As such, efforts need to be taken to ensure that every child has equal access to education including having a more responsive posting policy for teachers that takes into account the needs of the people.

"Emphasis or priority must be given towards producing adequate number of quality teachers especially to be placed in the remote and rural areas.

"For this purpose, a teachers’ posting policy which is responsive towards meeting the needs of the people must be provided," he said when opening a workshop to review the National Education Development Masterplan 2006 – 2010 today.

Apart from improving the quality of teachers, Muhyiddin also suggested that the school leadership be strengthened further.

"It is timely for the selection of school heads to be made not only based on seniority but also through a more transparent and flexible process to choose only the best, the (one with the) most potential and those with dynamic leadership qualities.

"A school head must be wise in interpreting and understanding the task given, committed and capable of increasing his or her knowledge so that he or she could translate the education policies and provide the best education to the children," he added.

Apart from providing quality teachers in the rural areas, Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, also made several other suggestions, including holding a 1Malaysia camp every year for both teachers and students to instill unity and inculcate the eight values espoused by the concept.

Muhyiddin said out of 13,014 rural development projects costing RM25.2 billion targeted under the masterplan, 6,386 projects have been completed and nearly 300 action plans have reached between 80% and 100% completion stage.

"To reduce the digital gap, the ministry targeted to build 2,257 computer labs and 3,600 access centres in the rural areas and this will benefit some 2.8 million students," he said.

He also said the government’s effort to reduce the urban–rural gap in line with the Education for All objective targeted by Unesco has been encouraging.

"According to the Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2009, Malaysia is at 45th position out of 129 countries in the Education for All Development Index.

"This means the country’s education access, equity and quality is good," he added.

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