Maszlee Malik - from lecturer to education minister
KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 (Bernama) -- Simpang Renggam MP Dr Maszlee Malik of Bersatu, named as Education Minister today, is determined to improve the education system, including easing the burden of teachers.
He said the current education system needed to be injected with new methods and should not be too focused on ranking and examinations.
"Among the things that need to be changed are the burden of teachers who are required to do clerical work and do not concentrate on the main thing, which is to teach while students are burdened with heavy bags because they have to carry a lot of books," he said.
When interviewed in the Astro Awani programme tonight, Maszlee, 44, admitted that he did not expect to be given the education portfolio, which according to him was normally helmed by those more senior and experienced.
His name was listed in the lineup of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's 14 Cabinet ministers who received the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V today. They are scheduled to take their oath of office on Monday. Other Cabinet members will be appointed later.
Born in Johor Bahru, Maszlee is a lecturer at the Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM).
He also contributes to a number of think tanks and is often invited as a forum panelist or moderator to discuss issues relating to Islamic politics and the politics of the Middle East.
Maszlee obtained a bachelor's degree from the Al al- Bayt University, Jordan and pursued a masters degree at the University of Malaya, both in the field of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and Usul al-Fiqh (Principles of Islamic jurisprudence).
He later further his studies at the School of Governments and International Affairs in University of Durham, United Kingdom in 2007 and received a doctorate in the field of Good Governance in 2011.
-- BERNAMA
