Johor state has officially sent its first batch of 30 educators to Singapore’s National Institute of Education (NIE) for a week-long course from 7th to 11th April 2025, as part of a pilot programme aimed at improving STEM, English language, and overall learning in Johor schools.
The first batch of educators includes primary and secondary school teachers, university lecturers, and state education officials who drove daily from Johor’s Iskandar Puteri city to NIE for the sessions.
It is known that this is the first time NIE has sponsored a course for Malaysian educators at its Singapore site near Boon Lay.
The Bangsa Johor Schools plan, proposed in 2024 by Johor’s Regent, His Royal Highness Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, intends to improve educational standards while also supporting the state’s long-term economic goals.
In February, Aznan Tamin, the chairman of the Johor Education and Information Committee, announced that four government schools in Johor Bahru would participate in the experiment. The project would involve 212 teachers and 4,300 pupils and would be assessed every six months.
“The students from these schools will complete at least 112 hours of STEM-related coursework each year, which is almost twice as much as the 64-hour requirement in mainstream schools,” Aznan said, adding that these schools’ facilities such as computer and science labs will be upgraded and equipped with the latest technology.
He then stated in March that English proficiency and stricter evaluation requirements will be established, with the goal of ensuring that all students progress to higher education.
