SRBJ Project Aligns With National School Reform Initiative Under RPN 2026–2035

By Hasnah Jusid and Nur Fatin Mohmad Kadenen

The Sekolah Rintis Bangsa Johor (SRBJ) project which began last year is seen as being in line with the National School Reform initiative under the Malaysian Education Blueprint (RPN) 2026-2035. This report is the final part of a five-part series examining the achievements, implementation and direction of the SRBJ in Johor.

JOHOR BAHRU, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- The Sekolah Rintis Bangsa Johor (SRBJ) project, which began last year, is seen as being aligned with the National School Reform initiative under the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2026–2035, particularly the initiative to select five National Primary Schools (SK) and five National Secondary Schools (SMK) in each District Education Office (PPD) as inspirational schools.

Professor at the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Prof Dr Fatin Aliah Phang, who has been directly involved in the development and monitoring of SRBJ since its early stages, said the reform approach introduced at the national level is fundamentally similar to what has already been implemented through SRBJ.

She said the main focus of the National School Reform initiative, which includes school management efficiency, infrastructure improvement, and the quality of Bahasa Melayu,, English and STEM education, mirrors the core pillars of SRBJ, except for the emphasis on Bahasa Melayu.

“This shows that the direction taken by the Ministry of Education (MOE) is aligned with what SRBJ has implemented in Johor. What SRBJ is doing is essentially the same approach. The difference is that SRBJ was implemented earlier and it does not change existing education policies,” she said in an interview with Bernama.

SRBJ was inspired in 2024 by Johor Regent Tunku Mahkota Ismail, focusing on English language proficiency without sidelining Bahasa Melayu   , mastery of STEM, employability, students’ character development, and competency-based student assessment with internationally benchmarked standards.

Four schools were selected as SRBJ starting from the 2025/2026 school session, namely Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Seri Kota Puteri 2 and Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Seri Kota Puteri 4 in Pasir Gudang, as well as SMK Tasek Utara and SK Tasek Utara in Johor Bahru, through collaboration with the Johor State Education Department.

Fatin Aliah said SRBJ was initiated earlier, even before the Ministry of Education announced the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2026–2035, thus placing the initiative one step ahead of national implementation.

Fatin Aliah , who is also a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, said, however, that the project remains fully within the framework of the National Education Policy, does not introduce a new stream, does not alter the national curriculum and does not affect the Education Act 1996.

“What differentiates SRBJ is the more comprehensive support such as infrastructure improvements, focused professional training for teachers, expert guidance and continuous monitoring. All of this is implemented without departing from the policy framework of the Ministry of Education,” she said.

Commenting on the effectiveness of SRBJ’s implementation, Fatin Aliah said positive impacts had begun to emerge as early as early 2025, when parents’ confidence in the schools involved showed a significant increase, with the momentum continuing into 2026.

“When parents see real changes in terms of school management, teaching quality and the learning environment, their confidence increases,” she said.

UTM, she said, plays a role as a strategic partner in terms of academic expertise, particularly in planning, training and monitoring implementation at the school level.

She said UTM lecturers are also directly involved in providing continuous guidance to teachers through classroom teaching and learning observations, evaluation of daily lesson planning and the provision of feedback for improvement.

She said all forms of support provided are aimed at strengthening the quality of teaching without affecting the existing education structure or policies.

To date, a total of 90 SRBJ teachers have been sent to undergo training at the National Institute of Education (NIE) in Singapore.

She said SRBJ can be seen as an early reference for efforts to strengthen national schools, and as an example of how structured implementation support can have a positive impact on the education system.

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi previously said that overall, the SRBJ project involves an allocation of RM54 million, with RM31.22 million allocated for Phase One and RM22.78 million for Phase Two, covering infrastructure upgrading works and the implementation of high-impact education modules.

Onn Hafiz said the initiative proves that daily schools are capable of achieving high-level excellence through structured planning and focused implementation, and is evidence of the state government’s commitment to ensuring quality education is enjoyed by all students, while positioning Johor as a leader in high-performing daily school education.

-- BERNAMA