ISKANDAR PUTERI, May 9 — The Regent of Johor Tunku Mahkota Ismail today called on the federal government to make changes to the national education syllabus to ensure that Malaysians can be globally competitive.
He added that if changes cannot be implemented at the national level, Johor is prepared to be the first state to amend the syllabus for schools.
“I have often stressed on the importance of quality education to Johoreans, as it is the foundation of the state's progress.
“Having quality education will also pave the way for the next generation’s employment opportunities.
“I hope that the federal government will take a more proactive approach to improving the quality of the current education system,” he said in his maiden address to open the Johor legislative assembly in Kota Iskandar here.
Tunku Ismail said the federal government must accept the facts in the recent World Bank report on the state of the country’s education system.
“If we still cannot accept the facts as reported in the World Bank report, then we should not complain if the future generation will be less competitive than their peers,” he said.
The World Bank released its report titled ‘Bending Bamboo Shoots: Strengthening Foundation Skills’ on Malaysia’s education system on April 24 that painted a picture of concern.
It noted that despite significant government spending, Malaysian students were behind other countries in reading, Maths and Science subjects.
Tunku Ismail was appointed as the Johor Regent on November 22 and has been vested the powers of the acting sultan throughout the duration of Ruler Sultan Ibrahim’s role as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Sultan Ibrahim took his oath of office as the country’s King on January 31 for a five-year term.
