Rethink must-pass rule on History, says NUTP

By Richard Lim, The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) has voiced concerns over the introduction of History as a must-pass subject in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination from 2013.

Union president Hashim Adnan said the concerns stemmed from the rushed nature of the move and its potential impact on students.

“If we are not ready for this, perhaps the date could be pushed back as there would be long term repercussions.

“The present passing rate for History is only around 60% and adding more must-pass subjects may contribute to more people failing their SPM,” he said at a press conference yesterday.

He said making History a must-pass subject was no guarantee there would be greater patriotism among students.

“There are other ways to achieve the desired effect,” he added.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced at the Umno general assembly last month that History would be a must-pass subject.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said the move was to make History an attractive subject by teaching students how to interpret history in the context of their lives, like awareness and patriotism.

NUTP secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng said that the concerns did not mean that the union was rejecting the policy.

“We hope the ministry will think of the consequences and take everything into account,” she said, adding that currently some History teachers did not have the subject as their option.

She said the question of whether teachers and students were prepared for the move should also be addressed.

The union is advocating a 30-30-40 breakdown for the subject where the result from SPM examination contributes to 40% of the total score while course work and school-based exams should contribute 30% each.