SINGAPORE – Johor has ramped up efforts to make the state’s education system more competitive and progressive, with special emphasis on the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) and the English language.
Malaysia’s southernmost state officially sent its first batch of 30 educators to Singapore’s National Institute of Education (NIE) for a week-long course from April 7 to 11, under a pilot programme aimed at bolstering Stem education and overall learning in Johor’s schools.
The Bangsa Johor Schools initiative, which was mooted in 2024 by the Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, aims to raise educational standards and support the state’s long-term economic goals. “Bangsa Johor” means the people of Johor in Malay.
The pioneer group, comprising primary and secondary school teachers, university lecturers and state education officials, travelled daily from Johor’s Iskandar Puteri city to NIE for the sessions, marking the first time NIE has hosted a course for Malaysian educators at its Singapore campus near Boon Lay.
Top Johor education official Aznan Tamin announced in February that four government schools in Johor Bahru will take part in the project, which would involve 4,300 students and 212 teachers, and will be reviewed every six months.
“The students from these schools will complete a minimum of 112 hours annually in Stem subjects, nearly double the 64-hour requirement in mainstream schools,” Mr Aznan said, adding that these schools’ facilities such as computer and sciencelabs will be upgraded and equipped with the latest technology.
English proficiency and higher standards of assessments will also be introduced, with the aim of 100 per cent of students progressing to higher education, he said in a separate statement in March.
In 2024, Johor produced almost 500,000 graduates from universities and other institutes of higher learning, industry experts say.
But it also faces an issue where a good number of secondary school students skipped the national SPM (equivalent to Singapore’s O-level) exam – more than 900 students did so in the most recent exam, with some taking up jobs in Singapore instead, local media reported. Mr Aznan said these students preferred taking up jobs in Singapore, even if they were low-skilled positions, as the pay was lucrative.
In May 2024, Tunku Ismail told the state assembly that “quality education opens more opportunities for future generations”, referencing a World Bank report that concluded that while Malaysian students attend school for 12½ years, they receive the equivalent of only8.9 years of learning.
“If it (a review of the education system) cannot be done at the national level, let Johor be the first state to change the school syllabus,” he said.
Johor has allocated RM6.22 million (S$1.85 million) to support the pilot scheme to enhance Stemlearning in two government primary schools, SK Seri Kota Puteri 4 and SK Tasek Utara, and two government secondary schools, SMK Kota Puteri 2 and SMK Tasek Utara, according to Johor’s 2025 Budgetdocuments unveiled in November 2024.
The initiative also supports the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), which seeks to enhance cross-border trade and talent development, said Mr Lee Ting Han, Johor’s investment and human resources official.
Johor aims to develop 11 sectors under the JS-SEZ, including manufacturing, digital economy, business services, healthcare and tourism.
In total, 90 Johor teachers will train at the NIE through its consultancy arm, NIE International, said the firm’s senior assistant director of business development, Ms Lim Hwei Ming. The first batch of 30 participants at the NIE focused on science and maths. The next two batches of 30 each will focus on English-languageinstruction and learning-related assessment strategies in May and June, respectively, she added.
“The goal is to facilitate the sharing of best practices and fresh perspectives that the teachers can bring back,” Ms Lim told The Straits Times, noting that it took five months of discussions with Johor state officials to pin down details of the scheme.
Madam Yogeshwari Chelliah, 38, head of chemistry at SMK Kota Puteri 2, in Pasir Gudang, who was among the first batch of participants, said: “I hope when (the fruit of) this project is realised, young Johoreans can grow, learn, work and contribute back in their home state.”
She added that while the content is not vastly different from the training she received in Malaysia, the Singapore approach focuses more on helping students explore multiple solutions to solve problems.
“Students need to look around what’s happening in Johor and realise their potential,” said fellow participant, senior science and maths teacher Mohd Fazly Mohd Salleh, 43, echoing her sentiment.
Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi had said in July 2024: “This pilot (Bangsa Johor Schools) is the first step towards a better future for education for the citizens of Johor, that is more advanced and competitive.”
The Bangsa Johor Schools concept dates back to 2016, when the Regent, then Crown Prince, posted a video that envisioned a unified education system that brings all races together. In Malaysia, primary-level education consists of national and vernacular schools. Malay is the medium of instruction in the national or government schools, while vernacular schools teach and communicate in Mandarin or Tamil.
“In future, there won’t be such things as Tamil, Chinese or Malay schools in Johor… there will only be a Bangsa Johor school,” the Regent was quoted as saying by local media outlet Malaysiakini at the time.
Higher-quality education in the state signals better job opportunities and earnings potential for Johoreans in the future, in line with the state’s long-term economic goals.
More than 300,000 people cross the border from Johor to Singapore daily, most of them for work. Many are employed in low-skilled jobs like housekeeping in hotels and wait staff in the food and beverage industry.
In February 2024, about two-thirds of Malaysians living and working in Singapore earned a gross monthly salary of between $1,500 and $3,599, according to the statistics department. In comparison, Malaysia’s national median salary is pegged at RM2,745 (S$816) per month, said Malaysia’s Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli in December 2024.
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While the Johor initiative has been praised by some in Malaysia as a progressive move inspired by Singapore’s education model, it has also sparked debate. Critics allege that Johor is creating a separate education system, diverging from the national policy where the main medium of instruction is Malay.
Previous moves by national leaders such as then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to boost the use of the English language in the teaching of maths and science had triggered backlash from parents who worried about their children being left behind as they had poor English-language skills.
Sarawak, a Malaysian state that uses the English language widely, plans to implement English as the medium for teaching maths and science by 2026.
Addressing these concerns, Mr Aznan told reporters in February that Bangsa Johor Schools will not deviate from the national syllabus but will enhance it by increasing the hours for Stemlearning and improving teaching methods.
Dr Yap Soon Li, assistant director at Johor’s education department, affirmed that maths and science lessons will continue to be taught in Malay. The focus of the initiative is on upskilling teachers to raise education quality.
“No education system out there is perfect, but we believe the first step to improving schools is to improve ourselves,” he told ST.
Correction note: In an earlier version of the story, we said that Mr Onn was quoted as saying that there will only be Bangsa Johor Schools. This is incorrect. It should be Tunku Ismail.
We also said that Johor produces 20,000 secondary school graduates yearly. This is incorrect, Johor produced almost 500,000 graduates from universities, and other institutes of higher learning in 2024.
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