KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Education Minister Maszlee Malik announced his resignation on Thursday, amid speculation of a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
Maszlee, who had served 20 months in the post, told a press conference held at the Education Ministry that the decision was made on the advice of Mahathir.
In a statement, Mahathir confirmed that he had accepted Maszlee's resignation.
Mahathir thanked Maszlee for his services, adding that he would name the new education minister soon.
Mahathir said in November last year that he was considering a cabinet reshuffle following a poor performance in a by-election, in which his party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) lost by a wide margin.
Maszlee, who is a member of PPBM, had courted controversy since early days of his time in office, announcing several policy changes that received a severe public backlash.
Recently he has been under intense public pressure after proposing to implement an Islamic writing style in the school syllabus of the country's vernacular schools, which were vigorously opposed by the public.
