GOVT FULLY COMMITTED TO EDUCATION, SAYS DPM

PORT DICKSON (Malaysia), Oct 6 (Bernama) -- The government has always given
its full commitment to education of the children in the country and is
continually striving to improve the quality of education besides providing
various facilities for the benefit of students, said Deputy Prime Minister
Muhyiddin Yassin.

"Everything is in place. This is the progress we achieved where education is
concerned. If we were to look at other Islamic countries, many of them are
backward.

"In newspaper reports, television news, in these countries schools are not
proper schools but sheds...some times the children have to learn in tents
because their countries are not peaceful," he said at prayer function for
students from the Port Dickson district who will be sitting for upcoming school
examinations at the Port Dickson Polytechnic's Islamic Centre, here Monday.

Also present were southern state of Negeri Sembilan Chief Minister Mohamad
Hasan and Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said in some places in Malaysia,
the government even provided buses to ferry students to schools from their homes
and back, apart from building hostels.

"However, in Malaysia we are always looking at ways to improve the quality
at education so that children anywhere in the country get access to good
education...our goal is to have a standard of education that is at par with
advanced countries," he said.

Muhyiddin said last year, Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation) had stated that in terms of overall achievement in
education, Malaysia's position rose from 56th place to 46th.

"If we want to improve on this further, it depends on all of us, the
government, parents, teachers and students themselves. It is a responsibility
all of us have to shoulder to bring education to greater heights," he added.
-- BERNAMA