Malaysia is trailing different international locations in digitizing industries because of the Education Ministry’s out-of-place priorities, Tun Daim Zainuddin wrote these days. In an editorial for The Edge economic paper, the adviser to Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad bluntly stated Malaysia has not drawn close to the concept and significance of a knowledge-based economic system. “To take part in IR 4.0, we ought to go through a knowledge-based economic system, and here Malaysia has failed because the authorities, through the Ministry of Education, have now not got its priorities right. The ministry has to fail our kingdom now not,” he wrote.
Daim mentioned public discontent toward the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, whom he campaigned to position as a strength. He said the authorities’ monetary guidelines are useless without a sound training system, noting the “snail’s pace” in educational reform, which he pinned on the ministry helmed by Maszlee Malik.
“We are nonetheless arguing over whether or not we must educate Mathematics and Science in English, while the rest of the arena has launched into advanced curriculums that focus on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR four. Zero), so that it will make their youths greater aggressive and applicable, in an international that is going to be dominated via artificial intelligence and robotics,” he wrote. The former two-time finance minister’s caustic declaration on instructional priorities echoes the sentiment with the aid of every other close buddy of Dr. Mahathir, Country Heights govt director Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew, who advised the Education Ministry to make khat non-compulsory rather than obligatory for faculties amid public backlash, specifically from the non-Malay groups.
‘Them vs. us’
The 81-12 months-antique reiterated his call to turn off the modern-day pro-Bumiputera schooling guidelines and update them with a desires-based totally gadget. As a working example, Daim highlighted once more the loophole allowing well-to-do Malays to take advantage of limited public scholarships below Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) and access to Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) at the rate of poorer Bumiputera, which includes each urban and rural poor and from indigenous organizations. He claimed many properly-off Bumiputera have been abusing the rules to complement themselves.
“We have been robbing the terrible to uplift folks that do no longer deserve the guide similarly, and this widening of the education and income gap ought to end,” he said. He cited that some Bumiputera even resorts to racial fearmongering to maintain their perks. “Fearmongering is the simplest to inspire and continue this abuse. It’s time to forestall the ‘them as opposed to us’ rhetoric,” he stated. Venturing similarly, Daim wondered about the morality of instilling notions of racial superiority amongst youngsters by birthright.
“Is it moral to drill into students that different college students are not entitled to certain privileges simply due to the fact they may not be a positive race, although they are economically deprived? “Is it proper that you are taught to feel advanced because the language you are taught in is also the language of an economically effective kingdom?” he asked. He called for greater knowledge and empathy across the racial divide. Daim indicated that the “they, as opposed to us” mindset and fearmongering turned into prolonged to the manner Malaysians accuse foreigners of stealing jobs and work opportunities on the fee of locals.
He stated that Malaysians are increasingly being changed due to technological advancements. “While a few are busy blaming ‘others’ and foreigners for removing our jobs, the fact is that the era will most affect destiny employment, as robots replace human beings in menial obligations,” he stated.
He talked about the desire for Malaysians to increase their competencies, pronouncing technological advances that need to be seen positively because the World Economic Forum estimated the advent of 133 million jobs. “So the question is, ‘Are we in Malaysia equipped for this soar?’ Let’s be brutally honest right here ― we aren’t. In reality, we’re a long way from prepared. We are still playing catch up with IR four.0 education, while others are already gearing for the Fifth Industrial Revolution,” he said.
