KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) are strengthening strategic cooperation to improve the continuity and quality of national education, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.
During a courtesy call by Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek who led a MOE delegation, Zambry said they stressed the commitment of both ministries to coordinate the country’s education policies comprehensively starting from preschool to higher education levels.
Among the issues discussed was the implementation of the Form Six on Campus programme at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
The innovative programme will open up opportunities for sixth formers to gain pre-university learning experience in a higher education environment, thus building a stronger academic foundation that is relevant to future needs.
“The implementation of this programme is a significant initial step to expand the pre-university learning experience in a university setting and add value to Form Six education. We expect student registration to begin on June 10,” he said in a Facebook post today.
He said the meeting also discussed the proposal to establish the National Education Council, a joint platform proposed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to unify the direction and policies of the country’s education in an integrated manner, without boundaries between MOE and MOHE.
The ‘Telaah Programme’ initiative is also one of the main focuses of the collaboration, aimed at socialising the culture of reading and strengthening the tradition of knowledge through discussions based on major works and national issues.
This programme is expected to receive broad support from MOE and the Ministry of Communications to expand its reach to the school level and the general public.
Zambry stressed that education can no longer be seen as a separate entity, but rather should be integrated into a common direction that unites values, knowledge and skills in order to form a credible and competitive Malaysian generation.
“We are confident that with the spirit of openness and reciprocity that has been established today, the national education ecosystem will continue to be strong from the grassroots to the highest echelon,” he said.
