Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim called for Malaysia’s education system to prepare teachers skilled in STEM fields, including artificial intelligence (AI), while maintaining strong ethics, character, and human values. He made the remarks on July 17 during the Temu Anwar programme at the Teacher Education Institute, Technical Education Campus (IPGKPT) in Bandar Enstek [1].
Anwar emphasized the need for a dynamic education system that keeps pace with rapid global changes and new technologies. He urged moving beyond existing curricula and conventional teaching methods to ensure relevance in the future [2, 1, 3].
“We must ‘reach for the skies while keeping our roots on the ground’, mastering new technologies without neglecting religion, culture, morality and human values,” Anwar said, underlining the importance of balancing technological advancement with preserving Malaysia’s diverse cultural heritage [1].
He warned that education would fail if teachers or students became influenced by hatred based on race or religion. “No country in the world, no matter how great, can remain secure by sowing seeds of racial or religious hatred. What must be upheld are human values,” Anwar said [1].
The prime minister stressed that tolerance, mutual respect, and a commitment to upholding human values are necessary to raise education quality and build a progressive society in Malaysia’s multiracial context. “If we want to build this country, there must be tolerance, mutual respect and a commitment to upholding human values. Only then can we raise the quality of education and build a truly progressive society,” he added [1].
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and IPGKPT director Dr Kartini Abdul Mutalib attended the event alongside students and staff [2, 1, 3].
Anwar also highlighted Malaysia’s ambition to develop talent and strengthen AI readiness among professionals as part of its goal to become a regional hub for professional excellence. This point was raised during a meeting with a delegation from Balai Ikhtisas Malaysia (Malaysian Professional Centre) led by Prof Dr Juan Joon Ching, who emphasized the role of professionals in national competitiveness and innovation [3].
The government’s next step will focus on implementing these priorities through education policy and professional development programs targeting teachers and AI-skilled professionals, aiming to support Malaysia’s vision for a technologically advanced and ethically grounded workforce [2, 1, 3].
