The Ministry of Education (MOE) will look into providing free nutritious breakfast for children from families in the B40 group, its minister Maszlee Malik said today.

The minister, who is currently in Japan accompanying Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, on a three-day visit, today said he came up with the breakfast scheme following a visit to the Itabashi Daiichi Elementary School, in Itabashi-ku, a special ward within the Tokyo metropolis.

“The three-hour visit provides me with insight on the learning method to produce a generation with good character,” he said in a statement today.

The ministry, he said, also planned to inculcate the culture of cleanliness and discipline among students from kindergarten upwards.

Maszlee also visited Itabashi City Hall, where its mayor Takeshi Sakamoto expressed interest in having a twin city in Malaysia and enhancing cooperation in tourism and education.

“The mayor of Itabashi is also keen to sponsor Japanese students to stay with foster families in Malaysia to get the unique experience of living in Malaysia,” he added.

On his meeting with Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Technology Masahiko Shibayama in Tokyo, Maszlee said their discussion touched on the setting up of branch campuses in Malaysia by three Japanese institutions.

They are University of Tsukuba, Nippon Designers School, and Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, he added.

He said if everything goes according to plan, the Malaysian branch campus for the Nippon Designers School would begin operation next year, while that of the University of Tsukuba would begin in 2020.

The Education Ministry, he said, will give its full commitment and support for Japanese universities wishing to establish branch campuses in Malaysia.

– Bernama