TWO APPROACHES IN TRANSFORMING EDUCATION SYSTEM - MINISTER

KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian government will adopt two
approaches that will lead to a radical transformation and reorganisation of the
national education system by 2010.

Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the two approaches were being
taken so that the system would suit the current needs particularly involving the
primary and pre-school pupils.

"The first approach is to study and reevaluate the school curriculum and
co-curriculum. It means that the pioneer programme that we are currently
implementing takes into consideration how important it is for our children to
understand their history and the background of their origin right from the
primary school stage," he told reporters at Parliament House, here Tuesday.

Hishammuddin said that under the first approach, the ministry would also
develop a national education appraisal system (PPK) which was holistic to
evaluate not only the student's academic performance but also the intellectual,
spiritual, physical and emotional aspects in an integrated manner.

In this context, he said, 'evaluation based on performance in the classroom'
would be given emphasis where the 'Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah' (primary
school performance examination or UPSR) alone was inadequate in screening
outstanding students for enrolment in fully residential schools.

Hishammuddin said the second approach was to review the policy on the
teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in the English language (PPSMI)
after taking into consideration the views of everyone, adaptation and
improvement in the primary schools and considering and giving emphasis to the
rural schools.

He said whatever adaptation and improvement to be made by the ministry would
not affect pupils who had already undergong the policy.
-- BERNAMA