NEW BLUEPRINT EXPECTED TO HUMANISE NATIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEM - ACADEMICIAN

By Vikneswaran Raman

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 (Bernama) -- The National Education Blueprint (RPN) 2026–2035, launched on Tuesday, is expected to humanise Malaysia’s education system by placing greater emphasis on holistic student development beyond academic achievement, an academician said.

Universiti Malaya Faculty of Education Deputy Dean (Research) Assoc Prof Dr Zuwati Hasim said the blueprint reflects Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s vision of ‘giving soul’ to education by nurturing students with a balance of academic knowledge, soft skills and life skills.

She said the blueprint would support both educators and parents in addressing the humanistic aspects of education, including emotional development, confidence-building and communication skills.

“When we talk about humanising education, it is about giving soul to the system. We want students to have not only academic knowledge, but also soft skills and life skills that prepare them for real life,” she told Bernama after appearing on The Nation here yesterday.

Zuwati noted that communication skills have become increasingly important, as many children today struggle with interpersonal interaction due to prolonged exposure to digital gadgets and technology.

“We notice that many children feel anxious about speaking to others and often label themselves as introverts, which tends to shift the blame to the term itself,” she said.

“However, this is something that can be changed through appropriate exposure and a supportive learning environment. In that sense, the blueprint is timely.

Commenting on the new assessment methods for Year Four students, Zuwati said she expects a shift away from exam-oriented grading towards diagnostic and formative assessments.

She said such assessments should focus on identifying students’ strengths and weaknesses rather than grading and comparison, as the primary objective should be improvement, not ranking.

However, she cautioned that effective implementation would require careful consideration of existing challenges, including large classroom sizes, varying levels of student literacy and teacher readiness.

According to Zuwati, these realities could affect how well formative and humanistic approaches are enacted in schools, making it essential for strategic planning, targeted teacher support and appropriate classroom interventions to be put in place.

She explained that formative assessments such as project work, presentations and classroom-based tasks allow educators to evaluate students’ confidence, communication and critical thinking skills — areas that are often overlooked in traditional summative examinations that emphasise memorisation and grades.

“If we implement project-based learning, students are given space to present their ideas, and from there we can assess communication skills, confidence and understanding,” she said, adding that intervention measures should be introduced to support students’ gradual improvement.

Zuwati also noted that children today are exposed to technology from a very young age, which significantly influences how they learn and develop.

“Learning is about exposure. Children absorb what they are exposed to, but we must be mindful of the type of exposure we provide. Excessive screen time can affect communication skills, focus and even eyesight,” she said.

She added that the RPN 2026–2035 presents an opportunity to recalibrate the education system towards nurturing well-rounded individuals who are not only academically capable, but also emotionally resilient and socially competent.

-- BERNAMA