He said the main problem in Malaysia’s education system was not a lack of technology or infrastructure, but the declining passion among teachers who had become demotivated by excessive bureaucracy and unrealistic performance targets.

In August, deputy education minister Wong Kah Woh told the Dewan Rakyat that a loss of interest in teaching was cited by 67.44% of the 19,179 primary and secondary school teachers who opted for early retirement between 2022 and May this year.

“Teachers are burdened with too many tasks and KPIs. Their job is to teach, not to manage. That’s why many have lost their passion,” Akmal said during a roundtable discussion here.

“When those who teach lack passion, the students also stop feeling it from their teachers. Before we talk about AI, we must fix this,” he said.

Akmal, the Merlimau assemblyman, also urged the education ministry to engage directly with teachers and students instead of relying solely on reports from senior officers.

The discussion was joined by former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who said AI should be used to support teachers rather than replace them.

“AI can help teachers mark papers, personalise lessons, and handle administrative tasks… but there must always be a human being in the classroom,” he said.

Khairy also said the government did not need to implement major reforms when adopting AI as open-source tools were already available to assist teachers and reduce administrative burdens.

“There’s no excuse not to use them,” he said.

Last month, education minister Fadhlina Sidek said her ministry was finalising guidelines on AI literacy in schools.

In a written parliamentary reply, she said 26 primary and secondary schools had been identified for the implementation of an AI pilot project in classrooms.

She said findings from the pilot project would help the ministry determine the most suitable form of AI technology integration among students in Malaysia.