NUTP: New education curriculum must make learning fun, enhance critical thinking
As the Malaysian education system is set to introduce a new curriculum in 2027, the union representing teachers in the country says learning must be a fun experience for students.
National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Fouzi Singon added that the new curriculum should also focus on critical thinking.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, earlier today, said that teachers would have greater autonomy under the new curriculum. While welcoming the decision, Fouzi, however, said NUTP was not involved in discussions with the ministry.
“Although we are the union for teachers, we are unsure of how the new curriculum will be, and how much autonomy the teachers will have,” said Fouzi.
“Our members have expressed a desire to have more project-based lessons instead of the conventional way of a teacher teaching and students listening and writing down the answers.
“For instance, instead of just writing a camping essay, teachers could bring tents to school, ask the students to put them up, and then write a report about it.”
Fouzi added that on a recent trip to South Korea, he observed how the students learnt to plant carrots using rainwater. They then harvested the vegetables and sent them to factories to make kimchi.
“Instead of learning about their national dish from books, students were involved in the process, from planting the carrot seeds, looking after the plants, and then watching them turn from a vegetable into a dish,” said Fouzi.
“It gave them a better understanding. You could see how excited the children were from doing this one project.
“Our government schools can learn from the international schools in Malaysia. Most of them use project-based learning to make learning fun.”
He hoped the new curriculum would also give teachers more freedom to teach their subjects in fun and exciting ways.
Fouzi, who used to teach Mathematics, said the subject could be boring, and he had to come up with numerous ways to capture his students’ attention.
“If students hate Mathematics in primary school, it is unlikely they will like it when they are older,” he said.
“You need to capture their imagination at a young age. Make them enjoy the lessons and have a desire to want to learn more.”
He added embarking on ‘projects’ would promote communication skills and teamwork, and more importantly, help students to be more critical in their thinking.
Fouzi said that many students struggled to communicate, as they are not encouraged to speak up, but if they worked with others, they must express themselves.
“Students may know the correct tenses and grammar, but struggle to put proper sentences together as they are not encouraged to speak. But if they are doing projects, they must learn to get their points across,” said Fouzi.
“The projects will also help them think independently instead of merely relying on textbooks.”
He said NUTP is ready to help the ministry with the changes to the curriculum.
“We want to get involved from the start, not after the curriculum is ready,” he added.
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