How ideology is undermining education

[MALAYSIA] The weaponization of education is nothing new. But what’s happening in the US today—particularly under a second Trump presidency—is revealing just how fragile even the world’s most prestigious systems can be when ideological forces are allowed to dominate classrooms. As religious conservatives push to strip away secularism and liberal values from American schools, it’s not just Harvard that’s under siege. The very idea of education as a foundation for critical thinking and open inquiry is being eroded. And disturbingly, echoes of this same trend are rippling through Malaysia. What’s playing out in Washington and Putrajaya may be separated by oceans, but they’re connected by a common thread: using ideology to stifle intellect.

Ideology Over Inquiry

In the US, the shift toward faith-driven education is no longer a fringe concern. Evangelical Christian nationalists have made significant inroads into local school boards and state legislatures, especially in conservative states. Science curricula are being revised, diversity programs rolled back, and history sanitized. The most recent flashpoint is Harvard University—a symbol of academic excellence now facing restrictions on international student admissions under the Trump administration. This isn’t just a policy tweak; it’s a symbolic strike. By targeting elite universities, religious conservatives seek to disempower the educated class and redefine what “American values” mean.

Malaysia, too, is seeing a similar transformation. The distinction between national education and religious instruction is blurring. Public schools are becoming more religiously oriented, while private Islamic schools operate with uneven adherence to national curricula. This dual-track evolution mirrors the US in form if not in speed. The end result is the same: a population trained to follow rather than question.

The Global Fallout

The implications extend far beyond the borders of either country. In America, the reputational damage to its education system could be irreversible. Prestigious institutions like Harvard thrive not only on funding and faculty but on global talent. If international students are deterred, quality will decline. And when one domino falls, others follow: research partnerships falter, faculty emigrate, and competing institutions abroad gain clout. The UK’s Oxbridge, China’s Tsinghua, and even lesser-known Asian universities stand to benefit.

Malaysia should see this moment as a strategic opening. With the US faltering, there’s an opportunity to position our universities as attractive alternatives. But to do that, we must resist the same conservative impulses that have derailed others. A globally competitive education system demands openness, inclusivity, and critical inquiry—not doctrinal conformity. Without that, Malaysia risks turning a generational opportunity into a tragic rerun of someone else’s mistake.

Local Problems, Global Lessons

What makes this especially urgent is that most Malaysians still believe in education as a tool for upward mobility. This lingering hope is our advantage—but it’s not enough. If religious conservatism continues to steer our public and private education systems, we risk creating a generation that is under-skilled, over-controlled, and globally uncompetitive. Worse, it will deepen divisions in an already fragmented society.

There’s a reason authoritarian regimes historically target education first: it’s the most effective way to shape minds and suppress dissent. Whether it's theocracy or kleptocracy, the playbook is the same. And while Malaysia’s turn may be slower and more bureaucratic than the US’s chaotic sprint, the destination could be equally regressive if left unchecked.

What We Think

There’s a lesson in the unraveling of American education—and it’s not just that even the best systems can break. It’s that the fight for a thinking, questioning, self-determining population never ends. Malaysia is watching the US falter at the very thing that once made it exceptional. We should not only take note—we should act. That means rejecting calls to further religiousize public education, investing in critical thinking and civic literacy, and opening our institutions to global collaboration and scrutiny. The race isn’t about perfection; it’s about not falling behind. As others self-sabotage, our best move is not to copy them—but to outgrow them.