Exciting to students, but not to parents

Tech-savvy: Primary students busy with their tablets. The idea of having a technology stream in school may sound exciting to children who are deeply interested in this field.

PETALING JAYA: The idea of having technology and computing as an additional stream in school may sound exciting to some children who are deeply interested in the field, but parents and policy makers have a different view about it.

Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik said students should be exposed to all streams and disciplines, instead of being further divided.

“If you look at the way the world is moving forward now, we do not divide students into streams,” he said.

He was commenting on a suggestion by Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo that schools create a “technology stream” to cater to the growing demand for digital talent.

Gobind suggested in an interview with The Star that other than arts, commerce, vocational and science streams, pupils should also be given exposure to technology-based education as early as possible through the creation of a “technology stream”.

Dr Maszlee said that students should study all disciplines but should be given the freedom to choose their subjects for major examinations.

“Knowledge should be viewed as one, whether arts, science, tech ... and students should be exposed to all those streams, all those subjects,” he added.

Sunway University Bachelor of Communication student Jeremy Tey, 18, said he was excited by the suggestion.

Tey, who has been freelancing for seven years in graphic design, web development, filmmaking and consultation, first got interested in technology when he was 11 years old.

“It is a good idea – IT (information technology) is making a big difference ... and is needed in today’s society.

“I honestly would have liked to have taken this as a stream if I had had the chance to do so,” he said.

Tey believes it would not be too challenging for students either.

“Even the arts and science streams are challenging, there are always challenges.

“It also (depends) on how the Government implements it. What kind of methods will they use? Are they going to teach the fundamentals?

“Everything has got to be carefully planned.

“Technology, like other fields, can be confusing and would need skilled teachers and guidance,” he said, adding that teaching the fundamentals would be essential.

SPM student Ong Zhi Ching, 17, is confident that a technology stream would be beneficial to all.

“This would be another great option for students who are more interested in technology subjects such as coding and programming rather than learning arts and science,” she said.

Ong added that this would be a great opportunity for those students with an otherwise minimal exposure to technology.

International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Communication Department lecturer Dr Shafizan Mohamed welcomed the idea.

“They could take it as a subject or embed it in different areas of their studies.

“I say this because technology is so vast, it touches on every area including the science and art streams.

“If coding and programming were introduced into these streams, Malaysia would be a more competitive nation as a whole,” she said.

Dr Shafizan added that technology affects everyone regardless of what career they pursue.

Meanwhile, parents of school-going children also agreed that having a technology component was a good suggestion, but many wondered whether it was really necessary to create a new stream.

Kristina Azmi, a mother of four, said she was not too concerned whether the Government implemented the new stream but is worried about her son’s lack of interest in technology.

“Looking at my son, who is in Year Four now, he is more interested in sports than in technology.

“But, if you talk about handphones and mobile games then, yes, he absorbs them very fast,” she said.

Desonny Tuzan, a father of four himself, also liked the idea of a technology stream, but wondered whether the syllabus could remain relevant a few years down the road given the rapid pace of technological advancement.

“I will definitely encourage my children to join the technology stream. I think it is good as well to be learning something that is way ahead, but they must pick a syllabus that will not be outdated so quickly,” he said.

Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim was behind the idea of a technology stream, but was cautious and suggested a pilot programme to first assess its effectiveness and success.

She also suggested that those with industry experience be roped in to teach, but acknowledged that this might be costly.

“The related infrastructure and resources have to be state-of-the-art to be attractive.

“We had many issues with 1Bestarinet,” she added, referring to the project that was supposed to provide a virtual learning environment (VLE) in schools.

Noor Azimah also said that teachers should be trained appropriately and that universal terminology be used in teaching technology.

“There is no need to reinvent complicated words that no one understands in the end.”

Noor Azimah believes it is worth investing in creating a technology stream though, and that this could be a way to make national schools the first choice of Malaysian parents.