M'sian PM Najib Underllines 3 Key Values Relating To National Education System

SERDANG (Selangor, Malaysia), July 23 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said there are three important values that must be incorporated into the national education system, both at national or national-type schools. The prime minister said moderation should be the first value to be inculcated among children at those schools to ensure racial and religious harmony in the country could be preserved. "We must emphasise moderation because if we chose moderation, which is not extreme, and not too liberal, then our country will remain peaceful and harmony," he said at a fund raising dinner at the Kuantan Chong Hwa Secondary School here Friday night. Najib said the second value was mutual respect. "We must believe in the principle of mutual respect. we cannot deny or insult others. We should not look down on others or humiliate people. If we show mutual respect others will respect us too," he said. The third value underlined by the prime minister was the spirit of patriotism or the love for the country. On the recognition for the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), Najib said he had asked ministers from Malaysian Chinese Association and other Chinese-based parties in Barisan Nasional (National Front - (BN) to convince the Education Ministry and the Higher Education Ministry to give the recognition. "I was informed that discussions are running smoothly. We hope in the near future, we can make a decision based on the spirit of BN," he said. At the event, the prime minister presented a donation of RM2 million for the construction of the second phase of the school in Kuantan, the capital of the east coast state of Pahang. "In the first phase, they managed to raise RM30 million for the construction and tonight (Friday night), they aimed to raise another RM10 million," he said. Established in 2012, the school is the first private secondary school in Pahang. -- BERNAMA