Studies from the University of Durham, England. The 44-year-old was an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at IIUM and is adviser to civil society groups such as Ikram, IDEAS Autism Centre and Down’s Syndrome Educational Centre. Johor Baru-born Maszlee has been reported as saying that he would like better education for the less fortunate and equal opportunities for everyone. In his quest to improve the education system since his appointment, he said more efforts would be put into introducing additional languages in national schools to increase the number of students with multi-language skills and lightened the burden of school teachers. Maszlee said he is inspired to build a loving environment for teachers and students where there is respect for each other, regardless of race and faith. “The culture of respect for one another is not being discussed in the learning process. We want the education institution to instil good values, making it a way of life within five years,” he said in an interview with a local news agency. The Education Development Plans 2013-2025 and 2015-2025 (Higher Education) will be continued as the proposals can improve the country’s international standing in education. Higher Ed spoke to educationists and students to get their views on improving the education system.