Get rid of unnecessary subjects in varsities, says Syed Saddiq
Malaysia is getting a lower return on investment in education compared to many other countries, says Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
PETALING JAYA: It is time to revamp Malaysia’s education system by getting rid of unnecessary subjects in public universities as students here are falling behind those in other countries, says Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
The Muda president said it was worrying that education output in Malaysia was low despite Putrajaya spending relatively more on this sector in terms of gross domestic product compared to developed countries such as Singapore and Japan.
“A Malaysian graduate on average is seven years behind a graduate from Singapore.”
Syed Saddiq said Malaysian students who finished secondary school would take one to two years more to graduate from university with a degree compared to their counterparts in Singapore.
This was because pre-university steps like Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia, matriculation and A-levels would take two years while Singaporeans could go straight to university after secondary school.
“(So) the time taken for a Malaysian (secondary school) student to graduate is two years more than those in Singapore,” he said.
In an exclusive interview with FMT, Syed Saddiq said many students here were forced to take up subjects that were unrelated and unnecessary to their majors, such as Tamadun Islam dan Tamadun Asia, adding that this merely prolonged the graduating process.
“Why must I still study subjects related to my race, religion and nationality when I have already learned them for 18 years since primary school? Don’t treat university students as minors.
“If I’m expected to learn it again, that shows the country’s primary and secondary education have failed,” said the former youth and sports minister.
He said technical and vocational education and training (TVET) must also be empowered, with funding doubled for TVET institutions as achieving hard skills should be a main focus.
Meanwhile, Syed Saddiq said Malaysia should invest heavily in a greener economy as it was time for the country to move away from its current carbon-intensive structure.
“The country needs to invest in renewable energy and also allow for the export of renewable energy to neighbouring countries.”
The Muar MP also stressed the importance of protecting the country’s natural resources, pointing out that his party had mooted a policy to remove a menteri besar’s power to degazette a forest from being a reserve, giving it to the state assembly instead.
This would enhance transparency of the process.
Syed Saddiq said all these recommendations could bring value to the country and help move Malaysia forward.
PETALING JAYA: It is time to revamp Malaysia’s education system by getting rid of unnecessary subjects in public universities as students here are falling behind those in other countries, says Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
The Muda president said it was worrying that education output in Malaysia was low despite Putrajaya spending relatively more on this sector in terms of gross domestic product compared to developed countries such as Singapore and Japan.
“A Malaysian graduate on average is seven years behind a graduate from Singapore.”
Syed Saddiq said Malaysian students who finished secondary school would take one to two years more to graduate from university with a degree compared to their counterparts in Singapore.
This was because pre-university steps like Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia, matriculation and A-levels would take two years while Singaporeans could go straight to university after secondary school.
“(So) the time taken for a Malaysian (secondary school) student to graduate is two years more than those in Singapore,” he said.
In an exclusive interview with FMT, Syed Saddiq said many students here were forced to take up subjects that were unrelated and unnecessary to their majors, such as Tamadun Islam dan Tamadun Asia, adding that this merely prolonged the graduating process.
“Why must I still study subjects related to my race, religion and nationality when I have already learned them for 18 years since primary school? Don’t treat university students as minors.
“If I’m expected to learn it again, that shows the country’s primary and secondary education have failed,” said the former youth and sports minister.
He said technical and vocational education and training (TVET) must also be empowered, with funding doubled for TVET institutions as achieving hard skills should be a main focus.
Meanwhile, Syed Saddiq said Malaysia should invest heavily in a greener economy as it was time for the country to move away from its current carbon-intensive structure.
“The country needs to invest in renewable energy and also allow for the export of renewable energy to neighbouring countries.”
The Muar MP also stressed the importance of protecting the country’s natural resources, pointing out that his party had mooted a policy to remove a menteri besar’s power to degazette a forest from being a reserve, giving it to the state assembly instead.
This would enhance transparency of the process.
Syed Saddiq said all these recommendations could bring value to the country and help move Malaysia forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment