KUALA LUMPUR, April 25, 2024— Malaysia's long-term growth prospects hinge on enhancing its human capital through improving learning outcomes for children, as highlighted in the World Bank Malaysia Economic Monitor report titled “Bending Bamboo Shoots: Strengthening Foundational Skills” released today.
According to Malaysia's Minister of the Economy Mohd Rafizi Ramli, addressing the dual challenge of economic growth and ensuring public well-being requires a focus on education as a pathway to productive employment. Minister Ramli emphasized, "In the long run, it's about turning education into productive employment. Strengthening education is key to a resilient and thriving economy."
World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand, Ndiame Diop, emphasized the importance of advanced skills for Malaysia's transition to a high-income country. Diop stated, “Advanced skills depend fundamentally upon strong foundational skills, which are developed through high-quality early childhood education and primary education.”
While Malaysia has achieved universal primary education with equitable resource distribution, challenges remain in ensuring all children have the necessary foundational skills for advanced learning. The report indicates that despite near-universal primary education, a significant portion of children, particularly from lower-income households, lack school readiness skills, leading to educational challenges later on.
To address these issues, Malaysia has implemented initiatives such as the Reading Aid Programme and the Primary School Literacy and Numeracy Program. The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 outlines a teacher strategy aligned with global best practices to enhance education quality and outcomes.
The World Bank report offers recommendations to enhance learning outcomes, including ensuring high-quality preschool education for all children, improving access to early childhood education for lower-income families, measuring student learning against international standards, and providing effective teacher training programs.
In conclusion, investing in quality early education and teacher performance is crucial for Malaysia to develop the advanced skills needed for sustained growth and economic resilience, as emphasized by the World Bank report and key stakeholders in the country.