(Kuching, 16th) Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) Youth Chief and County Councilor Lau Kock Jet has called on the Ministry of Education (MOE) to expedite national educational reform, pointing out that incidents ranging from campus bullying and group sexual assaults to the recent stabbing at a West Malaysian school have deeply shocked and unsettled parents and teachers.
He noted that the ministry's current approach demonstrates a worrying disconnect from the moral and social realities faced by educators and families, raising concerns about a deviation in the value system upheld by the national educational system.
"When the nation's main educational body seems more concerned about the exam rights of alleged perpetrators rather than the mental and emotional wellbeing of victims, it signals that there is a fundamental problem with the education system. This is not the Malaysia we aspire to build," Lau Kock Jet said in a statement released on Wednesday.
As the SUPP Bawang Assan branch chairman, he described the MOE's decision to allow four students alleged to be involved in group sexual assault to continue sitting for national exams during the investigation as even more shocking.
He believes that while the education minister may have been motivated by concern for the educational future of the students involved, such concern should be expressed in a more appropriate manner.
"The strong dissatisfaction expressed by parents and teachers over the MOE's handling of this case reflects societal disappointment with the ministry's long-standing misplaced priorities," he said.
Lau Kock Jet emphasized that the core goal of education is not just to cultivate students with outstanding exam results, but more importantly to nurture responsible and morally upright citizens.
"Allowing the students involved to continue participating in exams demonstrates that the MOE's moral direction is in urgent need of recalibration," he added.
He pointed out that public confidence in the national education system has been declining over the past decades, with parents gradually losing trust.
"Many have instead chosen private or international schools, as they feel public schools can no longer offer the same level of quality learning, discipline and moral education as in the past."
He added that teachers are also deeply troubled, being burdened with endless paperwork, performance reports, and administrative duties, leaving them unable to focus on teaching.
"Teachers originally joined the ranks of educators to inspire and teach students, not to become 'clerks' buried under forms and systems," he lamented.
Lau Kock Jet believes a decline in teaching quality, overcrowded classes, the politicization of policies, and frequent curriculum changes are all main reasons for the loss of public confidence.
He stressed that the country can no longer afford the cost of further decline in confidence in the education system.
"The MOE's handling of this incident should serve as a wake-up call for leaders at all levels.
"When the public expresses outrage at the MOE's decisions, it shows people still care—parents care, teachers care, the entire nation cares.
"What we need now is for the MOE to show the same level of care, not to defend mistakes, but to have the courage to correct them."
He noted that the ministry's current approach demonstrates a worrying disconnect from the moral and social realities faced by educators and families, raising concerns about a deviation in the value system upheld by the national educational system.
"When the nation's main educational body seems more concerned about the exam rights of alleged perpetrators rather than the mental and emotional wellbeing of victims, it signals that there is a fundamental problem with the education system. This is not the Malaysia we aspire to build," Lau Kock Jet said in a statement released on Wednesday.
As the SUPP Bawang Assan branch chairman, he described the MOE's decision to allow four students alleged to be involved in group sexual assault to continue sitting for national exams during the investigation as even more shocking.
He believes that while the education minister may have been motivated by concern for the educational future of the students involved, such concern should be expressed in a more appropriate manner.
"The strong dissatisfaction expressed by parents and teachers over the MOE's handling of this case reflects societal disappointment with the ministry's long-standing misplaced priorities," he said.
Lau Kock Jet emphasized that the core goal of education is not just to cultivate students with outstanding exam results, but more importantly to nurture responsible and morally upright citizens.
"Allowing the students involved to continue participating in exams demonstrates that the MOE's moral direction is in urgent need of recalibration," he added.
He pointed out that public confidence in the national education system has been declining over the past decades, with parents gradually losing trust.
"Many have instead chosen private or international schools, as they feel public schools can no longer offer the same level of quality learning, discipline and moral education as in the past."
He added that teachers are also deeply troubled, being burdened with endless paperwork, performance reports, and administrative duties, leaving them unable to focus on teaching.
"Teachers originally joined the ranks of educators to inspire and teach students, not to become 'clerks' buried under forms and systems," he lamented.
Lau Kock Jet believes a decline in teaching quality, overcrowded classes, the politicization of policies, and frequent curriculum changes are all main reasons for the loss of public confidence.
He stressed that the country can no longer afford the cost of further decline in confidence in the education system.
"The MOE's handling of this incident should serve as a wake-up call for leaders at all levels.
"When the public expresses outrage at the MOE's decisions, it shows people still care—parents care, teachers care, the entire nation cares.
"What we need now is for the MOE to show the same level of care, not to defend mistakes, but to have the courage to correct them."