PETALING JAYA: Any move to introduce an anti-corruption syllabus in learning institutions should be limited to students in secondary or tertiary levels, said Sekolah Kebangsaan 2 Petaling Jaya Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG) president Zainul Ariffin.
He said it was a good move by the government to push for mandatory integrity and anti-corruption courses in universities but it was not suitable for primary schools.
“It is not time yet for them to learn about corruption. Primary schools are mainly for basic education, that is the 3Rs – reading, writing and arithmetic. However, when they move to secondary level, that is the best time for them to become aware of the issue,” Zainul told theSun.
“The syllabus also needs to be integrated with other subjects as it cannot be a new subject. For example, they can learn about it in Bahasa Malaysia, moral and civic education, history or other classes.”
Zainul said if the government was planning to create another subject, the students might feel burdened and lose interest in that particular subject.
“The children would lose focus and be exhausted from having one more subject. In the end, the effort goes to waste.”
On June 4, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy chief commissioner (prevention) Datuk Seri Norazlan Mohd Razali said the Special Cabinet Committee on Anti-Corruption had decided that an integrity and anti-corruption course will be mandatory at all higher learning institutions starting next year.
Parti Bangsa Malaysia secretary-general Nor Hizwan Ahmad subsequently suggested the syllabus be introduced at primary school level as well.
National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Wang Heng Suan said the value of integrity and anti-corruption is already in the school syllabus.
“If the government introduces a similar syllabus, it can be redundant. It is a good initiative but it must not be a burden on the children and teachers.
“Instead of shifting the focus to education, society must show a good example to children. They see what we are doing and good examples are more than enough.”
In agreeing with Zainul, Wang said the syllabus should be integrated with other subjects to maximise learning hours.
Meanwhile, academician Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi said the syllabus must be for those in upper levels, such as Form 4 and 5.
“When they are at that level, they understand the issue better. What is the point of having the syllabus when the children cannot even understand the rationality of the issue? Also, the government should make the proposed syllabus public for check-and-balance. We (academicians) would like to comment and criticise if there are flaws in the syllabus.”
Tajuddin expressed concern on how the syllabus would be taught, adding that educators should properly explain the frameworks of corruption to students so they would understand it better.
