World Bank Report Criticizes Malaysian Education System

A new report released by the World Bank has declared that the low quality of Malaysia’s education system could be inhibiting the country’s economic progress. The report, entitled Malaysia Economic Monitor: High Performing Education, highlights the reasons that Malaysia is among the poorest performers in education in the Southeast Asia region.

Although Malaysia has achieved near-universal access to primary education, 90% access to secondary schooling, and spends 3.8% of its GDP on education (more than twice the average of the ASEAN nations), its students’ scores on international tests have been dropping.

Last week’s PISA test results showed Malaysia ranked 52 out of 65 countries, behind the high performing Asian economies and other poorer nations, like Vietnam. In addition, scores on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) dropped significantly in 2007 and 2011.

The World Bank’s research has concluded that part of the problem lies in a teacher training system that puts more emphasis on the number of teachers available, and less on their teaching quality. The number of Malaysian teachers has increased by 30% since 2004, however 70% of aspiring teachers enrolled in the Bachelor of Education program were found to be underqualified.

An additional problem noted by the World Bank is the lack of autonomy in Malaysian schools. The government-prescribed curriculum and teaching methods were said to be too rigid to be widely effective in the variable school conditions across the country, and not conducive to student-teacher interaction.

The World Bank’s report did note that the 2013-2025 Malaysian Education Blueprint launched last month has the potential to improve the system. Some of the proposed changes would give schools greater autonomy and raise teacher-training requirements, although the Bank noted a few areas in which it recommended adjustments to the Blueprint.

Creative Commons Love: Mahani Mohamad on Flickr.com

Written by Carla Drumhiller Smith