Is the Current Education Minister the Right Leader for Malaysia?

By Amarjeet Singh @ AJ

🎓 A Ministry Lost in Direction

Let’s ask the honest question that every parent, teacher, and student is thinking — is the current Minister of Education the right leader to guide Malaysia forward? From what we’ve seen, the answer sadly points to a clear and painful “no.”

There are no fast actions. No empathy or connection with students. No real reforms or visible policies that show transformation. No leadership presence on the ground — to see, to listen, and to feel what’s truly happening in our schools.

Instead, the Ministry has become a fortress of comfort — cut off from reality. While teachers struggle, students suffer, and parents worry, those at the top seem busy polishing statements instead of fixing systems.

🕯️ Are We Entering a Dark Age in Education?

When a ministry cannot protect children, cannot motivate teachers, and cannot act decisively in times of crisis — it is failing its purpose. We are seeing headlines of rape in classrooms, bullying deaths, moral collapse, and even teachers in handcuffs for disciplining students. If it was not abuse, then the question is — who protects our teachers?

The Ministry seems divided within itself. Decisions are slow. Direction is unclear. Integrity is questioned. And the biggest casualty in all this chaos — is the child.

⚠️ We Need Reform, Not Excuses

We need changes. We need reforms. We need leadership that listens, understands, and acts. Not someone who hides behind press statements or PR smiles. Not someone who sees education as a ministry of comfort, but as a mission of service.

Real leadership means being on the ground — walking into schools unannounced, speaking to teachers, listening to parents, and understanding the daily struggles. Leadership is about impact and reform — not about maintaining political balance or personal image.

🧭 The Way Forward: Real Actions, Not Speeches

If Malaysia truly wants to rebuild education, we need a roadmap that focuses on real transformation:

  • Reinstate discipline in schools with fairness and compassion — protect good teachers, punish abusers.
  • Engage ex-PDRM and military personnel to teach discipline, civic duty, and leadership through structured programs.
  • Bring back sports, uniform bodies, and outdoor learning — let students learn teamwork, responsibility, and survival skills.
  • Introduce tech-based learning and skill enhancement — prepare them for the real world, not outdated exams.
  • Collaborate with ex-educators and parents — those who understand the classroom better than anyone sitting in Putrajaya.

This is leadership. This is education reform. And sadly, this is not what we are getting today.

🗣️ The Honest Truth

Sometimes we must speak the truth — even when it is uncomfortable. Former Education Minister Dr. Maszlee Malik may have been criticized during his tenure, but at least he understood the ground. He walked into schools, he spoke to teachers, and he dared to question the system. Today, we see none of that courage or connection.

So, I ask this sincerely — are we in the right direction? What are we expecting to change when leadership doesn’t lead? How do we rebuild a system that has forgotten how to feel, how to act, and how to protect?

When leaders forget the people, the people must remind them. When institutions grow blind, the nation must open its eyes. And when education becomes political, the future becomes uncertain.

👉 If I Were Education Minister — My 10-Point Blueprint to Rebuild Malaysia’s Schools

Criticism without solutions is empty. If I were Education Minister, my first mission would be to rebuild the system with heart, direction, and discipline. Here’s my 10-Point Blueprint to Rebuild Malaysia’s Schools:

  1. Ground Leadership: Every district officer and senior official must spend one week every quarter visiting schools unannounced — to observe, listen, and report realities, not statistics.
  2. Teacher Empowerment: Create a performance-linked allowance and recognition system for teachers who innovate, inspire, and produce results, both academically and socially.
  3. School Discipline Corps: Engage retired PDRM and army officers as school mentors for discipline, patriotism, and civic awareness.
  4. Safety & Welfare Cell: Establish a permanent crisis unit in MOE for cases of bullying, sexual assault, and teacher safety — ensuring no victim waits for justice.
  5. Tech & Future Skills: Introduce robotics, coding, AI literacy, agriculture tech, and sustainability lessons from Year 4 onwards — making Malaysia future-ready.
  6. Sports & Character Education: Make sports, arts, and uniformed bodies compulsory again — shaping teamwork, leadership, and resilience in every student.
  7. Parent-School Partnership: Empower PTAs with real influence — not token roles — allowing parents to participate in school planning and discipline policies.
  8. Rural Revitalisation: Modernise rural and Sabah/Sarawak schools with internet, solar systems, and smart classrooms — education equity starts with infrastructure.
  9. National Service Integration: Link upper secondary students with national service modules — leadership, civic duties, and community volunteering as part of their assessment.
  10. Transparent Governance: Implement open auditing and KPIs for MOE spending, promotions, and contracts — to end the “who you know” culture that poisons the system.

This is what leadership should look like — proactive, inclusive, and grounded in integrity. Education is not about slogans. It’s about shaping minds, hearts, and futures.

💭 A Final Reflection

If Malaysia truly wants to rise again, we must fix the foundation — our schools. We can change ministers, but unless we change the mindset and the machinery, the rot will continue.

Every child deserves safety. Every teacher deserves dignity. Every parent deserves confidence. Let’s rebuild education not as a political showpiece, but as a national mission.

By:
Amarjeet Singh @ AJ
Concerned Malaysian & Parent
coaching4champions.blogspot.com

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