Inclusive, uncompromising education reforms

Long-awaited educational reforms are set to be enforced from 2026. It has garnered public attention and conversation, for all the wrong reasons. Instead of sparking a thoughtful debate on how to prepare our children for the challenges of the 21st century, the discussion has become mired in ideology, resistance, and misplaced priorities. This is deeply troubling for a country whose young people are already falling behind their regional and international peers.

For two decades, no meaningful effort has been made to modernise our schools. The last major reform attempt in the early 2000s collapsed under political interference and lack of vision. Since then, our education system has remained frozen in an outdated model, rigid, exam-oriented, and blind to the broader role that education must play in shaping citizens. If these reforms are not enforced now, we condemn another generation to an education that rewards rote memorisation while stifling creativity, curiosity, and independent thought.

The heart of the problem lies in the way our society conceives of education itself. For decades, we have equated learning with the transfer of information. Students are treated as vessels to be filled with facts rather than as individuals to be guided towards critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and problem-solving. This obsession with knowledge accumulation has placed disproportionate weight on high-stakes examinations, where a child’s future is determined by a single performance at the O/Ls or A/Ls. The immense pressure created by these one-off evaluations leaves little room for continuous assessment, intellectual exploration, or the joy of learning.

Equally concerning is what our schools systematically leave out. For example, comprehensive sex education remains absent, depriving young people of the knowledge and skills to navigate relationships, consent, and gender-related challenges in a responsible way. Ethics and civic values are also glaringly missing. Too often, the assumption is that religion can serve as the sole source of moral guidance. They must be taught deliberately, in secular classrooms, to cultivate responsible, empathetic, and productive citizens.

What is needed is a science-based, child-centred reform that puts evidence, not dogma, at its core. Global experience shows that progressive systems prioritise inquiry, collaboration, and inclusivity. They encourage children to ask questions, to think for themselves, and to respect diverse perspectives. That is the kind of reform we must demand. If our young people are not equipped with the tools of critical thinking, digital literacy, ethical reasoning, and civic responsibility, no amount of national pride or religious education will secure their future.

This is not to suggest that reform will be easy. It requires political courage, financial investment, and careful implementation. Teachers must be retrained, curricula redesigned, and assessment methods overhauled. Parents must also be engaged as allies in this process, not passive observers. Above all, reform must be protected from the interference of vested interests that see education as a means of control rather than liberation.

The education sector, from grade one to the universities can either continue with an archaic system that produces test-takers rather than thinkers, or we can embrace reform that prepares our children and young adults to be innovative, ethical, and globally competitive citizens. The choice should be obvious. For the sake of the next generation, education reform must not be delayed, diluted, or derailed once again. It must be bold, inclusive, and uncompromising in its vision.