Bangkok, November 2025 - Malaysia’s 2nd SEA-PLM Country-Level Strategic Workshop under the programme’s Initiative 2: Evidence-to-Policy Linkages brought together policymakers, technical experts, and partners to transform new learning evidence into tangible classroom-level improvements.

Convened in Putrajaya on 16–17 October 2025, the workshop built on Malaysia’s first country-level workshop held in May 2025 and aligned national priorities with the upcoming SEA-PLM 2024 Main Regional Report. The sessions were co-facilitated by the SEA-PLM Regional Secretariat, SEAMEO Secretariat, and UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO), fostering cross-sector collaboration to connect data, policy, and delivery. The workshop was made possible with the generous support of the ASEAN-UK SAGE programme. 

The SEAMEO Secretariat opened the workshop by emphasizing the importance of aligning national action plans, finalizing Initiative 2 interventions, completing System-Level Questionnaire (SLQ) Module 3, coordinating the National Steering Committee (NSC), and synchronizing communications ahead of the regional report launch.

The sessions created space for reflection on what the data reveal about Malaysia’s education system. The country’s multilingual identity—with Malay, Chinese, Tamil, and English as languages of instruction—remains a source of inclusion and strength, but also introduces complexity when home and school languages differ. SEA-PLM 2024 findings indicated performance gaps in reading and mathematics between students whose home language matches the language of instruction and those for whom it does not, underscoring the need for sustained linguistic support in the early grades.

(Left to right) Dr Shamsuddin Mohamad, Dr Nor Saidatul Rajeah binti Zamzam Amin, Mr Azhar bin Mohd Khairy from Ministry of Education Malaysia, Ms Linda Jönsson from UNICEF EAPRO

Spatial trends remain stable across small towns and cities, but rural clusters show lower performance, with differences by school type and testing language. These patterns reinforced the need for equity-focused interventions responsive to local contexts.

Participants also revisited the lasting impacts of COVID-19, which resulted in over 15 months of school closures in many contexts. Reduced instructional time, uneven access to learning devices, and more heterogeneous classrooms have contributed to lower average performance. Malaysia’s no-repetition policy helped maintain continuity and wellbeing, but now calls for targeted remediation to prevent early learning gaps from persisting.

In communicating SEA-PLM findings, Malaysia emphasized that Band 4 should be domestically understood as a minimum functional benchmark by the end of Grade 5, ensuring that teachers and parents interpret the data accurately and constructively.

Participants of 2nd Country Workshop Malaysia

At the heart of the workshop was the commitment to translate insights into action. Malaysia introduced the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Expertise Enhancement Programme (FLNEEP) under Initiative 2 — a flagship effort to build a cadre of 100 teachers and trainers skilled in designing high-quality assessment items aligned with international large-scale assessment frameworks.

The proposal also explores the use of responsible AI for item generation, with expert review mechanisms to ensure appropriateness and quality. Complementary components include capacity building in differentiated pedagogy, engaging classroom practices, and fun learning approaches, helping teachers tailor instruction to students’ diverse abilities.

The heart of the workshop was turning these insights into action. Malaysia tabled the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Expertise Enhancement Programme (FLNEEP) under Initiative 2, aiming to build a cadre of 100 teachers and trainers able to design high-quality assessment items aligned to international large-scale assessment frameworks. The proposal includes exploring responsible AI integration for item generation, coupled with expert review to ensure quality and appropriate difficulty, and complementary capacity building on differentiated pedagogy, fun learning, and 21st-century classroom practices. The team also highlighted the value of adapting learning materials so teachers can continually tailor instruction to the range of abilities in their classrooms.

In the coming months, Malaysia will complete SLQ Module 3, finalize its national report and policy briefs under NSC guidance, and prepare for the preliminary launch on 4 December 2025, followed by a formal national event. The country will also initiate FLNEEP pilot activities with practical monitoring to capture and share early lessons.

This workshop marks a pivotal step in turning careful analysis into fairer opportunities and stronger learning foundations for Grade 5 students in reading, writing, and mathematics. Malaysia’s Initiative 2 agenda is more than a policy roadmap—it represents a promise to students that evidence will be translated into meaningful action for every learner.

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SEA-PLM is supported by the UK Mission to ASEAN under the ASEAN-UK Supporting the Advancement of Girls’s Education (SAGE) Programme. Its content is the sole responsibility of the SEA-PLM Regional Secretariat and does not necessarily reflect the views of ASEAN-UK SAGE.