Sarawak wants to have some say in national education policy - Adenan

Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem today reiterated that Sarawak wanted to have some say in the country's education policy.

"We don’t want to be just the recipient of our education policy because the consequences will be on us."

Adenan said this at the Sarawak Chief Minister's Special Awards presentation and launch of the Hippers Programme of Yayasan Sarawak, here, today.

"We also don't want to have what is called a flip-flop system, whereby the policy changes every year," he added, referring to the usage of English and Bahasa Melayu in the teaching of science and mathematics in schools.

"We don't want a situation where this year, we use the English language and next year, we go back to Bahasa Melayu. There needs to be consistency so that it would not confuse the students and parents."

Adenan opined that the reason there were so many unemployed graduates in Malaysia was their non-proficiency in the English language.

He also said that Sarawak would now be focusing on its technical skills programme to equip students with the necessary skills required by the industrial sector.

"In the 21st century, technical education is getting more and more important. If we are going to industralise, we need people with technical skills, not academic skills. We have to follow the current trend, otherwise we will be left behind," he said.

On the acceptance of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) holders into university, the Chief Minister said he would address the misunderstanding at the coming state assembly sitting.

He said Sarawak wanted to recognise the UEC because there were Bumiputera students studying in Chinese schools.

"There are some Chinese schools where the board members are all Chinese but 80 per cent of the students are Bumiputeras.

"In these schools, English and Bahasa Malaysia are also taught to their students," he added.

On the lack of educational facilities in Sarawak, especially in the rural schools, Adenan urged Yayasan Sarawak of which he is the chairman, to expand its hippers programme to more rural schools, so that they could enjoy facilities that were on par with that in the urban areas.