IT has become a trend lately that every time the country faces a social problem involving our youths, there are calls for new subjects and courses to be introduced in schools and higher education institutions to tackle the problem.
For example, when there is an increase in cases of drug abuse, road accidents, bullying, gangsterism and bankruptcy, there will be groups or individuals proposing that a special or standalone subject or course to address the particular issue be introduced in our education system.
Even during our annual Independence Day and Malaysia Day celebrations, there will be renewed calls for our students to learn about national unity and constitutional law as a subject or course.
Why are we so keen on burdening our students?
It is unrealistic and unreasonable to expect them to learn about every single social issue in a formal education setting.
If we keep asking the government to introduce new subjects or courses every other day, we will see an increased level of stress not only among the students themselves, but also among the teachers and lecturers who will have to allocate more time and energy to conduct these lessons.
Imagine the amount of books and reading materials they will end up with!
The correct approach should be to include what we want our students to learn in the existing curriculum. Improve on what we already have, instead of spewing out proposals for new subjects and courses that could very well lead to poor mental health among the young. As it is, our students are already under so much pressure to pass and do well in their exams and assessments.
ASSOC PROF DR MUZAFFAR SYAH MALLOW
Faculty of Syariah and Law
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia
