EDUCATION: MORE COUNTRIES KEEN ON TAPPING INTO M`SIA`S EXPERIENCE From Leslean Arshad

PARIS, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- Foreign countries, especially developing ones,
are
increasingly keen on tapping into Malaysia's experience in developing their
education system.

This follows Malaysia's active participation as a member of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (Unesco) executive
board, said Education Ministry's Secretary-General Dr Zulkurnain Awang.

He said that since Education Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein's
election into Unesco's executive board in October last year, Malaysia had been
receiving visits from countries such as Oman, Yemen and South Korea which were
keen on studying the country's education system.

He said Saudi Arabia had also given contract to Malaysia to implement the
smart school concept in that country.

Zulkurnain said Hishammmudin had also been invited by the Mexican
government
to table a working paper on Malaysia's success story in education, in
particular, its teachers' training programme and the provision of quality
education.


"Such a session is useful in promoting Malaysia as a centre of execellence
and provide good opportunities for networking as well as for disseminating
direct information on Malaysia to other countries," he told Bernama.

Hishamuddin was elected into Unesco's executive board after obtaining 147
votes in the Asia-Pacific group during the organisation's 34th general assembly
in October.

Zulkurnain said Malaysia's participation in Unesco, through the education
minister, would enable the country to promote its achievement in the field of
education and at the same time, enable Malaysia to tap into the experience of
others.

He said Unesco's objective of promoting education for all (EFA) was in line
with Malaysia's own initiative to expand accessibility to education.

"We have been receiving recognition from many countries in Asia, Middle
East, Africa and Latin America because of Malaysia's EFA undertaking," he said.