Tiang (centre, in jacket) with participants of the run.
A LAWMAKER wants Sarawak Day − celebrated on July 22 − to be included in the school syllabus.
State Public Health, Housing and Local Government Deputy Minister II Datuk Michael Tiang proposes Sarawak history be taught in schools as a programme or subject.
The Pelawan assemblyman said this could be an option or temporary measure, as including Sarawak history in national schools’ textbooks might take time.
“If they cannot include Sarawak history in the textbooks at the national level, I think Sarawak should start by including it in the curriculum of our local schools.
“We can do it as an extra programme or subject. I think there won’t be any difficulty for the state government to do that,” he said after flagging off 722 Sarawak Day Run 2024 at Stadium Tun Zaidi in Sibu.
“Sarawak is part of Malaysia. The whole of Malaysia needs to understand Sarawak’s as well as Sabah’s history,” he said, concurring with Public Health, Housing and Local Government Deputy Minister I Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil who mooted the idea.
Penguang, in an exclusive interview with the state’s public communications unit in July, proposed including Sarawak’s Independence Day in the national history curriculum to educate future generations about the importance of July 22, a date celebrated annually in the state.
“This is something we need to instil among ourselves and pass on to future generations so that they can understand the importance of the date, especially what happened before and after Sarawak Day,” he said.
The Marudi assemblyman also stressed the importance of distinguishing the three key dates in Malaysia’s history: National Day on Aug 31, 1957; Malaysia Day on Sept 16, 1963; and Sarawak Day on July 22, 1963. — By ANDY CHUA
