KUCHING: Kesatuan Guru Bumiputera Sarawak (KGBS) has expressed support for the launch of the National Education Development Plan (RPN) 2026–2035, describing it as a strategic long-term move to strengthen Malaysia’s education ecosystem and better prepare it for future challenges.
Its president Zulkiflee Sebli said the RPN has the potential to serve as a comprehensive master plan that aligns the direction of national education development in a sustainable manner, with strong emphasis on learning quality, digitalisation, educator well-being and future readiness.
“KGBS supports the government’s aspiration to ensure the education system remains relevant, inclusive and competitive.
“However, the success of the RPN will depend greatly on the clarity of its action plans, its practicality at the school level, and the availability of sufficient resources and funding,” he told Sarawak Tribune when contacted yesterday(Jan 19).
Zulkiflee stressed that the plan must place clear focus on teachers’ welfare, particularly by reducing clerical workload, improving school infrastructure, providing user-friendly digital support, and ensuring a healthy work-life balance and mental well-being for educators.
“Teachers are at the heart of education reform. Any transformation must ease, not add to, their existing burdens,” he added.
On professional development, he said the RPN should strengthen teacher professionalism through training that is relevant to real classroom needs, continuous competency development and structured career progression, without introducing new systems that are redundant or overly burdensome.
KGBS also put forward several key recommendations to ensure effective implementation of the RPN.
These include continuous engagement sessions with teacher unions and schools throughout all phases of implementation, and prioritising the needs of rural and remote schools in Sarawak to ensure fair and balanced access to quality education.
In addition, the union proposed that reducing non-teaching workload be made a key indicator of education policy success, alongside stronger investment in digital infrastructure and technical support to enable effective education transformation.
“Transparent and flexible monitoring mechanisms are also crucial, so that improvements can be made based on real feedback from the ground,” Zulkiflee said.
He expressed confidence that the RPN could bring positive change to the national education landscape if it is implemented in an inclusive and realistic manner, grounded in teachers’ welfare and the best interests of students.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to launch the National Education Development Plan (RPN) 2026–2035 today (Jan 20), a strategic blueprint jointly led by the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Education that encompasses the entire national education ecosystem, from schools to higher education institutions.
