NILAI, July 17 — Malaysia’s education system must produce teachers who not only master emerging fields in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), such as artificial intelligence (AI), but are also grounded in ethics and human values, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
He said that in the face of rapid global change, education cannot simply continue with existing curricula and teaching methods but must remain dynamic to ensure the country does not fall behind in adopting new technologies.
However, he said that mastery of modern technology alone is insufficient unless it is balanced by the development of character, ethics, and human values among educators and students.
“As I put it, we must ‘reach for the skies while keeping our roots on the ground’, mastering new technologies without neglecting religion, culture, morality and human values.
“If we want to enhance the country’s capabilities, our first priority must be education, followed by the ability to quickly adapt to changes taking place around the world,” he said in his speech at the Temu Anwar programme with students and staff of the Teacher Education Institute, Technical Education Campus (IPGKPT) in Bandar Enstek today.
Also present were Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and IPGKPT director Kartini Abdul Mutalib.
The prime minister also warned that education would fail to achieve its true purpose if teachers or students were influenced by sentiments of hatred towards other races and religions.
Anwar said Malaysia’s multiracial society must strengthen understanding among different races and religions, as diversity should not become a cause for division.
“No country in the world, no matter how great, can remain secure by sowing seeds of racial or religious hatred. What must be upheld are human values.
“If we want to build this country, there must be tolerance, mutual respect and a commitment to upholding human values. Only then can we raise the quality of education and build a truly progressive society,” he said. — Bernama
