Students attend the first day of school at Sekolah Kebangsaan Shah Alam January 2, 2019. ― Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 — The Education Ministry has been tasked with formulating a new syllabus which focuses on moral values and integrity, said Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.

The economics affairs minister said this was decided at a meeting of the Anti-Corruption Cabinet Committee earlier today.

He revealed that the committee had instructed the Education Ministry to speak to relevant stakeholders to formulate a syllabus that can be introduced from kindergartens right up to university students.

“It’s about values that are important in society, that our future generations will reject corrupt practices and not accept abuses of power, and welcomes transparency.

“These are the principles we have to inculcate in the youth from the very beginning,” he said at the SK Taman Melawati primary school this evening after handing over contributions to several schools for upgrading works.

Azmin said the aim of the syllabus is to educate and nurture a society that distances itself from corrupt practices and abuse of power, which in turn will lower the likeliness of them getting involved in such crimes.

“We don’t want to just build the buildings for schools, but we are also responsible in developing the humans inside those buildings, with good values and integrity,” he said.

Azmin added the Japanese education system is one of the models being looked at by the government among several others.

“It's certainly a model we can adopt to see how best it can be practised in our system,” he said on the Japanese education system.

“Their society is world renowned for their integrity, fear of failing, and maintaining high levels of discipline,” he said.

Azmin explained those were one of the reasons which drove Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to employ his “Look East” policy.

“This policy has been looked at again because there are good things we can learn from countries such as these,” he added.