Muhyiddin: Databank on school infrastructure needs soon

KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry will be setting up a data bank on infrastructural needs of schools throughout the country soon so that students and teachers can have a more conducive environment, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin, who is also Minister of Education, said the ministry would be using the data to ensure assets owned, including buildings, were periodically maintained and to evaluate shortcomings faced by schools.

"In this way, we can evaluate deficiencies in schools and we will also know the school's condition without Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) having to apply for infrastructural improvement as the required data would have been captured by the ministry.

"We would also like to ascertain how conducive the environment is not only for students but also teachers. I have been told the staff rooms of some schools are inadequate but we hope to overcome such problems soon," he said at the Federal Territories PTA annual gathering here today.

Muhiyddin said when the matter had been agreed, headmasters and principals would be asked to provide an annual report in a special format on the situation in their respective schools.

He said to date, there were 10,000 schools throughout the country with 318 of them in the Federal Territory alone.

"Based on the figure, it is estimated that 20,000 buildings which are assets of the ministry need better maintenance or the assets would depreciate," he said.

Muhyiddin said the move was in line with requirements to further develop the national school education system through a review as was announced by the government recently.

He stressed that the effort to strengthen the quality of the education system was not a mere slogan but was a commitment that needed to be implemented as it could determine whether the country could achieve Vision 2020 (developed nation status by 2020).

"The deciding factor on whether we can become a high income developed country or remain caught in the medium income group depends on how far our education system can generate the human capital needed to propel the nation's progress to another level," said the Deputy Prime Minister.

To ensure the review of the national education system is carried out comprehensively, the Ministry of Education, he said, was launching the National Education Dialogue Roadshow for the first time beginning end April to provide opportunities to members of society to present their views directly to the government on educational issues.

He said the roadshow would start on April 29 at the Federal Territory level.

Based on the feedback received from the community, a national education master plan which would propel the national education transformation direction would be drafted comprehensively," he said.

"The master plan will be the guide to the Education Ministry to transform national education in line with the aspirations of the people to make education in Malaysia on par with world standards.

"As such, I hope members of society especially PTAs will participate with not just their attendance but also give their views including criticisms so long as they are good for everyone," he said.

Muhyiddin said the National Education Dialogue was a new approach taken by the government to listen to views from the people themselves on various improvements needed to be implemented to strengthen the quality of national education. -- BERNAMA

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin delivering his speech at Federal Territories Parents, Teachers Association meeting in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur today. -- NSTP pix by Abdullah Yusof

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Muhyiddin: Databank on school infrastructure needs soon

KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry will be setting up a data bank on infrastructural needs of schools throughout the country soon so that students and teachers can have a more conducive environment, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

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