The Role of Education in Leadership Development: Perdana Discourse Series, #11

The Role of Education in Leadership Development

Perdana Discourse Series 11

Perdana Leadership Foundation

This digital edition has been revised, and is published by Perdana Leadership Foundation, No.1, Jalan P8H, Precinct 8, 62250 Putrajaya, Malaysia

www.perdana.org.my

©2021 Perdana Leadership Foundation

First edition 2009

Digital edition 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior permission in writing from Perdana Leadership Foundation. The views expressed in this publication are strictly that of the speakers, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher and organisers.

Editors (First edition): Zarina Abu Bakar, Rose Halim, Rasimah Aripin, Ahmad Suhaimi Ismail

Editor (Revised edition): Zarina Abu Bakar

Transcribers: Suhana Mat Tehor, Khairun Nisa Kamal, Nur Fara Melissa Mohd Mujab

Perdana Discourse Series: The Role of Education in Leadership Development

Books In The Series

Perdana Discourse Series 1: National Unity*

Perdana Discourse Series 2: Social Re-engineering*

Perdana Discourse Series 3: The Role of Education in National Development*

Perdana Discourse Series 4: Political Stability and Sustainability As Key Success Factors in Developing Malaysia*

Perdana Discourse Series 5: Positioning Malaysia in the World Arena*

Perdana Discourse Series 6: Media and National Development*

Perdana Discourse Series 7: National Sovereignty*

Perdana Discourse Series 8: Bangsa Malaysia*

Perdana Discourse Series 9: The Role of the Executive, Legislative, Judiciary, and Constitutional Monarchy in the Governing of Malaysia*

Perdana Discourse Series 10: The Role of Women and Youth in National Development*

Perdana Discourse Series 11: The Role of Education in Leadership Development*

Perdana Discourse Series 12: Higher Education in Malaysia: Increasing Accessibility and Quality

Perdana Discourse Series 13: Building a Culture of Innovation in Malaysia – Successes, Strategies and Challenges

Perdana Discourse Series 14: Enhancing Accountability and Integrity in the Malaysian Public Sector – Are we doing enough?

Perdana Discourse Series 15: The Future of Affirmative Action

Perdana Discourse Series 16: Malaysia’s Higher Education: In Need of Radical Transformation?

Perdana Discourse Series 17: Current Political Trends and Their Impact on the Economic and Social Direction of Malaysia

Perdana Discourse Series 18: How Can Malaysian Youth Best Prepare for the Future?

Perdana Discourse Series 19: Islam & Islamisation

Perdana Discourse Series 20: The Federal and The States: Federal-State Relations in Malaysia

Perdana Discourse Series 21: Impediments to Malaysia’s Economic Progress and How to Overcome Them*

*also in e-book, available at www.plfpublications.com

Contents

Introduction to the Perdana Discourse Series

Preface

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Prologue

1. Keynote Address By YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin

2. Keynote Question and Answer Session

3. Panel Discussant: Tun Tan Sri Dr Arshad Ayub

4. Panel Discussant: Dato’ Freida Mohd Pilus

5. Panel Discussant: Professor Dato’ Dr Ahmad Murad Noor Merican

6. Panel Question and Answer Session

Appendix 1: Profile of Keynote Speaker

Appendix 2: Profiles of Panellists & Moderator

About Perdana Leadership Foundation

Introduction to the Perdana Discourse Series

The Perdana Discourse Series is a series of talks and discussions on issues of concern to Malaysians, where the objective is to facilitate dialogue and experience-sharing between experienced Malaysian leaders (whether in office or retired) and university students.

A total of twenty discourses have been held from 2004 to 2016, featuring notable speakers such as the Fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad; the former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin; the former Auditor-General of Malaysia, Tan Sri Ambrin Buang; and former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar.

The first discourse took place in August, 2004, at the Auditorium of Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya, Malaysia. The keynote address was followed by a panel session, and earlier discourses featured group breakout sessions among the participants.

The Perdana Discourse Series was wholly sponsored by Proton Berhad from 2004 to 2016.

Preface

Youth are the hope and future of a nation, particularly in the process of nation-building and development. As future leaders, they need to be educated in science and technology to keep pace with changes while preserving the fundamentals and inherent values of society. Recognising the importance of education in leadership preparation, the eleventh Perdana Discourse Series was held on 30th June 2010, with the theme, The Role of Education in Leadership Development'. A total of 350 participants comprising university students, academicians, government officials, private sector representatives and the public attended the event.

The keynote address was delivered by YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Hj Mohd Yassin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, who spoke on how to create knowledgeable and wise leaders of tomorrow through education. According to him, good leaders possess the ability to think critically, weigh the consequences of an action and fully understand the factors that underlie an event. Therefore, the curriculum from primary through tertiary education must incorporate elements of learning beyond memorisation. He also highlighted the importance of society understanding the history of the country, as well as inculcating good values and ethics. At the end of the keynote address, the audience posed questions to YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddln related to the Malaysian education system.

A panel session followed, moderated by Ms Zuraidah Hj Musib. The panelists were