What Malaysia needs is an education revolution and not just reforms to become a quality provider of education, said DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang.

Commenting on Prime Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's acknowledgment yesterday of the twin failures - lack of racial unity and academic excellence - in the national education system, Lim noted that there was nothing novel in the speech.

Similar admissions had been made in the past by predecessor Dr Mahathir Mohamad and cabinet ministers, he said in a statement issued today.

Lim also called for the formation of a royal commission on education to re- examine the situation, but said it would have to command undisputed public confidence with "impeccable composition".

He said opposition parties, non-governmental organisations and civil society groups must be consulted on the formation, and the commission should be given 12 months to come up with its report.

"It is not very difficult to come up with a master plan to foster the twin objectives. In the ultimate analysis, the problem is whether there is the political will to find the answers and implement them," he said.

Three observations

He said the premier's second strategy to improve the quality of education by building world-class tertiary institutions to produce graduates of high calibre merits three observations:

1. It is impossible to have quality education at the tertiary level unless there is quality education at the primary and secondary levels, which lay the foundation.

2.The present national education system is clearly not in tune with the needs of a K-economy as it is only interested in quantity and not quality. This leads to the production of unemployable graduates who have to be re-educated for the job market.

3. The government must have political will to restore the principle of meritocracy as the primary, though not sole, yardstick of quality education at all levels, also covering aspects like university intake and academic staff appointments.

Review committee

Lim also recalled that Mahathir headed an education review committee, which was tasked to carry out far-reaching reforms to restructure the education system.

"This has however turned out to be Mahathir's most conspicious unfinished assignment as nothing has been heard about the education review committee report even six months after his retirement," he said.

Last August, he said Murad Mohamed Noor - who headed the group tasked with furnishing recommendations - revealed that the system would undergo significant changes through recommendations submitted to Mahathir.

Lim said Abdullah should table in Parliament next month all the proposals, studies and reports received by the review committee, so that these can become a source of reference for the MPs when debating the failures of the education system.