THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION National Report of Malaysia ...

The success of the Malaysian education system in responding to issues of access,
equity, and quality and relevance of education is closely linked to the systematic
strategies and plans for development put in place in the nation’s Outline Perspective
Plan (OPP). The OPP implemented through the national five-year development plans
from the mid-1960s has always identified the education sector as one of the main
mechanism in moving the nation ahead. Accordingly, the national five-year
development plans ensure sufficient funds are allocated to the education sector for
the development of the nation’s human resource. All these plans among others
placed the development of human resources, namely, children, youths and adults
who are MOE’s direct customers, as a major thrust in ensuring a sustainable socioeconomic
growth. The focus of the plans posts challenges to the MOE in developing
the future generations of Malaysian to elevate the nation from a developing to a
developed country. The plans with (some changes) have always focused on :
1. Unity.
2. Eradicating poverty irrespective of race.
3. Reducing social and economic inequalities and imbalances.
4. Reducing disparities in economic development between states, and
between urban and rural areas.
5. Restructuring the Malaysian society.
6. Economic growth with equity.
7. Promoting human resource development.
8. Making science and technology and integral component of socioeconomic
planning and development.
9. Protection of the environment and ecology.
The MOE and other education and training institutions in recognizing the link
between developing human resources in relation to meeting the aspiration of Vision
2020, are committed to provide an education and training services that would be
able to prepare its beneficiaries in the formal public or private institutions, or through
informal education to meet the challenges of Vision 2020. Thus, Malaysians are
continuously trained and their skills upgraded through In-service training programs
at the work places so that they can be productive employees who are better able to
contribute to the development of the country. The In-service training at the work
place aims to help workers to be multi-skilled, capable of responding to high
technology and global-oriented industries. The link between education and human
resource development is illustrated in Chart 1.2.1.
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