KUCHING: Children in Malaysia do not learn enough in school compared to the time they spend in school and the public education budget in Malaysia of about 3.2 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
This was one of the findings of a recent World Bank Report that Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap shared yesterday with the participants at a headmasters’ seminar here.
The “Competency Enhancement and Professionalism Seminar for Headmasters of National-Type Chinese Primary Schools (SJKC) in the Padawan District for the Year 2024”
took place at the school hall of SJKC Sam Hap Hin, Mile 7, Kota Sentosa.
Yap officiated at the event which was organised by the Padawan District National-Type Chinese Primary Schools Main Committee.
“The World Bank report also revealed that the percentage of students who cannot read at the end of Primary 5 in Malaysia is 42 per cent and this percentage is higher than in countries with the same gross national income (GNI), which is 34 per cent,” he added in his speech at the programme.
“The World Bank report also found that the average Malaysian child spends 12.5 years in school but learns the equivalent of only 8.9 years.
“By comparison, Vietnam, which is poorer than Malaysia and spends less on education as a share of GDP provides 10.7 years of learning for 12.9 years of schooling,” Yap said.
Kota Sentosa assemblyman added, ”The World Bank attributes low learning outcomes in Malaysia to inadequate early childhood education, inconsistent teacher readiness and commitment in primary schools and failure to implement teacher performance management according to policy guidelines.”
He said the World Bank report recommended improving the measurement of learning outcomes and teacher performance against global standards.
“Additionally, it emphasises evidence-based continuous professional development for teachers and the need for clear, actionable and beneficial teacher policies.
“The World Bank report on the state of education in Malaysia is clear evidence and proof that Sarawak must have its autonomy in education.
“The Sarawak government is working hard to regain our autonomy in shaping its education policies, especially on decisions involving school repairs,” he said.
Pointing out that there was still a lot of room for improving the quality of education in Sarawak, he requested for the cooperation and support from teachers to work diligently to uplift the education standard in the state and help Sarawak become a prosperous and high income region by 2030 as envisioned under the Post-COVID Development Strategy 2030.
He also pledged to give a Minor Rural Project (MRP) grant of RM10 million to the organisers for educational training programmes.
Yap also handed over his MRP grant of RM10 million to SJKC Sam Hap Hin, Batu 7, Kota Sentosa to support the school in its educational and sporting activities. The cheque was handed over to the headmaster of the school, Goh Wak Peng.
