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#41 | Is The Education System Relevant? | Idris & Leon Jala

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News and Commentary

Discussion: Curriculum vs. Execution

Idris and Leon Jala (father-and-son) debate whether Malaysia’s education system is “relevant.” Their core argument is that the biggest driver of student outcomes is not changing curricula, but improving teaching and school execution—especially through structured teaching practices.

Core claim: Stop changing curricula; fix teaching and execution

  • Idris recounts that while he was a government minister, education stakeholders repeatedly told him: don’t keep changing the curriculum.
  • The national curriculum is not the problem; frequent changes force retraining and disrupt schools—costing an estimated 2–3 years during transitions.
  • Instead, they emphasize structured pedagogy: a consistent, evidence-based way of teaching that reduces variability in classroom delivery.

Key Proposal: “Top 1% Schools” as the Model

Idris describes a “lab” process developed after discussions with the Prime Minister and Minister of Education:

  1. Rank all primary and secondary schools in Malaysia using public exam results from the last 10 years (subject-by-subject).
  2. Identify the top 1% of schools (128 schools).
  3. Investigate why these schools perform better by interviewing principals and teachers.
  4. Debunk myths that poor outcomes are caused by curriculum, facilities, or insufficient funding—because top schools sometimes have limited facilities yet outperform peers under similar constraints.
  5. Create and roll out a School Improvement Toolkit focused on structured pedagogy across schools.
  6. Track results annually, adjusting implementation as needed.

Four Success Factors (Main Findings)

The discussion centers on what the investigation found makes the biggest difference:

  1. Principal leadership Not just general administration—specifically leadership that drives structured pedagogy.

  2. Teacher quality expressed as disciplined adherence to best practices Often supported by manuals/templates, with teachers following the “how” and “why” rather than improvising.

  3. Parental involvement Especially ensuring homework is completed and study routines are maintained at home.

  4. The child’s desire to learn Positioned as the “center,” supported by principals, teachers, and parents who build motivation and discipline.

Real-World Examples Used

  • Visit to a top school (3 Kelas / “Tiga” Ku—spelled ambiguously in subtitles)

    • Teaching manuals are institutionalized.
    • Teachers prepare during school holidays.
    • Master teachers train others to standardize the approach.

  • Rural/remote school example

    • Flooding occurs multiple times and schooling is delayed.
    • The school has 100% Iban students.
    • Reportedly, parents come to classrooms nightly to help with homework and even support meals/study routines.

  • “Challenge” story from a national education conference

    • Teachers claimed students were simply “good.”
    • The response: transfer struggling students (with ministry support and parent involvement), then show improvement after adopting the teaching method.

Results Claim: Improvement After Rollout (2009–2016)

They report rapid gains after scaling the approach:

  • Subtitles claim major growth in higher performance bands (example: 1,770 to 3,980 in top categories).
  • Subtitles also claim a sharp drop in the worst-performing schools (example: 636 down to 199, framed as about 70% improvement).

Later political shift (Idris’s account)

  • Idris later claims the program was dismantled after a government change in 2018.
  • He says the method was “deleted,” and that outcomes were lost due to the political shift.

Broader Debate: Should Education Become More Vocational?

  • Leon asks whether modern education should include more vocational learning, particularly in a creator/attention economy.
  • Idris argues that strong teachers already go beyond rote memorization by teaching the “why” and encouraging critical thinking—not merely memorizing facts.
  • The method is presented as adaptable, without needing constant syllabus overhauls: prioritize high-performing teaching methods and replicate them.

Criticism Acknowledged: Stress and Accountability

Idris admits there were complaints:

  • The ranking and accountability system increased stress for some parents due to homework demands and public comparisons—especially for bottom-ranked schools.
  • His counterpoint: transformation requires discomfort and learning to manage that “pain” to achieve better outcomes.

Final Prescriptions: The “7 Steps”

Idris summarizes an actionable framework:

  1. Rank schools using public exam results.
  2. Select the top 1%.
  3. Interview top principals and teachers.
  4. Produce a school improvement toolkit/manual for structured pedagogy.
  5. Roll it out nationwide.
  6. Train everyone for implementation; review progress yearly.
  7. Reward high performers, provide remedial training for others, and publish results.

Closing Themes and Philosophy

  • They return to education as intelligence plus character, quoting W. B. Yeats.
  • Idris reflects on “formative” teachers who demanded discipline and deep understanding, contrasting rote learning with methods that build vocabulary and reasoning.
  • They argue education should “light a fire” (motivation and character) and support lifelong learning beyond formal schooling.

Presenters/Contributors

  • Leon Jala
  • Idris Jala

Original video