PEKAN, Jan 15 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the people must adapt to the changes in the field of education.

In this regard, he said they must desire to pursue knowledge and skills to the highest level in order to achieve self-actualisation.

For example, he said, it was no longer enough to study and become a doctor but to strive higher and become a medical specialist.

He said during the post-independence era, being an ordinary doctor might have been sufficient.

"But now we have more than 20 public institutions of higher learning and hundreds of private education institutions. So having a first class degree nowadays is no longer sufficient,” he said.

He also stressed on education and knowledge as being the fundamentals for the self, race, and country to progress and sustain a civilisation.

"If a civilisation depends only on its military strength, it would not sustain. But it will go a long way if it relies on education and knowledge.

"So if we dream big for our nation and children, we must translate it into commitment in education,” he said.

Najib noted that the present concept of education had changed in that it began much earlier even before preschool, while the child is still in the womb, where its parents ensured that it gets the best nutrients for its mental growth.

He also said it was important to diligently follow the changes and development in education, including to "think out of the box” in regard to new employment opportunities that do not yet.

"A job that is seen as relevant and where there is a market for it presently may not be so in future. How far can we prepare today’s generation for jobs that are yet non-existent?

"For example, data scientist or data analyst, because these fields are of the new world… digital world which will be our new dimension,” he said.

Najib who is also Pekan member of parliament expressed his pride in the educational achievement of the district which can be regarded as an ‘education valley’ for its higher learning centres such as Universiti Malaysia Pahang and DRB-HICOM’s International College of Automotive (ICAM).

He was speaking at the presentation of academic excellence prizes and ‘back to school’ aid for his constituency here today.

One hundred and forty-six pupils who achieved excellence in their UPSR received RM200 each while 61 students who scored in the PT3 received RM250 and acknowledgement certificates as Pahang Foundation Excellent Students.

Five rural schools received the PT32016 secondary school special award and RM2,000 cash each.

Yayasan Pahang’s strategic partner Asia Foundation through its trustee, International Institute of Public Policy and Management also handed 6,000 books worth RM1.2 million to 74 schools in Pekan. — Bernama