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Daily Express
7 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Express
Over 2,000 headmasters attend education convention
Published on: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jul 22, 2025 By: Marutin Ansiung Text Size: Dr Mohd Azam in a group photo with some of the leaders of the National PGBM. Kota Kinabalu: Over 2,000 school leaders comprising headmasters from across the nation attended the 29th Education Convention and 3rd Persatuan Guru Besar Malaysia (PGBM) Delegates Conference held at the Sabah International Convention Centre, here. The three-day convention aimed to facilitate knowledge sharing from the Ministry of Education sector to strengthen leadership in primary schools for implementing new education development policies and plans. Education Director-General Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad, in his opening address, pointed out the role of headmasters as leaders and drivers who must understand policies and implement them with full trust and integrity as proactive civil servants bringing school reforms to ensure children's rights to quality education are protected. 'When headmasters are at their respective schools, they come to work, not just go to work. They should bring waves of quality education to students, working with teacher organisations to focus especially on resolving literacy and numeracy issues,' he said. He noted that the Ministry of Education is preparing the Education Development Plan 2026-2035, which will be implemented at all levels including schools, with only strategic plans at ministry and department levels, while District Education Offices will prepare tactical plans and schools will handle operational plan implementation to be translated in classrooms. National PGBM President Marzilaini Muhamad said headmasters throughout Malaysia continuously strive to ensure excellent and effective leadership quality among school leaders through various approaches, smart sharing and jointly achieving government policies, particularly the new Education Development Plan. Meanwhile, Sabah PGBM President Datuk Nordin Mohd Taip said the convention, hosted by Sabah for the first time is a historic milestone as the largest gathering of school leaders ever held, achieving goals in advancing education through sharing ideas, experiences and solutions to various issues related to teacher welfare and school leadership. Key issues raised included the genuine grade promotion for headmasters from DG44 to DG48 and proposals to increase headmaster responsibility allowances from RM200 to RM500 and senior assistant allowances from RM60 to RM200, which were submitted to the government through the ministry. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Sun
28-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
‘Stem decline of patriotism in youths'
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia risks becoming a fragmented society if the national education system fails to urgently address the declining sense of patriotism and unity among its youth, warned Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) senior lecturer Dr Anuar Ahmad. Reflecting on a recent online forum on patriotism hosted by UKM's Minda platform, Anuar said both panellists, former Mubarak president Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Rahman and historian Dr Sahul Hamid, agreed that patriotism in Malaysia today is worryingly low. 'If people have lost their pride in the country and no longer see the nation as a vital part of their lives, we risk weakening our nation-building process,' said Anuar. He said when citizens no longer feel connected to the nation emotionally or ideologically, the foundations of the country become vulnerable to disruption, with apathy towards laws, the monarchy and national identity. Citing figures from the Education Ministry's 2024 Education Development Plan, Anuar questioned the high equality index reported among students and teachers, with a score of 8.10 on average, deemed 'very satisfactory'. 'We are told that our education equality index is very high. But these numbers are difficult to interpret without knowing how the data was collected, the methodology used, or whether it was independently verified. 'A school with 99% Malay teachers will naturally report strong intra-community ties but that's not the same as national integration or equality across diverse groups.' He pointed out that this disparity between official data and ground reality is part of a deeper problem, where education policy does not reflect the socio-political and cultural fragmentation that exists. Anuar highlighted the increasing complexity of Malaysia's schooling landscape encompassing national, vernacular, international, religious and private schools, which has led to what he terms 'super diversity'. 'International schools in Malaysia now have more local students than foreign ones. This extreme diversity in our education system is a major challenge to building a common national identity.' While acknowledging that vernacular schools are protected by law and institutions, Anuar argued that the challenge is not their existence but how the nation manages diversity to produce a generation that is patriotic. 'We must ask ourselves how we can ensure that our children feel love and loyalty for the country when they grow up so separated by language, curriculum and school culture.' He criticised current educational priorities that focus primarily on exam results and individual success, sidelining national values like patriotism and unity. 'For years, our education discourse has revolved around academic achievement and teacher workloads, but rarely have we asked how education builds a strong, united nation.' Calling for a bold reset in the next national education blueprint, he proposed that patriotism, unity and self-worth be embedded not just in the curriculum but also in co-curricular activities and policies. 'We are starting a new education development plan. This is our opportunity. If we fail to strengthen these values now, in 10 years we may find ourselves with a generation that is technically skilled but emotionally detached from the nation. 'Our children are growing up in silos – Chinese schools with one ethos, religious schools with another. If we don't build a shared patriotic foundation, we risk becoming strangers in our own country.' Anuar urged educators and the government to treat patriotism and national unity as urgent priorities, not as an afterthought.
The Sun
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
UKM's Dr. Anuar Ahmad warns of declining patriotism in youth
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia risks becoming a fragmented society if the national education system fails to urgently address the declining sense of patriotism and unity among its youth, warned Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) senior lecturer Dr Anuar Ahmad. Reflecting on a recent online forum on patriotism hosted by UKM's Minda platform, Anuar said both panellists, former Mubarak president Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Rahman and historian Dr Sahul Hamid, agreed that patriotism in Malaysia today is worryingly low. 'If people have lost their pride in the country and no longer see the nation as a vital part of their lives, we risk weakening our nation-building process,' said Anuar. He said when citizens no longer feel connected to the nation emotionally or ideologically, the foundations of the country become vulnerable to disruption, with apathy towards laws, the monarchy and national identity. Citing figures from the Education Ministry's 2024 Education Development Plan, Anuar questioned the high equality index reported among students and teachers, with a score of 8.10 on average, deemed 'very satisfactory'. 'We are told that our education equality index is very high. But these numbers are difficult to interpret without knowing how the data was collected, the methodology used, or whether it was independently verified. 'A school with 99% Malay teachers will naturally report strong intra-community ties but that's not the same as national integration or equality across diverse groups.' He pointed out that this disparity between official data and ground reality is part of a deeper problem, where education policy does not reflect the socio-political and cultural fragmentation that exists. Anuar highlighted the increasing complexity of Malaysia's schooling landscape encompassing national, vernacular, international, religious and private schools, which has led to what he terms 'super diversity'. 'International schools in Malaysia now have more local students than foreign ones. This extreme diversity in our education system is a major challenge to building a common national identity.' While acknowledging that vernacular schools are protected by law and institutions, Anuar argued that the challenge is not their existence but how the nation manages diversity to produce a generation that is patriotic. 'We must ask ourselves how we can ensure that our children feel love and loyalty for the country when they grow up so separated by language, curriculum and school culture.' He criticised current educational priorities that focus primarily on exam results and individual success, sidelining national values like patriotism and unity. 'For years, our education discourse has revolved around academic achievement and teacher workloads, but rarely have we asked how education builds a strong, united nation.' Calling for a bold reset in the next national education blueprint, he proposed that patriotism, unity and self-worth be embedded not just in the curriculum but also in co-curricular activities and policies. 'We are starting a new education development plan. This is our opportunity. If we fail to strengthen these values now, in 10 years we may find ourselves with a generation that is technically skilled but emotionally detached from the nation. 'Our children are growing up in silos – Chinese schools with one ethos, religious schools with another. If we don't build a shared patriotic foundation, we risk becoming strangers in our own country.' Anuar urged educators and the government to treat patriotism and national unity as urgent priorities, not as an afterthought.
