DAPSY National Varsity Affairs Bureau Director Ho Chi Yang proposes nine recommendations for Budget 2025 and calls upon the government to intensify reform efforts in the education and higher education sector, promote intensive and high-impact research development, as well as empower youth. These efforts aim to enable the education system to nurture competitive talents and create socio-economic conditions that strongly support youth development, ensuring a solid foundation for the nation’s sustainable future development.
Reform Higher Education and Promote Scientific Research Development
1. Establish a Task Force to Study the Unification of University Admission Systems Thoroughly
Malaysia’s higher education admission system is fragmented, with different pathways such as Malaysian Higher School Certificate (STPM), Pre-University Matriculation, Diplomas, and Asasi Programmes. While local public universities have varying admission standards for each of these pathways, the selection process for highly competitive courses often lacks transparency.
For instance, every year, many STPM students with a CGPA of 4.0 fail to gain admission to their desired courses even though they have proven academic excellence. This indirectly causes high-achieving students to lose confidence in the national education system.
Although the government has implemented reforms, such as direct admission to Matriculation programs for SPM students with 10A’s, only 10% of Matriculation quotas are allocated to non-Bumiputera students. This results in an admission system of local public universities that is still based on race as a prior consideration, depriving high-achieving non-Bumiputera students of the opportunity to enroll in public universities.
The government should establish a task force to study the unification of university admission systems within five years, gradually transitioning from race-based quotas to a merit-based (meritocracy) and need-based system to ensure fair access for Malaysians regardless of ethnic groups as well as to prove more opportunities to the marginalized groups.
2. Increase Funding to Foster University-Industry Collaboration
The government should increase research funding to encourage collaboration between universities and industries, especially in emerging strategic fields such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and data science.
With many multinational technology companies booming in Malaysia, the government must seize this golden opportunity by connecting local universities with the industries. This would cultivate young talent with cutting-edge skills and turn research outcomes into societal value, fostering innovation and economic growth.
3. Support Youth Enrolment in Postgraduate Programs
The government should provide more scholarships and research grants to encourage youth to pursue postgraduate studies at top universities locally and abroad. This will ensure that talents especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields can return and contribute to the nation after graduation.
By increasing investment in postgraduate studies and research, Malaysia can enhance its global competitiveness and cultivate talent in critical fields such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), semiconductor technology, and data science, ensuring gradual industrial upgrades and alignment with global economic transformations.
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Reform Education Comprehensively and Enhance Students’ STEM Proficiency
4. Establish a Task Force to Research and Reform the Education System at All Levels
As the Fourth Industrial Revolution progresses, it is crucial to ensure that our education system, particularly in key fields such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), keeps pace with the times.
In the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Malaysian students’ performance in mathematics, science, and reading was significantly below the OECD average, indicating a decline in mastery of these core subjects.
A comprehensive reform of the education system is therefore urgent. The government should focus on restructuring the education system, revamping the curriculum, improving teacher quality, upgrading the teaching environment, and refining assessment methods to improve the overall quality and competitiveness of education.
At the same time, the education system should emphasize language learning and the development of logical thinking skills to enhance students’ abilities in comprehension, analysis, summarization, and expression. With a solid foundation, students’ mathematical and scientific skills, along with their overall competencies, can be improved more effectively.
5. Enhance Teacher Training to Improve Teaching Quality
To meet the demands of modern education, the government should also increase investment in teacher training, particularly to assist teachers in mastering new technologies and teaching methods.
As traditional exams such as the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) and Form 3 Assessment (PT3) have been abolished, teacher quality becomes even more critical in imparting knowledge, fostering creativity and critical thinking in students, and objectively evaluating students’ overall abilities.
Therefore, given the rapid advancement of information technology, teachers need to adapt to fast-paced changes, for the quality of teachers will determine students’ future competitiveness.
6. Improve Digital Infrastructure in Schools
With the rapid acceleration of global digitization, Malaysia’s education system must adapt by upgrading existing digital infrastructure.
The government has to increase investment in modern teaching tools, such as smart whiteboards, digital textbooks, and reliable internet connectivity. These tools will not only enhance teaching efficiency but also provide students with more diverse and engaging learning experiences.
By incorporating technology, teachers can use more interactive and content-rich teaching methods, helping students better understand and grasp the course objective effectively.
Additionally, the government must prioritize the improvement of digital infrastructure in rural areas to reduce the urban-rural education gap, ensuring that children in remote areas, including the Orang Asli students, are not left behind due to geographical factors.
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Empower Youth and Enhance Youth Competitiveness
7. Increase Tax Reliefs for Youth to Encourage Self-Development
The government should provide higher tax reliefs for youth to encourage them to utilize technology for self-improvement and personal growth, particularly for the purchase of electronic devices for learning and working purposes.
The scope of these tax reliefs could also extend to online courses, certification exams, and educational software related to career development. This would motivate youth to continuously acquire new knowledge and skills and thus improve their employability and competitiveness.
8. Provide Childcare Services to Encourage Young Women to Join the Workforce
In 2023, the participation rate of women in Malaysia’s workforce stood at 56.3%. While this figure has been increasing annually and ranks eighth among ASEAN countries, Malaysia still lags behind countries like Vietnam (69.6%), Singapore (59.4%), and Thailand (59%).
A key obstacle preventing women from returning to the workforce is the lack of childcare services. The government should provide more comprehensive childcare services for low- and middle-income families, along with higher tax reliefs for childcare expenses. This would help more women balance family and work, particularly encouraging young women to return to the workforce and increasing the country’s overall labor force participation rate.
9. Expand the Progressive Wage Policy (DGP) to Create a Fairer Society
The Progressive Wage Policy (DGP) should be expanded beyond its current industries to cover a broader range of sectors, including part-time and temporary workers.
By doing this, the government can ensure that workers of all classes receive fair wages and job security, contributing to reduced income inequality and promoting social and economic fairness and stability.
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DAPSY emphasizes that the government must look beyond the horizon by advancing education reforms, increasing research investments, and empowering youth. This will help create better environmental and economic conditions, enhance the overall quality and competitiveness of Malaysians, and lay the foundation for the country’s economic and social advancement over the next 20 years.