This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 9, 2026 - November 15, 2026
The Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE), whose core mission is to endeavour for science and mathematics to be taught and learnt in English, successfully conducted its 16th annual general meeting (AGM) in September. We had never dreamt the group would last this long, and it continues to campaign on.
Has PAGE achieved anything? I believe the English language is taken more seriously by parents and the public at large and is more accepted as a universal language rather than a colonial one. But now it is not just the English language but also Mandarin, which we cannot ignore anymore as China takes the world by storm. In hindsight, PPSMI (the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English), which was abolished in 2009 through a soft landing, is still far superior to the dual language programme (DLP).
Sarawak is now envisioning its own medical school at University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) in Sibu, which ties in perfectly with the DLP that it financed and fought tooth and nail for.
When the debate on whether or not to allow smartphones into schools began, PAGE opined that devices should be treated as a teaching aid. But teachers were adamant that smartphones should remain at home. Gradually, school leaders were given autonomy to decide and then manage its use.
By then, developed countries with big budgets had gone full throttle, flooding their education systems with devices, accessibility and technology. But years down the road, there now appears to be a pullback.
Sweden has spent more than 2.1 billion krona (RM875 million) over two years to bring printed textbooks and teaching guides back into classrooms. Karolinska Institutet, the country’s top medical university, has said that “there is clear scientific evidence” that digital tools impair rather than enhance learning. A scheduled nationwide school handphone ban is in place, including during breaks.
Denmark has committed 540 million Danish krone (RM330 million) over 10 years for physical school books as lawmakers agree to make schools and after-school clubs handphone-free.
Finland has since restricted handphones during lessons. Italy and France have banned them in classrooms right through high school. Norway, where most schools have banned handphones, has cut screen time in the first grades. Regions like Madrid, Spain, are capping primary student screen time to just two hours per week and banning screen-based homework to protect cognitive focus and combat digital fatigue.
Even the mayor of New York City (NYC), Democrat Zohran Mamdani, has banned artificial intelligence (AI) use across NYC schools for young children.
These countries are not exactly replacing digital teaching with handwriting and paper. Rather they are trying to find a healthier balance between digital learning and traditional education. It cannot be assumed that more technology automatically improves the quality of education.
The Madani government has now decided that the Malaysia education system will go full-scale and full-blown and provide full-on exposure to AI, as the new curriculum kicks in next year for Year One and Form One, but to what extent would it go?
Rightfully, parents have concerns. Malaysia should embrace AI but implementation must be guided by educational outcomes, child safety and equity. Children must learn to use AI without surrendering their ability to think for themselves.
Taking a leaf from developed countries that have come full circle, we should recognise that pupils and students still need physical books to read from, they need to practice handwriting and be focused instead of being distracted by digital notifications. They need to be active in the classroom by asking questions, making mistakes, having discussions, forming an argument and concluding with an opinion and taking action.
AI should not be taking over the learning process but instead it is important for pupils and students to know how to use the technology, think independently in order to solve problems and make informed decisions.
Even professors at Harvard University, one of America’s most prestigious universities, are increasingly banning laptops from their classrooms and bringing back screen-free learning. An analysis by The Harvard Crimson, its student newsletter, in September 2026 found that the percentage of examined course syllabi banning laptops or all personal devices had more than doubled.
Are we teaching students how to think or are we teaching them how to depend on technology to think for them? Thus, if professors are increasingly restricting laptops because of distraction and learning concerns, then why are we so eager to put screens in front of children who are still developing those very skills?
But China is doing the reverse. As an analogy, in its race to expand internationally to exploit overseas markets, Chery vehicles failed Malaysia quality standards and 8,878 Omoda 5 cars had to be recalled. Two years earlier, 600 vehicles had been recalled. Excessive self-promotion and overconfidence without adequate preparation could ultimately lead to failure rather than the intended success.
Maybe that’s something to ponder over.
Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim is chairman of the Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia, an educational lobby group that serves as a channel between concerned parents, the Ministry of Education and other educational stakeholders
Save by subscribing to us for your print and/or digital copy.
P/S: The Edge is also available on Apple's App Store and Android's Google Play.