LETTER | The furore caused by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reportedly considering having Singapore teachers teach English in Malaysia should not be looked at in isolation.

It is an honest admission of a system which is broken at many levels.

Malaysia’s education policies over the past few decades have been socially divisive. It has also not been able to keep up with the changing demands of the globalised economic order.

Malaysia has missed many opportunities to scale itself up the global economic chain and its education policies have been a major contributing factor.

Those who can afford it, or even those who have to really stretch themselves to do so financially, would rather send their children to private schools.

We can’t fault parents for doing so as they want their children to be exposed to a quality of education which would allow them to be relevant globally.

Race and religion have been politicised to drive Malaysia’s education policies. This has accentuated the divide among Malaysians - between the haves and have-nots.

Social mobility will only become more difficult over time, worsening from one generation to the next.

Divider instead of leveller

Education, which should be the leveller, is instead becoming a divider of society.

The lack of proficiency in the English language, which has only gotten worse over time, has been discussed for decades.

Instead of encouraging and instituting policies to deal with what is clearly a huge issue, politicians and their parties are more interested in whipping up communal sentiments for votes.

How many teachers from Singapore can we “import” to solve what is a nationwide and systemic problem?

We can learn from the forward-thinking approach of Singapore’s education policies, which has been the bedrock of the tiny nation’s ascension into becoming an economic powerhouse that is respected throughout the world.

Teachers in Singapore are paid handsomely, befitting of their role in developing future generations. Teaching as a career therefore attracts talent. Can Malaysia claim the same?

Like many other areas, we need government-directed policies in education which do not play to the political gallery, and instead focus on building a better Malaysia through good quality education for our youth.

Writer is the international labour adviser for Social Protection Contributors Advisory Association Malaysia.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.