RM67 Billion Needed For Education Under 13MP – PM Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 (Bernama) -- A total of RM67 billion will be allocated for the education sector under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), including building new schools, repair and upgrade school buildings, KEMAS kindergartens, facilities and amenities of public higher education institutions.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the construction of schools would also be made a condition for Planning Permission for new large-scale housing projects while the construction of vertical schools would be expanded to address the issue of student density and the lack of suitable school sites.

“The government is determined to ensure that the enrolment rate of pre-school and secondary school students reaches 98 per cent, which is above the universal enrolment rate.

“For the record, by 2025, the government has upgraded 1,200 dilapidated schools nationwide,” he said when tabling the 13th MP at Dewan Rakyat here, today.

Meanwhile, he said the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) which is the main benchmark at national level will continue to be used to assess the effectiveness of the education system’s policies, curriculum and pedagogical approaches.

Anwar said the quality of the country’s education at the same time would be improved to be at the international average level based on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessments to ensure the education system remains competitive and relevant.

“To improve educational outcomes, the government is moving towards making pre-school compulsory starting at the age of five. At the same time, more preschool facilities in schools managed by the Ministry of Education (MOE) will be provided, especially in rural areas.

“The government will also conduct a review of optimal school hours, evaluate the effectiveness of special schools and improve the education model for gifted and talented students,” he said.

He said focus would also be given to strengthening the mastery of the Malay language at all levels, in addition to making English part of the language of learning and communication, while additional language learning would also be expanded.

“Emphasis would also be given to strengthening STEM education and digital literacy, including the introduction of AI basics to produce a generation that is ready to meet the demands of the high-value future job market,” he said.

He said the national education system would also be streamlined to be more integrated, effective and responsive to future challenges and for this, the MOE would be fully responsible for regulating preschool to secondary education.

For pre-university and higher education, Anwar said it would be coordinated by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) with the aim of clarifying jurisdiction and improving policy and implementation efficiency.

-- BERNAMA