Fadhlina Sidek Minister of Education
1st Year review of Anwar’s cabinet Part 1
This is a series of reviews of members of the Anwar cabinet, after the first year of government. The first article of this series is on Fadhlina Sidek, who is the current minister of education.
Fadhlina Sidek is a first time MP and was appointed straight into the cabinet, in a similar manner once of her predecessors Maszlee Malik was. With little experience in both the fields of education and government, Fadhlina now heads up one of the nation’s largest government ministries.
Fadhlina has a strong Islamic pedigree. Her father, the late Siddiq Fadzil was a former president of ABIM, the youth Islamic association of Malaysia. Fadhlina herself attended the Sekolah Agama Menengah Hulu, in Kajang, Selangor, and later the International Islamic University of Malaysia (UIA).
Fadhlina was most probably appointed a minister out of her loyalty to prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. This must have carried much weight, due to her lack of experience, and competence in the field her ministry is responsible for,
There has been little focus on the issues of raising the standard of STEM education, overhauling curriculum to make it more relevant to current times, and addressing issues such as teacher absenteeism.
The use of government resources to defend teachers in court accused of long-term absenteeism in class, and subject to civil actions, indicates Fadhlina wants to cover up and suppress institutional problems, rather than find solution for the causes of these problems.
Politicizing schools through the directive to hold a Palestine Solidarity Week, has received international criticism, and widened a rift between some of the coalition partners in the government. Fadhlina’s decision on holding the Palestinian Solidarity Week, shows an inept lack of wisdom over the potential collateral damage from the exercise. The promotion of violence and bizarre celebration of death has no place in Malaysian schools.
One would have thought a highly experienced person could have been put in charge of one of the most important ministries in the government. Education is full of issues and problems that need urgent attention. The continuing decline of education standards continues under Fadhlina. With the introduction of Al-Nawawi’s 40 Hadith module indicates Fadhlina’s attempts to further Islamize school curriculum.
Instead of a heavy weight, a light weight puppet, only there to serve her superior was chosen as education minister. Fadhlina has shown herself to be a cheap politician looking for publicity, rather than someone passionate about the responsibilities she was given.
Issues and concerns: Further Islamization of schools, stirring up hate and aggression among young children, using to public funds to defend staff abusing the system.
Verdict: This portfolio needs an urgent change of minister.
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Fadhlina sidek should focus on policies that will prepare school kids for the future. There should be a class on computer coding. Jack ma says it best, whatever you do, computer can do faster and better.
Industrial era is knowledge-driven and is a competition for knowledge, while today is digital era. It is wisdom-driven, a competition of creation and imagination, a competition of leadership and responsibility, and a competition of independent thinking.
Technologies like ChatGPT have brought challenges to education and they're just the beginning of AI era. We as human beings should use AI to solve problems rather than being controlled by AI.
Although the physical and mental strength of human beings are not comparable to machines,human beings have a 'heart' whereas machines only have chips.
Fadhlina should reform the education system and prepare the school children to be PRODUCERS of digital era products and not just consumers like we are in the industrial age. Real creativity using coding skills and being masters of it as it evolves.
Teach students art,music,painting,teamwork. Leave algebra,algorithms,laws of nature to computer.
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