The proposals made by a task force headed by former education director-general Murad Mohd Nor to revamp and strengthen national schools would not be made public although it was completed two years ago, said Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

"There is no need to make public the report as it contains recommendations and proposals which still needed to be studied in detail as they involve legal and financial implications," he said in a parliamentary written reply yesterday to Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor).

He added that his ministry was studying the recommendations and strategies to strengthen the national schools and the administration of the Sekolah Agama Rakyat (SAR or people's religious school).

The minister confirmed that the task force had handed over its reports to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi but did not state when in the written reply.

However, Murad reportedly said in August 2003 that the report had been presented to former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and noted that the education system would undergo significant changes "with far reaching effects" under the report's recommendations.

It was also reported that Abdullah, who was then the deputy premier, was assigned to deal with the Murad report, in which the task force took about six months to complete.

Revamp the system

However, in May this year, Abdullah was quoted as saying that he will meet Murad as soon as possible to find out more on the latter's suggestions to revamp and strengthen national schools.

The premier's statement came shortly after Murad's comment that the present education system should be revamped if the government wanted to strengthen national schools, and that the strengthening of national schools means that students from these schools should not only possess good moral and discipline but they should also be good in academics, sports, religion and culture.

Murad also reportedly said a thorough study of the education system should be carried out for the purpose because an ad-hoc approach would not work but the revamp should not change the National Education Policy.