National Education & Learning Summit 2019 News Clippings
Published on 25 Apr 2019
25 Apr 2019, Malay Mail
Minister Waytha Moorthy says education crucial in encouraging national unity
Education plays a vital role in fostering national unity and building a framework for social wellbeing, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator P. Waytha Moorthy today. “A peaceful and united country with happy citizens provides the foundation which enables healthy education to take place. “At the same time, good education is necessary to enable and sustain unity and practise good social well-being. Therefore, the importance of fostering national unity through education cannot be underestimated,” he said at the National Education and Learning Submit 2019 here. At the event themed “Education and Learning in a Fast-Changing and Disruptive World”, he also stressed that students must go beyond “book smarts” and called for education and learning to move towards a goal of mutual understanding and empathy, especially among students of different races and religions.
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25 Apr 2019, Free Malaysia Today
Society being split by design, not coincidence, says Waytha
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P Waytha Moorthy says Malaysians are being polarised not by coincidence, but by design. Speaking in his keynote address at an education summit here today, he said certain quarters are playing up racial and religious issues, and making unsubstantiated claims that their way of life and beliefs are under threat. “They pretend to champion the rights of others when in reality, their actions are motivated by selfish gain. “History has shown time and again that if left unchecked, it is the people who will suffer,” he said at the National Education and Learning Summit 2019.
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25 Apr 2019, Sin Chew Daily
社会越发分化·瓦达姆迪：不是巧合
掌管国家团结及社会和谐事务的首相署部长瓦达姆迪说，教育种族固打制在我国存在已久，而大学预科班的固打制是为了帮助马来社会的弱势群体，因此值得鼓励。 他今日为“2019国家教育和学习峰会”主持开幕仪式后说，印裔社会是被边缘化的社群，我国目前已有特定的计划与机制来扶助印裔社会的弱势群体。 询及如何看待公立大学印裔学生人数偏低，他说，他相信教育部已在探讨。 “（大学预科班的）种族固打制存在已久，这是为了帮助马来社会的弱势群体，现任政府继续这项政策，维持固打制。 “若此制度有助提升他们的教育水平，我认为是值得鼓励的。”
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25 Apr 2019, The Sun Daily
M’sians should regroup, unite, and work together once elections are over: Waytha
Malaysians politicians should emulate their counterparts in Western democracies and unite for the people’s well-being after elections are over, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (National Unity and Social Wellbeing) Senator P. Waytha Moorthy (pix). “We must be united and stop arguing issues related to the nation’s education system,” he said in a press conference here today after officiating the National Education and Learning Summit 2019. “In our country, at the grassroots level, people are united. But, at certain times, politicians would play up certain issues that touch on race and religion for their own political purposes.
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25 Apr 2019, The Sun Daily
Student unions promote intellectual discourse: Deputy Education Minister
llowing students to be involved in politics will spur a culture of healthy debate and intellectual discourse in the campus, according to Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching. “Students are now free to declare their political affiliations without prejudice and political figures from both sides of the divide may now enter campuses to participate in talks, debates and forum,“ she said in her opening speech at the National Education and Learning Summit 2019 here. She said that since the proposal to allow students to be involved in politics inside the campus was mooted universities in the country had been very open and active in organising events of this nature.
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25 Apr 2019, The Malay Mail
Global university rankings a money trap and distraction, education forum told
The pursuit of higher positions in global university rankings is a constant drain on resources and even caused some institutions to neglect education, said panellists discussing the topic of ‘Becoming the World’s Top Universities’. University of Nottingham Malaysia chief executive Prof Graham Kendall and International University of Malaya-Wales (IUMW) vice-chancellor Tay Kay Luan shared the view. “When you look at rankings, it is a business. The rankings are driven by commercial organisations, so the two rankings that everyone sort of looks at mainly are the QS World University Rankings and Times Higher Education World University Rankings. And they are driven by business needs.
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25 Apr 2019, The Malay Mail
Pro-English group says public education, especially for STEM subjects, needs more funding
Public education, especially on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), needs more funding, said the chairman of Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim. Speaking as part of a panel on “Education in a New Malaysia” here at the National Education and Learning Summit 2019, she said education in Malaysia remained underfunded. “Let’s face the facts. The Education Ministry was given a budget of RM60 billion. Then we realised we were bailing out Felda, Tabung Haji, so what else do we have left? “Of the RM60 billion over 80 per cent goes to teachers’ allowances, so what really is left for the children?” she asked.
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25 Apr 2019, Malaysia Gazette
Contohi negara Barat, kerajaan, pembangkang bersatu bina negara
Barisan Nasional (BN) dan semua parti pembangkang digesa mencontohi negara negara Barat dengan mengetepikan perbezaan politik dan bersatu untuk membina negara bersama kerajaan baharu. “Pilihan raya sudah berakhir, rakyat harus bersatu, dalam demokrasi barat yang anda lihat setelah berakhirnya pilihan raya, ahli politik bekerja bersama demi membangunkan bangsa. “Tetapi malangnya di Malaysia kita tidak melihatnya, ia kali pertama kita berjaya menukar kerajaan, tetapi kita tidak melihat yang berlaku, semua ini sepatutnya berhenti. “Kita semua harus bersatu, mereka mungkin mempunyai ideologi politik, tidak mengapa, tetapi kita semua harus bersatu untuk memastikan rakyat negara ini bersatu dan kita bekerja sebagai satu pasukan,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Sidang Kemuncak Pendidikan & Pembelajaran Kebangsaan 2019 di Hotel Seri Pacific, di sini, hari ini. Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Perpaduan Negara & Kesejahteraan Nasional), P Waytha Moorthy berkata, pembangkang sepatutnya berhenti menggunakan sentimen kaum dan agama untuk memperkukuhkan perpaduan.
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25 Apr 2019, Malaysia Gazette
Kouta pelajar: Perlu diteruskan jika berkesan bantu pelajar termiskin
Kerajaan Pakatan Harapan (PH) hari ini hanya meneruskan sistem kouta pelajar dalam pendidikan negara yang diwariskan pentadbiran lalu dalam memastikan golongan termiskin khususnya Melayu tidak ketinggalan. Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Perpaduan Negara dan Kesejahteraan Nasional), P Waytha Moorthy berkata, sekiranya sistem itu benar-benar dapat menambahbaik mutu pendidikan, ia sewajarnya diteruskan. “Konsep kouta (pelajar) sudah wujud di negara ini sejak sekian lama, matlamatnya untuk membantu masyarakat Melayu yang termiskin agar tidak ketinggalan dalam pendidikan. “Kerajaan hari ini hanya meneruskan polisi kekalkan kouta itu. Kalau polisi dapat membantu menambahbaik pendidikan, saya fikir ia patut digalakkan,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Sidang Kemuncak Pendidikan & Pembelajaran Kebangsaan 2019 di Hotel Seri Pacific, di sini, hari ini.