Othman Talib, a lecturer at UCSI University, said under the present system, schools often had to wait for ministry circulars, “even on matters like the wearing of sports attire”.
He was referring to a recent announcement by education minister Fadhlina Sidek, who said her ministry would issue a circular on the wearing of sports attire to school for the 2024/2025 session.
A “middle-out” approach, on the other hand, would give schools more autonomy, he said.
Speaking to FMT, he cited the practice in some countries where schools manage their own resources, oversee their teaching force, develop curricula and assessments, and select the courses and textbooks that best fit their needs.
He said increased autonomy should be accompanied by an accountability mechanism that holds schools responsible for student performance.
His comments come on the back of the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) 2022 report, which found that schools with greater autonomy tend to exhibit better average mathematics performance.
Acknowledging Malaysia’s drop in Pisa scores, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday that the country could not be in denial about the state of its education system.
He also dismissed the “excuse” of the Covid-19 outbreak, saying the pandemic was not exclusive to Malaysia.
Small and Medium Enterprises Association chairman William Ng said the current education system revolves around rote learning, or memorisation based on repetition.
He said that graduates too accustomed to rote learning were unable to cope with industry standards.
“(They) score well in exams but are unable to cope with industry expectations of skills and temperament,” Ng told FMT, adding that this had hindered the country’s advancement of knowledge.
Malaysian Employers Federation president Syed Hussain Syed Husman agreed, emphasising the role of industry players in education.
He added that poorly designed education policies have a negative impact on the local talent pool.
He also advocated the involvement of industry players in designing academic modules, citing their knowledge of the skills required in the job market.
“What we need is current and relevant knowledge to be taught to our students – knowledge that aligns with the demands of the job market and which is not just theoretical,” he told FMT.