Complex Science and Math curriculum dampen students' interest
The pressure to excel academically, coupled with the prescriptive curriculum, caused students' overall development, including social, emotional and creative aspects to be neglected.
SHAH ALAM - The compact and complicated syllabus for Science and Mathematics at the primary school level puts pressure on students to the point of "killing" their interest in the subjects.
UCSI University lecturer Dr Othman Talib said the Education Ministry (MOE) has implemented a prescriptive curriculum through the Curriculum Development Division (BPK), which dictated specific content and standards for teaching these subjects.
"Prescriptive curriculum refers to a curriculum set specifically and in detail by MOE, with various learning and assessment standards that must be followed uniformly by teachers across the country," he told Sinar.
He added that the prescriptive curriculum is overwhelming for students at the start of their schooling, as it left no room for teachers to adjust the content according to students' needs and understanding.
The situation, he said forced students who were not ready for certain topics to keep up, leading to stress and confusion.
He said the pressure to excel academically, coupled with the prescriptive curriculum, caused students' overall development, including social, emotional and creative aspects to be neglected.
Othman said this approach prevented students from developing in a more holistic and balanced manner.
For instance, he said Science lessons often started with lab rules, whereas early Science education should introduce students to natural phenomena relevant to their lives rather than a systematic approach outlined in textbooks.
"We teach Science to enlighten everyone’s mind and to show that Science is an integral part of our lives," he said.
He also emphasised issues with the Mathematics curriculum, such as excessive use of dialogue which confused students when answering questions.
He said Mathematics should follow the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) system, which involved reducing textual explanations and increasing practice exercises.
He added that similar issues existed in the Science curriculum, where lengthy dialogues can make it difficult for even adults to grasp the scientific concepts, let alone young students at the start of their education.
