Education Leap Must Deliver Better Results - PM Anwar
PUTRAJAYA, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- The big leap initiative taken by the government through the introduction of a new national education blueprint must serve as a major wake-up call to drive meaningful change and better results, particularly in shaping students’ moral qualities, identity and sense of humanity, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said practices that undermine moral values in the education system, including bullying, must not be taken lightly, even if they involve only a small minority.
“We must have the same determination to fight bullying as we do corruption and drugs. It is a destructive practice that damages the identity and culture of a school,” he said at the launch of the National Education Blueprint (RPN) 2026-2035 here today.
Also present were Deputy Prime Ministers Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, as well as Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar was in attendance.
Anwar said education should not be confined to academic achievement alone, but must prioritise the development of human values that distinguish people from other beings.
“All forms of negligence and moral decay must be eradicated because we are educating human beings. Humans can be elevated to the best of character or sink to the lowest. That is why human values are fundamental to education,” he said.
As such, the Prime Minister called for the entire education ecosystem to be mobilised comprehensively, involving students, undergraduates, teachers, lecturers and education leadership to boost personal development, values, technology and capabilities in line with current demands.
Anwar said that although education portfolios are led by the education and higher education ministers, the responsibility for education actually rests with the entire Cabinet, including in national planning and budget allocation.
He noted that Malaysia allocates among the highest levels of public spending on education compared with many other countries, and that those allocations and assistance must be matched by improvements in quality and performance across the sector.
Under Budget 2026, the government allocated RM66.2 billion to the Education Ministry and RM18.6 billion to the Higher Education Ministry.
Meanwhile, Anwar said civil servants, including teachers and lecturers, are receiving salary adjustments this month, while students from Year One to Form Six are being given RM150 in cash assistance to support basic schooling needs.
Additional support includes book vouchers for university students and cash aid, including Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) assistance.
“These facilities and assistance must translate into better quality, not merely the maintenance of existing standards. If performance was previously a ‘C’, it should not remain a ‘C’ after support is given,” he added.
-- BERNAMA
