EDUCATION EVERYWHERE: One of the more noteworthy achievements of the Education NKRA has been its commitment to provide equal access to education for every Malaysian child.
Education NKRA raises nation’s pre-school enrolment rate to 77.2 per cent and Literacy and Numeracy rates to 97.5 and 98.6 per cent respectively
Education is at the core of a nation’s development. It is the catalyst in preparing a generation of people for the globalised future. As Malaysia aims to become a developed and high income nation by 2020, the Government Transformation Programme’s (GTP) Education National Key Results Area (NKRA) under the able guidance of the Ministry of Education has put into motion a plan of action to meet this objective, by ensuring that the very foundation of education is addressed from the pre-school stage.
NKRA specific goals
The objectives of the NKRA were to increase pre-school enrolment, ensuring all children have acquired basic numeracy and literacy skills after 3 years of primary-level education, developing High Performing Schools and to significantly improve the performance of head teachers and principals via performance management.
The Education NKRA’s ambitious goals to raise the bar of excellence in the overall education system, has been an arduous but rewarding passage. Addressing the myriad of challenges faced at pre-school, primary and secondary levels and providing an equal platform of education opportunities to all Malaysians, the role of the NKRA is indeed a critical one.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Minister of Education said: “We have met more than our fair share of challenges, such as the disparity between rural and urban schools, along the way in rolling out the programmes under the Education NKRA. The lessons we have learned have only made us more determined to push our transformational efforts forward to solidify our foundation and create a generation of people who are able compete effectively in the 21st century workplace.”
Encouraging results
Two years on, the results have been encouraging and laudable. In 2011, 3,089 pre-school classes were built, with enrolment rates now standing at 77.2 per cent as compared to 72.4 per cent in 2010. Literacy and numeracy rates among Year 2 students reached 97.5 and 98.6 per cent respectively while the number of High Performing Schools increased from 20 in 2010 to 52 last year.
The Education NKRA also successfully rolled out new initiatives which improved the overall administrative function of the education system. For the first time, a national pre-school information system – Sistem Maklumat Prasekolah Kebangsaan or SMPK – was developed to collate data on pre-schools and students enrolled in pre-schools in the 4+ and 5+ age group.
In addition, an instrument to identify children with learning disability symptoms was developed and a total of 3,916 students were identified at the Primary 2 level. One of the more noteworthy achievements of the Education NKRA has been its commitment to provide equal access to education for every Malaysian child.
SeDidik
SeDidik, an organisation under the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), is a programme that has facilitated and co-ordinated effective actions for education for rural children living in East Malaysia.
With the assistance of the Ministry Of Education, SeDidik built 12 pre-school centres in 2010. Last year, 30 villages, including longhouse communities, were identified to participate in this programme. As a result, a total of 2, 285 children were able to attend nursery school and gain a pre-school education.
Children in rural Sabah have also been helped under a similar initiative. The Sabah Pre-School Foundation Programme has successfully set up 17 pre-school centres in remote areas with 27 teachers and an enrolment of approximately 200 children.
Tadika Wawasan Ranau (Sabah) Principal San Yuk Ching said: “In the beginning many of them didn’t know how to use a pencil or socialise or use the toilet. We have adopted the learning and playing style of teaching and seen encouraging growth in the children as the months go by.
Aside from addressing the needs of pre-school education, the aim of the Education NKRA was also to identify and develop a cohesive framework that would provide support to the educators in the country’s school systems.
School Improvement Programme (SIP)
With this in mind, the School Improvement Programme (SIP) was developed. It aims to transform every school, especially under performing schools into excellent educational institutions. Under this programme, a centralised data collection system and self- help tool called the School Improvement Toolkit (SIT) assists head teachers to keep track of school performance and identify challenges faced. The SIT then lends support for head teachers to prioritise, plan and allocate resources more effectively resulting in a more motivated and well-organised teaching community.
The SIP is tied in with the New Deals programme, where schools were categorised into 7 different bands, with Band 1 being the best performing schools, and Band 7 being the lowest performing schools. Support and service lines to lift performance and motivate personnel were developed for schools in Band 6 and 7 to reduce the gap between the top performing schools and the lowest performing ones. In 2011, there was a 40.25 per cent decrease in Band 6 and 7 schools while Band 1 and 2 schools saw an increase of 21.86 per cent.
Long-term plans
A comprehensive plan to address better the framework of special education programmes is also in the pipeline. The plan will address the needs of teachers, parents and children with special needs to integrate into an assisted school system.
While much has been achieved, the work is far from over. For 2012, the Education NKRA goals have been raised to include a further increase in pre-school enrolment, create more High Performing Schools and introduce targeted intervention programmes to further train and motivate teachers to achieve a
greater standard of accomplishment.
Muhyiddin added: “As we move forward, our focus remains on building a globally competitive Malaysia by continuously raising standards of education and improving teaching delivery methods. Our objective is to produce a community of independent and creative thinkers who will effectively engage and participate in the workforce of tomorrow.”