In History, parents group sees bleak future
By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider
“The rationale behind abolishing PMR was to remove the overly examination-oriented system, rote-learning and tuition away from students,” she said. “By now making history a must-pass subject, he is not only re-burdening the students but instead further magnifying … the stress of not obtaining the SPM certificate because the student did not pass History, as opposed to Bahasa Malaysia which is justifiable!”
The Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (Page) yesterday slammed Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s decision to make History a compulsory pass in the SPM examinations as “inconsistent” and at odds with Malaysia’s high-income goal.
Page chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim accused Muhyiddin of succumbing to populist pressure and likened the decision to the government’s policy reversal on the teaching of science and mathematics in English (commonly referred to using its Malay acronym, PPSMI) last year, after pressure from Malay language nationalists.
Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president, made the announcement on Saturday in his winding-up speech at the party’s general assembly here after the idea was first mooted by delegates earlier in the week. They had argued that non-Malays did not understand the “social contract” the country’s founding fathers had agreed upon as there was not enough emphasis on the nation-building process.
Students must now pass History, as well as Bahasa Malaysia, to obtain the SPM certificate from 2013 onwards.
“[Page] is of the view that this is yet another politically-motivated decision to appease and please Umno delegates at its general assembly, without any thought given to recent policy decisions that have been made by him on education thus far,” Noor Azimah said in a statement.
She argued that Muhyiddin should have instead declared English a must-pass subject, as this would have “perfectly complemented” the MBMMBI (To Uphold Bahasa Malaysia, To Strengthen the English Language) policy set to come into effect next year.
“The minister had earlier spoken about making English a must-pass subject at SPM but fell short of making a decision. This would have been a better call as statistics show of appalling English proficiency and writing skills among students… However, such a call would not have been ‘popular’ at an assembly of such magnitude,” she added.
Noor Azimah said the decision to make passing History compulsory also did not gel with the government’s determination to move away from rote learning and overemphasis on exams, which some critics have blamed for Malaysia’s lack of innovation.
