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Newly-sworn in Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced yesterday (17 May) he will take over as education minister.
When asked why he wanted to take the second portfolio, he said he would like to revamp the education system as the country’s “way of teaching is outdated”.
Mahathir hopes to devise new ways of teaching and implement more technology such as computers and teaching software to aid educators.
On the decision to name himself the minister of education, he replied the media conference jokingly.
“I took over the education portfolio because I think so many people are uneducated in this country, so I thought I should give my attention to that.”
Analysts said Dr Mahathir’s decision to take on the education portfolio is not surprising as he has always taken an interest on education issues in the country, reported TODAY.
He was also education minister from 1974 to 1978, where he rolled out new curricula for both primary and secondary schools aimed at offering holistic education.
He also introduced the policy of teaching mathematics and science in English in 2003 when he was then PM but it was scrapped six years later by the new government.
Prior to the general elections, ousted PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak had announced a system overhaul to prepare Malaysia students for the digital revolution.
To do this he allocated twice the amount typically invested by neighbouring ASEAN nations to implement skills such as computing and coding into school curriculum.
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