As a result, he said Malaysian graduates are unable to compete with their overseas counterparts, who he said are “far ahead of us” in the job market.
Debating the 12th Malaysia Plan in the Dewan Rakyat today, the former youth and sports minister said the country’s education quality lagged behind regional neighbours despite higher spending.
Syed Saddiq said education expenditure in Malaysia made up 16% of the gross domestic product, which he said was the highest in the region. By comparison, Singapore spent 11% and Japan 7%.
“But the problem is in the quality of education. Research has shown we are still three years behind Singapore,” said the International Islamic University Malaysia graduate.
“I want to stress the situation in universities. In foreign countries, they need three to four years to complete a degree.
“In Malaysia, students have to do a foundation course for one or two years, which will mean they need six or seven years to get a degree. That is a long time. Why is it taking so long?”
Apart from benefiting from internships and work experience, Syed Saddiq said overseas students are also not bogged down by university classes “from morning till night” as in Malaysia. This has left students here with hardly any time to pursue other interests.
He added that reasons for the lengthy duration in degree courses include students having to take mandatory subjects like philosophy, ethnic relations and unity – all of which he felt could be reduced.
He also highlighted how certain private universities are not certified by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency but are still allowed to continue operations, resulting in their students being unable to secure jobs after they graduate.
On another matter, Syed Saddiq called for a committee to be formed to study pensions for elected representatives, pointing out how they gain separate pensions for holding different positions like assemblymen, senators or MPs.
He said discussions on this should be combined with that for a political funding act, stating that opposition MPs have had to use their own money to pay for officers and help their constituencies.
“If you’re an MP who has worked as an assemblyman, exco member or a minister, you have separate pensions. If you combine them, it can exceed RM100,000 a month if you have held several posts.
“The longer you serve, the greater your pension. There is incentive for MPs not to step down.
“Let’s also have an honest discussion on a political funding act. This discussion must take place as we cannot expect for the rakyat to tighten their belts, but we in Parliament or the government receive very lucrative salaries. It’s unfair to the rakyat.”