Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is greeted by people as he arrives for an event at the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta June 28, 2018. — Bernama pic

JAKARTA, June 29 — The Malaysian education system is old-fashioned and needs to be revamped to ensure less dependence on teachers, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said.

“I am aware that our education system is out of date and not suitable for the modern world. We are still too dependent on teachers but not all teachers are of the same strength. If students get a good teacher, then all is well. But if they get a weak teacher, then that’s where the problem starts.

“We want experts to teach our child via discs or thumb drives which contain the materials for students to learn from. Then all students are taught through the same standards. Teachers will end up as facilitators,” the prime minister said in reply to a question about how the government plans on fixing the education system.

He was taking questions from the audience at a dinner with over 300 Malaysians living here.

He added that the government was looking at the education system of other countries like Japan and Germany where students produced are exactly what the industry wanted.

He also said the government has to continue with the multi-school system based on community needs because “that is what the people wanted.”

“Because we have three types of schools, achieving national unity and integration was difficult because the political situation was based on racial needs,” he added.

He said the government could consider building single complexes to house all three types of schools where they play sports and have extra-curricular activities together although the medium of instruction will remain according to their mother tongue.

“We politically cannot afford to get rid of these three types of schools unless the request comes from the people,” Dr Mahathir said.