Teo Kok Seong, a former member of MPPK, said the inclusion of people from different backgrounds, such as businessmen, academics and civil society activists, would provide the government with various perspectives on educational reforms.
“And that is not a bad thing,” he told FMT. “It’s important to note that those appointed to the MPPK have made their mark in their respective fields, so we should give them time to show what they can do.”
Former senior civil servant Ramon Navaratnam said the new members were not only qualified and experienced, but also professionals who have no vested political interests.
“It’s good to see the council includes people like former education director-general Wan Mohd Zahid Mohd Noordin and Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim who will surely push for the strengthening of English, Science and Mathematics,” said Ramon, who heads the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute’s Centre for Public Policy Studies.
But he said the council could still consider more members to include educationists from Chinese and Tamil schools.
Other members of the council include Yong Poh Kon, chairman of pewter maker Royal Selangor, military officer Brig-Gen Yusri Anwar, Khazanah Nasional education adviser Satinah Syed Saleh, as well as academics Sukiman Sarmani and Ruzita Mohd Amin.
Activist Dzameer Dzulkifli, who co-founded Teach for Malaysia, said he was “excited” with the new team, especially with Noor Azimah and Yong in the line-up.
He said both had been giving constructive criticisms of the country’s education system.
Dzameer said the challenge now was to “radically reimagine” the learning system for the child.
“I’d like to advocate for the council to truly listen and hear what students want in education.”
Vocal retired army officer Mohamed Arshad Raji also welcomed the new line-up, in particular the inclusion of Yusri.
Arshad, who heads the National Patriots Association, said the contributions of a person like Yusri, who comes from a military background, was critical in addressing issues such as bullying and discipline.