It will also work towards improving students’ achievements in preparation for the next programme for international student assessment (Pisa), she said.

The 2022 Pisa report highlighted Malaysia’s decline in reading, mathematics, and science, compared to the scores obtained in 2018.

Fadhlina said several factors contributed to the decline in the students’ performance including prolonged school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the effects of multidimensional poverty, such as lack of devices, limited internet access, and opportunities for education.

“All these issues have been addressed and they will continue to be addressed through the launch of the digital education policy,” she said after attending the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding between the Selangor Technical Skills Development Centre and the ministry.

Fadhlina said the ministry’s initiatives encompassed literacy and numeracy programmes.