MORAL Education, a subject introduced in Malaysian schools since 1983, is a model for other nations to adapt and adopt.
Multiple revisions of the syllabus have, however, caused the subject to deviate from its original pillars, namely, moral reasoning, moral emotions and moral action, said Universiti Malaya (UM) Service Learning Malaysia-University for Society (SULAM) coordinator and initiator of Service learning International Assoc Prof Dr Vishalache Balakrishnan. She was also former UM Centre for Research in International and Comparative Education director.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek recently announced that moral values would be incorporated in every subject and not merely taught during Moral Education classes, and that an anti-corruption module would be included in the syllabus for primary and secondary school students.
While an anti-graft module is good, incorporating moral values in all subjects is very difficult to do in practice, said Vishalache.
Noble values have been incorporated in teaching and learning across all subjects under the ministry’s Elemen Merentas Kurikulum (Elements Across Curriculum), or EMK, Vishalache, a former schoolteacher said.
“When I started teaching in UM as a Moral Education lecturer some 20 years ago, the first course I taught was EMK.
“From my observation, teaching values across subjects is not effective as teachers are rushing to finish the syllabus.
“On paper, they may record the values taught for the day but in reality, most do not have time to reflect on the values that are relevant to the topic they are teaching.
“This is just like what’s happened to Civics Education, which is now dying a natural death because it is taught across five subjects without structure or checks and balances. It’s very sad,” she said.
While Moral Education is a mandatory subject for all non-Muslims, less than half of the teachers teaching the subject were formally trained to do so, she said, stressing that every student needs to learn moral values.
Indonesian International Islamic University visiting professor and social science scholar Dr Sharifah Munirah Alatas agreed.
The former Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia lecturer said all students, regardless of religion, should learn the fundamentals of morality, ethics and human values as Malaysians come from diverse backgrounds.
Corruption and other dishonest acts are perpetrated by citizens, regardless of religion and ethnicity, she said, adding that students should be taught universal human and moral values that are the pillars of a multicultural society.
“The school curricula must tap into the shared fundamentals of morality and ethics.
“Moral and ethical values can be integrated as one system and taught as fundamental human values that appeal to all religions and ethnicities,” she said.
Values are caught, not taught
The main aim of the subject is to imbue students with good morals and character but a student with an A in Moral Education may not necessarily be a golden citizen, and one who scores an F is not doomed to lead a life of crime.
Students, said Sharifah Munirah, are currently taught to memorise moral values and their definitions so that they could answer exam questions.
“They are not equipped with the skills required to navigate complex notions such as moral dilemma, guilt, and responsibility to society,” she said, adding that the core of moral education is not in the imparting of knowledge but rather, in the application and practice of values among students.
Teach For Malaysia (TFM) community mobilisation director Loh Ken Ming said the challenges lie in teaching and measuring the efficacy and effectiveness of Moral Education in schools.
TFM is an independent, not-for-profit organisation on a mission to give all children the opportunity to realise their potential through quality education.
It partners with the ministry to reach high-need national schools and is one of the 60 partners of the prestigious global education network Teach For All.
“Morality is not a skill or knowledge acquired but an attribute or character that is developed over time.
“Tests for the Moral Education subject are ineffective as they assess a student’s knowledge, not his or her attributes and character.
“Instead, a more effective way would be to assess students based on the practical application of the subject.
Examples of this include having more project-based learning or debates in which students can be trained to think critically,” Loh said.
Morals matter
Although Moral Education is a core subject perceived by academics and educators as important for the holistic development of youths, it is commonly treated as unimportant among parents and students as it prevents them from focusing on “more important” or “serious” subjects like Science and Mathematics, with petitions and letters calling for it to be scrapped from the syllabus since its introduction in 1983.
“If Moral Education is not mandatory, how can we be sure that students are inculcated with good values, such as unity and respect, and other ethical practices like honesty, transparency and anti-graft?” said National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Fouzi Singon.
Many modern families, in which both parents have to work, no longer have time to be moral role models for their children, added Vishalache.
The onus thus falls on the education system and teachers to instil moral values in the younger generations, she said.
The goal of education, said Loh, is to produce citizens that can make a positive contribution to society and the world.
“Moral education comes hand in hand with developing good values and critical thinking skills that will help students make better decisions for themselves, their families and their communities,” he said.
Do better
It is crucial for moral education to be made practical and applicable to daily life, Loh added.
Any subject that is purely academic in nature will cause students to lose interest and struggle with its practical application, he said.
“Making relevant connections between moral education and the real world is crucial.
“Teachers and parents must move away from just giving the ‘right’ answers and instead, help students debate, experience and explore to find solutions for themselves,” he said, adding that youths today are exposed to various social media platforms and are in great need of guidance.
Unless education engages and addresses the current issues they are facing, moral education will continue to grow more irrelevant, he said.
Loh suggested that students work in groups for practical projects and be exposed to more extracurricular activities that are based on real-world issues.
One key element that is lacking in the Moral Education subject is reflection, he said.
“Reflection allows students to process and evaluate an experience.
This helps prevent them from jumping to what they think are ‘correct conclusions’ without deeply understanding the reason or context for a decision.”
Sharifah Munirah said teachers play an invaluable role in moral education.
“Not only is it a subject to be taught, but it is also an informal, continuous, lifelong exposure to the practice of good behaviour.
“Now that Moral Education is not just one subject for a select group of students, it can be holistically ingrained in all students through various subjects,” she said, stressing that it is the responsibility of teachers to be examples of healthy moral behaviour that students can emulate.
Fighting corruption
Alongside enhancing the inculcation of moral values in all subjects, the ministry will introduce anti-corruption modules in schools, and while laudable, this has raised some concerns for the NUTP.
Fouzi said the module would result in a future generation that would reject any form of graft and misuse of power, but the issue is how the values can be applied and become the practice of future citizens.
The module, said Loh, is a positive development for the country’s education system as it would create youths who are aware of the ills of corruption and how it can hurt the nation.
Sharifah Munirah said teachers must be adequately trained to handle the anti-corruption module if it is to have an impact.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), she said, has published a helpful guide for teachers.
The “Education for Integrity: Teaching on Anti-Corruption, Values and the Rule of Law” outlines lesson plans and relevant tasks that can be set for students, she offered.
“The ministry can create a similar manual that is suitable for our nation’s context.
“Consult topic experts in the field and conduct a detailed study on what other countries are doing to teach its citizens about corruption,” she said.Moral Education in Malaysia
1969
May 13, the tragic day when Malaysia experienced devastating riots, sparked a need to realign moral values in the country.
MORAL Education, a subject introduced in Malaysian schools since 1983, is a model for other nations to adapt and adopt.
In response to the May 13 riots, the Rukun Negara was introduced on National Day on Aug 31, and proclaimed by the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Almarhum Tuanku Ismail Nasiruddin Shah, to remind citizens to uphold core moral values and live harmoniously together.
1979
The Cabinet Committee of Education requested the Education Ministry to include moral education for 11 years of schooling.
However, the Moral Education subject was only proposed for non-Muslims, as Muslim students were already studying Islamic Religious Knowledge in their school curricula.
A Moral Education Committee was established by the Central Curriculum Committee to develop a syllabus for non-Muslims.
The committee involved people from different backgrounds and sought input from religious, educational and non-governmental bodies.
1983
Moral Education was introduced as a core subject to all primary schools in Malaysia with the New Primary Schools Curriculum.
There were 12 moral values taught in primary and 16 values in secondary. It was aimed at developing students’ spiritual, humanitarian and social aspects.
As a core subject, students must sit for exams.
1989
Moral Education was first taught to primary students but it was soon extended to all secondary schools on a year-by-year basis.
1993
The first cohort of Form Five students sat for the SPM Moral Education paper.
2000
The Moral Education syllabus was revised to include Vision 2020, a direction for the country set by former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1990.
The scope of the subject was also widened, after the Education Ministry was involved in Unesco meetings and workshops, to focus on the ethics of being a global citizen in the 21st century.
Moral education now included the development of generic, critical and creative thinking, conflict resolution and social skills.
2023
In March, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek announced that an anti-corruption module would be included in the syllabus for primary and secondary school students.
The ministry, she said, would also enhance the teaching of moral values in every subject, and that the inclusion of the anti-corruption module was to educate students to hate corruption from a young age.Source:
The Development of Moral Education in Malaysia,
Asia Pacific Journal of Educators and Education, Vol. 25, 89–101, 2010, and media reports.
Lessons must be practical
Moral education should be taught in schools but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the knowledge gained would result in a student changing his character or behaviour. Instead of teaching what is in the textbook, teachers should teach things like emotions, sex education and time management.
Our SPM and school exams are just about memorising. We are supposed to list all the values first before answering the questions, and often the questions already have fixed answers.
Take this exam question for example: ‘In your opinion, should students be allowed to bring handphones to school?’
When I answered ‘yes’ and explained why mobile phones should be allowed in school, I got zero marks because the teacher said the only correct answer is that handphones are not allowed. – Ng Jing Hwei, 18, student
Moral Education is a subject that students need but more importantly, they must be taught how to apply the values in their daily lives so that they can become good people.
Moral lessons have to be practical. Forcing students to sit for exams doesn’t mean that they will apply what they studied in real life.
Exams on the subject are unnecessary if it is repeating things that you learnt from a textbook. – Jewel Chang, 15, student
Teaching anti-corruption in schools as part of moral education is good because we have to start with the younger generation.
Moral education is important but the way it is being taught is boring.
You can’t just learn values from a textbook or by doing some exercises.
What we are learning in class only exposes us to what moral values are, what to do and what not to do. Lessons need to be more realistic for the subject to be relevant.
This could be done if teachers were to be more proactive by adopting different mediums or teaching methods to make classes interesting.
Students should learn about morals, instead of how they can ace an exam. – Adrie Tan Li Xian, 15, student
The word ‘moral’ has been defined as being concerned with the goodness or badness of human character.
Moral education equips students with the knowledge and understanding of differentiating between right and wrong behaviour.
It inculcates honesty, civility, integrity, love, responsibility and humanitarian values in our children, and aims to shape the minds of children to be noble and good citizens.
The ‘right behaviour’ taught in moral lessons are universally, culturally and socially accepted norms that transcend religious beliefs and understanding. Religious education, on the other hand, emphasises the teachings and beliefs of a particular religion.
Every student should be taught moral education, which can complement the religious knowledge of an individual and allow us all to live harmoniously in a multiracial, and multicultural society.
Students, regardless of their background, will then learn to respect one another and understand each other better.
Moral education can also help address disciplinary problems like smoking, bullying, fighting, playing truant, being disrespectful to teachers, speaking vulgar language, watching pornographic movies, harassing girls, being violent and showing disinterest in lessons.
Unfortunately, Moral Education, although a core subject for non-Muslims, is often ‘hijacked’ by teachers to teach ‘more important’ subjects.
Moral Education, which has not been given the recognition and emphasis it deserves, is taken lightly, which is why we have students who show no respect to their elders, misbehave, and are a threat to society.
We have been lackadaisical about its implementation, assessment and evaluation.
If we feel that our youths are in danger of becoming spoilt delinquents, then we need to get back to the basics.
We need to teach noble values to arrest the moral decline among our young before it spirals out of control.
The subject has wonderful ideals but its implementation, teaching and assessment leaves much to be desired.
Moral Education has to be taught and assessed holistically, meaningfully and practically as many students memorise lessons to pass the exams.
The teaching of Moral Education in schools should be reformed, revised and restructured.
Teachers who teach the subject must have an understanding of the moral education philosophy and be of good moral standing. Assessment should provide students with an avenue to apply what is learnt in real-life situations.
Teachers must observe their conduct and behaviour as part of an ongoing assessment.
Teachers can see if their students are kind, generous, helpful and hardworking. These can be a good yardstick to assess their conduct.
We do not want students to just be book-smart because academic brilliance can never compensate for poor character. Moral education equips students with knowledge, skills and values they can use when reasoning, feeling and acting. The unity, prosperity and development of the country is grounded on sound moral principles and universal noble values of our people. – Samuel Yesuiah, retired teacher
