KUALA LUMPUR: The 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal will be included in the history syllabus, Education Minister Maszlee Malik said today.
Maszlee told the Dewan Rakyat that mistakes must be learned, therefore the wrongdoing committed by politicians would be included in the education syllabus.
“I can give my assurance that the 1MDB-related matters will be included in our history syllabus so that the future generation would not repeat such mistake committed by politicians, “ he said during Question Time.
He was answering a question by Pontian MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan on how long would an event be considered history before it was included into the syllabus.
Maszlee, who was speaking on his ministry’s efforts in revising the History subject in school, did not say if the 1MDB scandal would end up in the school curriculum.
Ahmad also wanted to know if local history is taught at private schools in the country, especially in the 60 Chinese independent schools.
Maszlee responded by saying the government bodies, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, are responsible for coordinating the use of the Malay language and Malay-language literature in Malaysia. They had also been engaging with the independent schools.
Maszlee pointed out that the history syllabus taught at schools requires students to carry out projects instead of sticking with memorising historical facts.
Maszlee informed lawmakers that the Education Ministry is setting up a committee to review and improve history text books and methods of teaching the subject.
He was responding to a question from Hulu Langat MP Hasanuddin Mohd Yunus on whether or not the government would revise the History subject to ensure it does not contain erroneous facts and too much exaggeration.
