School timetable sets off Dr Mahathir’s plan to overhaul education system

KUALA LUMPUR — Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s grand plan to overhaul the education system was sparked by a school timetable, according to sources.

Just two weeks before making the announcement, the prime minister, studying a timetable, saw that a lot of time is allocated for religious studies, coming in third after Bahasa Malaysia and English, but indiscipline and low ethics remain rampant among Malaysians.

“He asked for the timetable before he went on his trip to Japan,” sources told The Malaysian Insight.

“And when he returned on Friday (Nov 9), he called Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik, and during their one-hour meeting, told him to ‘overhaul’ the school curriculum to produce citizens with good values, including good work ethics and integrity.

“Dr Mahathir was surprised as to why we still lack work ethics when we have ample time for religious studies in school.”

The prime minister told Dr Maszlee that he has long advocated schools teach high values and ethics from his days as education minister between 1974 and 1977.

Dr Mahathir expressed shock that the proposals were not followed through, and now wants to achieve them before the end of his life.

On Monday, during a high tea with the Malaysian diaspora in Singapore, the prime minister said he has tasked Dr Maszlee with overhauling the education system.

“The current education system is bad. It needs to be revolutionised. What they learn is not what they should learn.

“We need to change the curriculum and timetable for what they learn in school.”  

The following day, Dr Maszlee said the ministry will formulate a new curriculum, expected to be rolled out by the end of 2020 or early 2021.

It will be implemented in stages and based on recommendations by the Education Ministry’s policy committee and National Education Advisory Council (MPPK).

The ministry, policy committee and MPPK will meet Dr Mahathir soon to get his views on the matter, Maszlee said.

The ministry will place emphasis on anti-graft lessons in the revamped civics syllabus starting next year and such lessons will be introduced even in preschools so that Malaysians understand from an early age what constitutes bribery and corruption, he added. THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT