PETALING JAYA: While Malaysia’s education syllabus is on par with many developed nations, more needs to be done if we are not to be left behind as the world inches towards more advanced technology and challenges, academicians say.
Prof Dr Mohd Fahmi Hussin said in the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment, which examines students’ skills in reading, mathematics and science and how they put them to use, Malaysian students scored and ranked lower than their counterparts in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. OECD is an inter-government organisation which provides a cooperation platform for governments of industrialised countries committed to democracy and the market economy.
However, Mohd Fahmi, who is professor of Engineering at Universiti Teknologi Mara, said in terms of the syllabus, Malaysia’s education system seems to be advancing at par with many developed nations.
“More programmes are being introduced in concepts such as internet of things, programming and coding, industrial revolution, sustainable development goals and many more,” he told theSun.
Mohd Fahmi added that there are numerous opportunities for the Ministry of Education (MoE) to further explore maximising the internet and technology.
“One way is to prepare students for future jobs that may not necessarily require mathematics or science,” he said.
According to him, digital skills-based jobs are in their infant stage in Malaysia but gaining momentum all over the world.
“It won’t be long before new jobs such as social media manager, digital currency adviser, augmented reality journey builder and many more become popular.
“At the World Economic Forum 2020, many of the future jobs forecast are directly related to internet and technology,” he said.
Mohd Fahmi opined this presents an excellent opportunity for the government to spearhead, brainstorm and resolute a map that would increase Malaysian students’ competitiveness (knowledge, skills and attributes) in the global market.
The Malaysian education system, especially primary and secondary school syllabus, has been the talk of town even more so since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Primary school teacher Fatimah Ahmad said although she agrees with the syllabus being at par with other developing nation, the learning process needs a major change.
“With heavier syllabus comes more subjects per day and more books per subject, this causes students to lose focus by mid-day because they have so much to learn in a very short time,” she said.
To make matters worse during the pandemic, although teachers did their best to teach lessons online, Fatimah said students were not exposed enough on independent learning. “Our students are so dependent on teachers, it shows when they are not able to cope with lessons and syllabus without face-to-face learning,” she said.
The science and mathematics teacher said the syllabus in schools is not the problem, but the learning process and the execution of it all is a burden to both students and teachers.
“When there are too many subjects per day, students will get more homework. With most primary pupils going for tuition or Islamic studies after school, many cannot cope with their lessons,” she said.
Fatimah said all subjects being taught in school now are important, although some parents might think otherwise, as the Malaysian school syllabus covers both academic, physical and civic-mindedness of the students.
“From pre-school to lower primary, the syllabus aims to prepare children for higher lever of education and to identify if they are having any learning issues or disabilities.”
