Another Brick In MOE’s Wall: Ministry Channels Rock Album Vibes For Education Plan
The visuals are part of the education ministry’s promotional campaign of its new National Education Development Plan.
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The Ministry of Education (MOE) has been posting key visuals on its Facebook page since early January that look very similar to images found on musical albums of famous international bands.
Each image, accompanied by subtle text at the bottom, is part of the ministry’s initiative in promoting its 10-year National Education Development Plan (RPM) 2026-2035.
For those of you who grew up in the 1970s through the early 2000s, you might recognise some of these iconic album covers, and the bands they belong to.
Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon
One of the most recognisable ones is a prism refracting light, which is also the album cover for “The Dark Side Of The Moon” by legendary British rock band Pink Floyd.
The caption on the post reads: Shaping the way of thinking. Tuesday. This year, our year.
At the bottom of the visual is another caption that says “Unlocking potential”.
The Dark Side Of The Moon, released in 1973, contains popular Pink Floyd hits such as “Breathe (In The Air)” and “The Great Gig In The Sky”.
Arctic Monkeys – AM
Another visual MOE shared on Facebook shows a line of sound frequencies with the post caption saying “Something is being formed. Tuesday. This year, our year”.
The text at the bottom of the image says: “In progress”.
This image looks very similar to an album cover by Arctic Monkeys, another famous British rock band formed in Sheffield, United Kingdom in 2002.
The album is simply titled “AM” and features hits like “I Wanna Be Yours” and “Do I Wanna Know?”.
The Beatles – Abbey Road
One visual posted by the ministry shows four school children walking over a pedestrian crossing.
The caption on this one reads: “For our children. This is about the future. This is our year”.
Most people would instantly recognise this image from the famous 1969 Abbey Road album by revolutionary pop rock band, The Beatles.
Evergreen classics such as “Come Together” and “Here Comes The Sun” are what made this album famous in the late 60s and 70s. In fact, this album cover has been referenced many times in pop culture throughout decades.
Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
Another image was inspired by an album called Unknown Pleasures by English post-punk rock band Joy Division, who were active between 1976 and 1980.
The image shows a stacked line of sound frequencies and a post caption that says “Bringing meaning to each voice. Coming soon. This is our year”.
Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures is known for several iconic tracks, especially “Disorder”, “She’s Lost Control”, and “Shadowplay”, which are often cited as standouts for their distinct sounds.
The album was released in 1979.
The National Education Development Plan 2026-2035
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today (19 January) launched the National Education Development Plan 2026-2035, a strategic blueprint jointly led by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) and MOE that encompasses the entire national education ecosystem, from schools to universities.
According to MOHE, the plan emphasises developing goal-driven, resilient, and humanity-centric nation builders.
Furthermore, the integration of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) will be key enablers in curriculum and research to produce future technology creators.
Fahmi Reza criticised MOE’s use of album cover visuals
Political activist and graphic designer Fahmi Reza publicly criticised the ministry’s decision to adapt famous album covers as promotional material for the education plan, calling them Penunggang Budaya, which basically means to exploit or use another culture for personal gain.
He explained in a Facebook post that the government’s intention was to exploit visuals and aesthetics that were formed from alienation, anti-authoritarian, and anti-system to clean the image of their institution.
“On the outside, it looks cool and progressive. The origins of punk, post-punk, and underground music is subversive, questions and challenges authority, and fights hypocrisy.
“But when rulers take the aesthetics and turn them into ministerial posters, the radical elements are destroyed, tamed, and resold as corporate decoration,” he said.
Fahmi added “This is not creativity. This is cultural appropriation. Nothing more than a trendy propaganda merely chasing a vibe. They want us to like and share. Don’t be easily persuaded by government propaganda”.
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