KUALA LUMPUR: From the 2027 school year, children with special needs in national schools will for the first time be able to formally study Chinese and Tamil as mother tongue subjects under the new Kurikulum Persekolahan 2027.
The move aims to strengthen mother tongue proficiency among special needs pupils (MBPK) in the Special Education Integrated Programme (PPKI), says Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh.
He said the introduction of Chinese and Tamil for MBPK is part of wider improvements to special education under the new curriculum.
“Under the 2027 curriculum, the Education Ministry will offer Chinese and Tamil subjects specifically for special needs pupils to strengthen the mother tongue abilities of Chinese and Indian MBPK,” he told the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (March 2).
Wong was responding to Cha Kee Chin (PH–Rasah), who had asked how the ministry planned to support mother tongue learning for special needs pupils in vernacular school settings.
He said that at present, MBPK following the Special Education Integrated Programme in both national schools (SK) and national-type schools (SJK) use the same Standard Curriculum for Primary Schools and Standard Curriculum for Special Education as their mainstream counterparts.
However, he stressed that schools already have some room to weave in mother tongue elements.
“Although Chinese primary schools use the same Standard Curriculum for Primary Schools and Standard Curriculum for Special Education as national schools, teachers can still incorporate mother tongue elements in various learning activities inside and outside the classroom, based on the language of instruction and mother tongue context in their schools,” he said.
“The ministry understands the importance of providing mother tongue support. Mother tongue plays a significant role in the communication, emotional development and identity of special education pupils,” he added.
Wong also said that under the 2027 curriculum, the ministry will introduce three special subjects tailored to different needs: Individual Foundational Education for visually impaired pupils, Malaysian Sign Language, and Life Management.
He said the curriculum documents for these subjects will be made available in three language versions, allowing schools to use the version that matches their medium of instruction.
“This is part of our effort to ensure special needs pupils are not left out of curriculum reforms and receive support that is more closely aligned with their linguistic and learning needs,” he said.
