Datuk Seri Abdul Ghafar Mahmud
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 will encapsulate quality and the holistic empowerment of teachers, students and the education system itself.
Education director-general Datuk Seri Abdul Ghafar Mahmud said the final report of the blueprint has been concluded and will be launched on Sept 6.
He said the blueprint, which was minutely drawn up based on each phase of study conducted at selected schools and sections in the education sector by the ministry, is set to bring about remarkable improvements to the country’s education system. “Based on the nationwide dialogue on education since April, the ministry has conceptualised and drawn up the education development plan for the Malaysian Education Blueprint.”
Based on trial runs and experiments conducted in multiple phases, he said the blueprint is a wholesome combination of a holistic and effective plan to achieve the desired transformation in the country’s education system.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Education Minister, will launch the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
On Sept 11 last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched the early report of the Malaysia Education Blueprint, which focuses on six pupil attributes – knowledge, thinking skills, leadership, bilingual proficiency, ethics and national identity – that can be achieved through various approaches depending on the pupil’s standards and capabilities.
“Experts from various fields including Unesco, have complimented the blueprint. So far it has been well received and complimented based on the outcome and success of its trial runs conducted in various fields. We believe that it would similarly be accepted by others,” he said.
Abdul Ghafar said apart from the recommendation from the trial runs conducted by the ministry, the Education Ministry has also considered 153 suggestions from various non-governmental organisations, associations, institutions, educationists, and the public, including students.
The recommendations were submitted during the three-month National Dialogue on Education, an initiative by the government to gather suggestions from stakeholders on a large scale on ways to enhance the education system.
Abdul Ghafar said the final report would be followed by the formulation and development of the new education strategic plan.
“The ministry will also evaluate and conduct more studies upon the implementation of the 11 initiatives at each stage, to see its effectiveness, acceptance and learn of the challenges, which might crop up as the time goes,” he said.
Among the fields emphasised in the blueprint are teachers, school leaders, school quality, curriculum and assessment, command of multiple languages, post secondary education opportunities, parents and communities, resource efficiency and effectiveness as well as education delivery system.
25 initiatives under the First Wave (2013 to 2015)
1. Transformation of vocational education including collaboration between vocational schools and related industries.
2. Streamlining education curriculum in line with international standards.
3. Improving teaching skills in International Teaching Trends for Mathematics and Science (TIMSS) and Assessment of International Student Programme (Pisa).
4. Expansion of Linus 2.0 to cover English literacy.
5. Improvement of English language proficiency amongst language teachers.
6. Introduction of a Teacher Charter that includes career package and competency assessment instrument.
7. Implementation of Continuous Professionalism Development master plan.
8. Introduction of a Principal Charter that includes career paths and new offers.
9. District Transformation Programme which includes School Improvement Programme and High Performance Schools (SIP+ and SISC+).
10. Re-branding of Matriculation and Form Six.
11. Increase in enrolment of an Inclusive Education Programme and infrastructure for special needs students.
12. Providing 1BestariNet and software for schools.
13. Education data integration to produce a single data system to improve the Dashboard system.
14. Implementation of Outcome Based Budget.
15. Restructuring of the Education Ministry’s Organisation.
16. Strengthening of Islamic, Moral and Civic curriculum.
17. Revamp and branding of the programme to improve student integration and unity (Rimup).
18. Increase in enrolment in quality preschools.
19. Implementation of HOTS in the curriculum to create analytical and thinking students.
20. Transformation of teacher training institutes.
21. Implementation of programme to encourage parents, community and private sector involvement.
22. Review of teacher-student ratio for skills training.
23. Development and launch of portal and online eGuru video library.
24. Redistribution and reduction of wastage of RM1 billion for schools.
25. Improving basic infrastructure (water, electricity, classrooms and toilets).