KOTA KINABALU: “It takes the whole village to educate the child,” quoted Deputy Education Minister Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching at a press conference after the book launching of My Tawau Days at the Sabah State Library yesterday.
Education requires the participation of everyone including parents, local leaders and society, she said.
She told reporters that as the years were to unfold, there would be new initiatives in the teaching process, adding that there was a lot to do with the National Education Plan (NEP).
The NEP will be a great way to produce constructive and critical thinkers as well as leaders, she continued.
Yap also said that the Malaysian Education Blueprint has been well received by UNESCO and Commonwealth Countries around the world.
When asked about the old system and how it compares with the current system, she stated that that there has not been a change as the previous system, which focuses not only on academic success, but also on character development, was being implemented.
The Ministry of Education is putting emphasis on producing successfully educated students.
However, the discipline of students is not so easy a challenge as there were millions of them in the country.
She said that appropriate action would be taken on students with discipline problems.
During the press conference, she also highlighted the issue of unemployed teachers, saying that they (the teachers) would be hired if there are vacancies.
“The government does not give empty promises to them and they should be aware, plus, they cannot be too dependant on the government,” she said.
She also said that the Ministry of Education will upgrade the quality of teachers for the formation of better students.