ISKANDAR PUTERI: His Royal Highness Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, the Regent of Johor, said a review of the school syllabus was needed to improve the quality of the nation's education system.
"Quality education will open doors to more opportunities for future generations," he said in his royal address when opening the third session of the 15th state legislative assembly.
Tunku Mahkota Ismail said the Federal Government must take a more proactive approach to improve education quality and facilities.
"I always stress on the importance of quality education for Johoreans. It provides the foundation for progress and is important in resolving all sorts of problems."
He said this was why the school syllabus must be revamped.
"If it cannot be done at the national level, let Johor be the first state to change the school syllabus."
He said there was also a need to look into issues raised by the World Bank's report on the country's education system, including its findings that Malaysian students were lagging behind those in Vietnam.
The report found that Malaysian students spend an average of 12.5 years in school, but learn the equivalent of only 8.9 years. In Vietnam, students learnt the same amount in 10.7 years.
"If we cannot accept the facts as reported by the World Bank about our students, then we should not gripe if future generations are less competitive than those in neighbouring countries."
Tunku Mahkota Ismail said he wanted every Johorean to obtain tertiary education and master technology as more data centres were being opened in the state.
"Johor has the potential to become a technology and innovation hub for the country.
"As such, new and proactive initiatives must be put in place to prepare the youth of Johor for the challenges of the future."
