KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 — Fewer than half of Malaysians hold a positive view of their country’s education system, according to a new Ipsos survey covering 30 countries worldwide.
Malaysia scored a 44 per cent positive rating, placing it among the lowest-rated education systems globally and recording the highest share of poor ratings among neighbouring countries.
The survey of 500 Malaysian respondents found that most citizens feel neutral or dissatisfied with their education system, underscoring broad concerns about educational quality.
A third of Malaysians identified unequal access to education as the main obstacle facing the system, followed by inadequate infrastructure and limited technology use.
These concerns mirror those in Indonesia and Thailand, standing in stark contrast to mature markets like Singapore where generative AI and teacher training top the list.
The findings place Malaysia closer to regional emerging market peers than to developed economies in terms of educational challenges.
“This calls into question the 13th Malaysia Plan proposal to lower primary school entry age to 6 years old.
“The real priority is equal access, modern infrastructure and a safe digital environment,” Arun Menon, managing director of Ipsos Malaysia, said in the report.
Tech scepticism prevails
Only one in four Malaysians remain hopeful about technology’s role in education, broadly in line with global sentiment but far below neighbouring nations.
Indonesia and Thailand show much higher optimism about technology’s educational impact, with 42 per cent and 36 per cent positive sentiment respectively.
Despite this scepticism, Malaysians show more acceptance of AI in schools than the global average, with only 31 per cent supporting a ban on AI tools like ChatGPT.
Seven in ten Malaysians support banning social media for children under 14, closely aligned with global concern about its impact on children’s education.
Views on smartphones were more divided, however, as parents see them as necessary for safety and connectivity, with concerns focused more on content than the device itself.
The government’s recent move to prohibit smartphones in schools for under-13s matches public sentiment, according to the survey findings.
Emerging mental health crisis
Youth mental health also emerged as Malaysia’s most pressing concern at 37 per cent, significantly higher than the global average and outpacing traditional worries about bullying and technology.
The survey identified mental health challenges as a more critical issue than bullying, social media effects, or poor education quality.
Researchers said Malaysia’s education system requires immediate mental health intervention alongside traditional academic improvements to serve its young population effectively.
The firm said it polled 23,700 online adults under the age of 75 across 30 countries from June 20 to July 4 for the survey.
