KUCHING, July 30 — The government intends to have more Trust Schools across the country in a bid to improve the performance of students at national schools.

Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik said the Trust School Programme was a specific initiative to improve the quality in education delivery, as well as to realise the national education mission in the government’s effort to bridge the gap in society.

He said the initiative was also aimed at improving the administrative network between premier and underprivileged schools and encouraging teachers to be more innovative in bringing improvements.

"The schools should also play a role in creating a new culture that is more positive for the benefit of the students,” he said through a speech texts read by his special advisor, Wan Saiful Wan Jan, at the opening of the 2018 Trust Schools Conference themed "Transformation Over Boundaries” here today.

Dr Maszlee said he understood that trust schools used the whole school improvement approach as an education transformation strategy which applied the best practices in management and leadership and pedagogy in learning.

"It is an effort to produce superior human capital through an active, meaningful learning environment. In this regard, I urge other private organisations to respond to the government’s call to participate in the multiple-impact education development in the country,” he said.

The trust school programme was created through a collaboration between the Daily School Management Division of the Ministry of Education and Amir Foundation, as well as several other sponsors, in a bid to reform the education in the country.

The programme was introduced in 2010, which saw public schools (government schools or government grants) being jointly managed by the school administrator and a qualified private sector partner, which is Amir Foundation established by Khazanah Nasional Berhad.

At present, 83 trust schools have been established nationwide. — Bernama