She said Putrajaya also needed to look into revamping the education syllabus so it would be more industrial-oriented.
In acknowledging the need for such changes, Najib who was there for a social engagement with the public, said there was also the need to emphasise on thinking skills and prepare the younger generation for jobs that did not yet exist.
“It is a challenge. We want more data specialists and data professionals,” he said.
Education was among the five topics discussed in the 90-minute town hall meeting moderated by Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
Khairy said that through a recent engagement exercise conducted online, 70% of respondents were concerned about the state of the country’s education.
Other topics discussed last night touched on national identity and the rural development plan.
One participant who shared his thoughts on national identity, said more effort was needed to ensure Malaysians did not lose their sense of identity in the coming years.
“I would like to see more emphasis on national identity rather than ethnic identity,” said the participant who works in an oil and gas company.
“I agree that we need to strengthen our unity and national identity,” Najib replied, in agreement with the participant although the Prime Minister added that it would take more than one session to facilitate an in-dept discussion on the topic.
Najib also commended the younger generation for their concern over the environment and issues of transportation and connectivity.
“Today the journey begins. We are here to fight for the future of our younger generation. They will inherit a better Malaysia, that’s our pledge,” he told the crowd of 500.
Acknowledging that the people also wanted a good healthcare system and a better work-life balance, Najib added, “They want a quality of life that they can afford. All this will be included towards achieving TN50.”
Najib said due consideration would also be given to driving the new business sphere of digital economy.
“It’s the only sector that can produce double digit growth for the country,” he said, adding that innovation and creativity were prerequisites to ensure its success.
He also expressed his hope that Malaysia would become one of the Top 20 most successful nations in the world by 2050.
Khairy in ending the night on a lighter note, asked Najib whether it was realistic to hope that the national football team could also be among the Top 20 in the world by 2050. Malaysia is currently ranked 160.
“This (current ranking) is not acceptable. We need to do something about it,” Najib said in jest.