Education ministry doesn’t know history?

(FMT) – Prof Khoo thinks so, saying this is why the contents of textbooks keep changing.

One of Malaysia’s most respected historians has criticised the education ministry for periodically changing the contents of history textbooks. He says that makes it impossible for students to have a common understanding of the country’s past.

Khoo Kay Kim, an emeritus professor of Universiti Malaya, told FMT the changes were due to the ministry’s own poor understanding of history.

“We can’t have a common understanding because the changes are made by those who have never done research,” he said. “History textbooks are changing, but they’re not improving.”

He said the periodical changes in content began with the shift in the education system that occurred in the 1960s.

Khoo, who has nearly 50 years of teaching experience, also said today’s youths had a shallow understanding of history and he blamed this on ineffective teaching.

“I can clearly tell the difference between the teaching styles of today and 60 years ago,” he said. “In the past, it was hard to pass the subject as it required the students to argue, to think critically, not to accept the answers as stated in the textbooks.”

Asked if he thought a better knowledge of history could boost patriotism among youths, he said thick textbooks were not enough.

“Anyone can enter a classroom to read a book within an allocated amount of time and close it once the class is dismissed.

“Teachers should make the subject itself interesting if they want to boost patriotism. There should be interaction between the two sides. Even better, take students outside to do ground work.”

He said a good grasp of history could provide one with a better understanding of present events and this was why people should never stop learning the subject.

“Once we lived in unity, but look at us now,” he said. “We are more selfish and we are not practising good moral values. There is a proverb, ‘no man is an island.’ This no longer relates to our society.”

According to the Centre for Policy Initiatives in its 2011 report on syllabus and textbook improvement for history in secondary schools, topics on local themes accounted for just 39% of content in all history textbooks published in 1969. The proportion increased dramatically to 85% in 1996. There was a slight drop to 82% in 2000.