KUCHING, April 26: In the wake of a World Bank Report revealing substantial learning disparities in Malaysia, Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap is pushing for Sarawak’s educational autonomy, asserting its necessity in addressing pressing education issues.
According to Yap’s statement today, he shared a few alarming findings released by the World Bank Report that revealed that the percentage of students who cannot read at the end of Primary 5 in Malaysia is 42 per cent, a value higher than the other countries with the same gross national income (GNI) of 34 per cent.
He also cited another troubling statistic, revealing that while the average Malaysian child spends 12.5 years in school, they only acquire the equivalent of 8.9 years of learning, whereas Vietnamese children acquired 10.7 years of education in their 12.9 years of schooling.
Following the recommendation of the World Bank report to improve the measurement of learning outcomes and teacher performance against global standards, Yap said that the findings serve as clear evidence that the State must have its own autonomy for education.
“The Sarawak government is working hard to regain our autonomy in shaping its education policies, especially on decisions involving school repairs,” said Yap after officiating the ‘Program Ceramah Pemantapan Kompetensi dan Profesional Ketua Panitia SJKC Daerah Padawan Tahun 2024’ at SJKC Sam Hap Hin school hall, 7th Mile, Kota Sentosa.
He emphasised the ample opportunity in improving the quality of education in the State, urging teachers to collaborate and support efforts to elevate educational standards in Sarawak and help to achieve the progress and development as a prosperous and high-income region by 2030 as envisioned under the Post-Covid Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
During the event, Yap announced a generous Minor Rural Project (MRP) grant of RM10K which he presented to SJKC Sam Hap Hin, a fund which is aimed at supporting the school in hosting educational and sporting activities. — DayakDaily
