Budget 2025: Burning questions about education

Education gets RM64.1 billion in Budget 2025, the largest allocation for the sector. But undoubtedly, that comes with a mammoth responsibility and places a burden of accountability on the minister of education to the government, nation, parents, teachers and students as a whole.

What did the Ministry of Education (MoE) achieve with the previous budget of RM58.7 billion? Pray tell. We like that 8,300 toilets were fixed in 2024 but there is no budget for maintenance in 2025. What did the MoE achieve in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and English language proficiency, in contrast to the mandatory non-Dual Language Programme (DLP) class it imposed on unsuspecting parents and their children in all schools save for those in Sarawak?

The Performance and Delivery Unit of MoE would have produced an annual report but it ceased operations on Dec 31, 2023, after functioning for 10 years — two years ahead of the end of the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, which it was supposed to deliver and monitor.

Are the budget initiatives put forth as ambitious as the headline figure suggests?

Without fail, a massive budget has been put aside for the hardware aspect of education such as the building, repairing and maintenance of schools. The issue of dilapidated schools is never-ending. We shouldn’t be faced with dilapidated schools any more if we want to talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and the like within the same breath. When will the matter of dilapidated schools end?

We like that RM200 million has been allocated to the Auditor-General to “follow the Public Money Debt” where the 2,000 companies and entities that receive government funds will be subjected to a thorough audit. We hope it will put a stop to all the leakages of the past and return reasonableness to the costing of projects and contracts.

The prime minister was silent on the soft side of education, specifically teacher training and Continuous Professional Development (CPD), which are vital to the success of the education system.

In April 2024, a World Bank report entitled Bending Bamboo Shoots: Strengthening Foundational Skills set down key recommendations to enhance teacher training. The recommendations included better curriculum delivery, more frequent measurement of teacher performance, measures to support and incentivise teacher performance by emphasising content knowledge and ensuring that teachers know what to do, how to do it and why they should do it.

The minister of education has since responded to say that the recommendations are being taken into account but it is unclear as to what the reforms are. Incidentally, since the release of the said report, the World Bank has closed its Education Desk citing budget constraints. It is vital that established bodies such as the World Bank continue to independently assess our education system.

How significant is the increased allocation for the Early Schooling Aid (BAP) and Supplementary Food Programme (RMT) in helping reduce education costs for lower-income families?

The BAP of RM791 million can be limited to public schools only and thus becomes a targeted subsidy in line with the government’s philosophy and which will absolutely help lower-income families. The RM870 million for RMT should ensure that the programme is gradually improved in order to raise the quality of food. For instance, are we able to match the menu and nutritional value of school meals in Japan, South Korea and Singapore?

The prime minister had earlier emphasised the importance of the English language. We do not see an allocation for this. Is it an issue of money or a matter of flip-flopping between languages?

The English Language Teaching Centre, which is responsible for English language proficiency, has many ongoing initiatives, namely the Highly Immersive Programme, DLP, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), Pre-School, Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), CPD, Upskilling, Teacher Improvement, Pedagogy and Leadership, and requires a substantial amount of funding. Amid the US-China trade war, businesses are opening up in droves and the language of communication is English.

To empower STEM education, the budget set aside RM36 million to upgrade computer laboratories and for new equipment supplies, and RM1 million for a scientist outreach programme. How far will these go to cultivating interest in STEM?

Computer laboratories are not science laboratories. Are all computer laboratories fully utilised? Are all science laboratories functioning to cultivate an interest in science? The scientist outreach programme called STI100 involves 100 scientists, 100 schools and a 100-day implementation plan. While we support the initiative, concerns about its sustainability and outcomes need to be documented to ensure its effectiveness and impact.

How significant is the 15% increase in per capita grant for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), amounting to RM913 million?

It is mind-boggling that the budget for TVET has not been reviewed since 2002. It is a shame that TVET had been put on the back burner when we could have achieved so much in the past. With an allocation of RM7.5 billion for TVET empowerment, cooperation with industry will be enhanced, training opportunities will be provided for vulnerable youth and TVET services for the benefit of the community will be delivered. RM1.2 billion will benefit 77,000 students in vocational colleges and technical secondary schools, specifically in the fields of electric vehicle (EV), aerospace, AI and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO). We especially like that RM55 million is allocated to train 10,000 Tahfiz students to diversify their skills, incorporating digital technology and AI.

By not bringing back UPSR and PT3 to schools, Budget 2025 gives school-based assessments their due importance. These assessments can be used to monitor skills and not just benefit academically inclined students and thus align with TVET perfectly.

With the proper investment in place and jobs to boot, TVET has a higher chance of succeeding and failure is not an option.

Will the phasing out of education subsidies for the top 15% (T15) income families, especially for public boarding schools, create more equitable and accessible education opportunities?

We were taken aback to find that 30% of students in public boarding schools were from high-income households. How did that happen when such schools were primarily for children of the bottom 40% (B40) income households? Nonetheless, households earning an income of RM13,000 per month upwards cannot be generalised to be in the T15 group, as it depends on which state is being referred to. For instance, a household earning RM13,000 in Kuala Lumpur is perhaps more likely to be in the middle 40% (M40) income group while the same in Kelantan may be categorised as T2.

While we are cautiously optimistic, we are still not convinced that enough has been done to improve proficiency in the English language and STEM, which requires heavy investment to elevate the economy to one of a high-income nation.

The Edge