Topic Curriculum

9 Components (3)
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1. Discuss the core values in curriculum development; and
2. Examine the issues in implementing core values in curriculum
development.

INTRODUCTION
Curriculum development in Malaysian education has undergone countless
changes in keeping with the national development and globalisation needs and
demands while taking into consideration the core values that must be preserved,
that is, our Malaysian values. In general terms, core values refer to the
fundamental beliefs of a person or organisation. They are the guiding principles
that dictate behaviour and action, help people to identify what is right and
wrong, help organisations determine if they are on the right path in realising
their goals and create an unwavering and unchanging guide.

In the Malaysian educational context, all educational development at the national level
is envisioned and designed based on the National Education Philosophy (NEP). As
mentioned in earlier chapters, the NEP was formed in 1988 in line with the Rukun
Negara, with the ultimate aim of building a united and progressive society (Ministry
of Education Malaysia, 2001). The NEP helps to shape educational principles,
guidelines, assumptions and decisions with respect to teaching and learning,
intellectual and moral building as well as educational goals.

The Ministry of Education Malaysia (2001) has categorised elements of the NEP
into fifteen subgroups as stated in the National Education Philosophy, Goals
and Mission (Falsafah Pendidikan Kebangsaan, Matlamat dan Misi) as shown in
Figure 9.1.

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Figure 9.1: Elements of the National Education Philosophy

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia (2001)

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Various changes made in the school curriculum are aligned with the objectives of
the NEP, for example, the KSSR (Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah), KBSR
(Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Rendah) and KBSM (Kurikulum Bersepadu
Sekolah Menengah). The values entrenched in teaching and learning styles as
well as the use of the Malay language in the KBSM are also linked with the NEP.

9.1 CORE VALUES

The post independence era saw the establishment of the National school system,
where Agama, as the subject was then called, was introduced for Muslim
students. It was an examination subject, heavily content-based and rigid in
approach. Nevertheless, it had an important section devoted to Islamic ethics or
akhlak. In the early 1970s, Civics was introduced as a mandatory subject for all
non-Muslim students, but was soon found to be ineffective as it was a non-
examinable subject. Schools put little importance to its implementation, as the
school system was, and still is, very exam- oriented.

At the end of the 1970s, the need for the teaching of values was formally
acknowledged, and the Cabinet Committee Report recommended that the
Ministry of Education:
(a) Develop a curriculum for the teaching of values in the form of moral
education (as a subject) for non-Muslims students;
(b) The subject to be made mandatory and examinable; and
(c) To be taught at the same time when Muslim students are taught Islamic
Education or Pendidikan Islam.

In implementing the recommendations, the Curriculum Development Centre set

up a committee to develop the syllabus for moral education, which included
values that reflect Malaysian society, are acceptable to all and do not offend any
religious group. Members of the committee were made up of curriculum officers,
representatives from all religious groups and consultants from the universities.

A total of sixteen core values were approved as the primary content of the moral
education (refer to Table 9.1). These values were taken into consideration and
adopted for implementation in the KBSR and KBSM from a series of Asian
workshops sponsored by the National Institute of Education (NIER) Tokyo and
UNESCO, which undertook to discuss and identify core universally-accepted
values.

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Table 9.1: Sixteen Core Values Integrated Into the Curriculum for Moral Education

Core Values Description

Cleanliness of body Cleanliness is an important factor by which to judge a
and mind civilisation or societys development. It is important for human
health and spiritual development and is essential for
environmental development. A clean and healthy life helps in
improving the culture of a society and is reflected in every
aspect of life such as art, architecture, food, music and so on.
Cleanliness relates to personal cleanliness and cleanliness of the
environment.
Compassion and Compassion and tolerance can help bond different races,
tolerance cultures and religions. When students are taught the values of
showing compassion and tolerance towards one another, we are
instilling in them the desire to be kind, helpful, supportive and
the feeling of love for one another. Evidence of this value
includes:
Compassion
Generosity
Charitable
Tolerant
Considerate
Hospitable
Patient
Cooperation Working together to achieve common goals, providing support
to others, and mutual responsibilities to each other. Evidence of
this value includes:
Mutual responsibility
Fraternity
Courage Courage is the quality of a character that is confident, unafraid
or not easily intimidated without being irrational, reckless or
inconsiderate. Courage as opposed to foolhardiness
Moderation The Oxford English Dictionary (Moderation, n.d.) defines
moderation as avoidance of excess or extremes, especially in
ones behaviour or opinions. Evidence of this value includes:
Moderation in thought
Moderation in speech
Moderation in action

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Diligence Diligence can be defined as the persistent and determined effort

to finish a task. It is one of the key ingredients for success in
school and in life. It is important to understand that people who
do not follow through and complete small tasks are those who
do not finish big things and remain diligent over a long period
of time. Evidence of this value includes:
Industriousness
Hardworking
Perseverance
Dedication
Freedom Freedom is a state in which people have the opportunity to
speak, act and pursue happiness without restrictions. Freedom
is important because it leads to an enhanced expression of
creativity, original thought, increased productivity and an
overall high quality of life. Evidence of this value includes:
Freedom within the law
Freedom to choose
Freedom from slavery
Gratitude Gratitude is a virtue that expresses appreciation for what one has as
opposed to for what one wants. Evidence of this value includes:
Gratefulness
Thankfulness
Appreciation
Honesty Being honest means choosing not to lie, steal or cheat in any
way. Being honest helps build character and ones self respect.
Evidence of this value includes:
Truthfulness
Trustworthiness
Faithfulness
Sincerity
Humility and Being modest refers to ones behaviour, of not flaunting oneself,
modesty being conceited or making a spectacle of oneself, while humility
refers to ones ego, to a persons inner state and feelings. A
humble person is willing to accept or respect anothers
authority, intellect or superiority without trying to challenge or
assert himself. Evidence of this value includes:
As opposed to showing off
As opposed to arrogance
Admission of ones fault

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Justice Justice means respecting the rights of people, treating people as

we wish to be treated. Justice also includes virtues of civility,
honesty, respect, responsibility and tolerance. A concern for
justice also inspires people to work as citizens to build a more
just society. Evidence of this value includes:
Sense of fair play
Concept of reward and punishment
Rationality Rationality is the practice of acting by reason, based on the facts
or truth. Evidence of this value includes:
Flexibility of thought
Weighing of alternatives
Self-reliance To be self-reliant is to be fully responsible for and in control of
ones own live, that is, make effective decisions and choices for
ones self, weigh alternatives, evaluate ethical dilemmas and
solve problems. Evidence of this value includes:
Responsibility
Independence
Autonomy
Love Love is a variety of different feelings that range from affection,
attraction and attachment to pleasure; or in this case, a virtue
representing human kindness, compassion and concern for the
good and happiness of other humans, animals, the environment
and love for the nation, peace and harmony. Evidence of this
value includes:
Love for the environment
Love for life and humanity
Love for the nation, patriotism
Love for peace and harmony
Respect Having regards for yourself and others, the law and authority,
diversity within our society and accepting the rights of others to
hold different or opposing views. Evidence of this value includes:
Respect for rules, law and authority
Respect for time and punctuality
Respect for institutions
Respect for exemplary behaviour
Respect for parents
Respect for elders, teachers, and leaders
Respect for anothers beliefs and customs
Respect for knowledge and wisdom

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Public spiritedness The Oxford English Dictionary (Public-spirited, n.d.) defines

public spiritedness as the willingness to help the wider
community. It involves the spirit of volunteerism, and working
together for the benefits of the people living in the same
community. It promotes a selfless approach that is beneficial to
the development of cultural identity among the people.
Evidence of this value includes:
Spirit of gotong royong (working together)
Sensitiveness towards societal needs

Source: Haji Ahmad (1998)

These values, which are drawn from religions, traditions and customs of people
also relate to human relationships in everyday life, particularly relationships
with the family, peers, society as well as organisations.

The content for the moral education syllabus, incorporating the sixteen values,
was developed and implemented throughout the different levels of schooling
so as to continuously and consistently instil students with them. However, the
scope of approach and issues presented were made increasingly difficult and
complex each year in line with the students maturity and ability to think.
The teaching strategies used were also focused on daily living and everyday
occurrences in the life of the student, and presented in equal importance
and in relation to one another.

With the implementation of the syllabus for moral education, the Government
hoped to produce individuals of good character possessing good moral values,
who can make decisions, are responsible members of the society and are able to
cope with moral issues in the modern world.

ACTIVITY 9.1

Pick two core values from the list above and incorporate them into a
lesson plan for a subject other than moral education to highlight how
these values can be taught across the curriculum.

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9.2 ISSUES IN CURRICULUM

IMPLEMENTATION
The teaching of values as a means of providing quality education to the
development of future Malaysian generations is considered to be the most
important strategy of the Malaysian education curriculum. The main thrust is the
adherence to the principle of holistic development of individuals through
education, and that values are to be firmly based on religious values. While
acknowledgement is made to the existence of different beliefs and religions, the
underlying philosophy is that all religions agree on the same things as good and
evil; and more importance is given to similarities between people than their
differences. For an individual to be truly developed there must be a balance in
terms of the intellect, spirit, body as well as emotion which are based on values.

The teaching of values is not only emphasised in the curriculum through the
teaching of the Islamic education and Moral Education subjects, but also
integrated into the teaching of other subjects across the curriculum; as well as
through the teacher as a role model. However noble the aspiration and intention,
there are issues as to whether the teaching of values in moral education and
Islamic education, as well as the assimilation of values across the curriculum are
achieving their objectives.

Teaching of Values is a Complex Process

The teaching of moral values is a very complex process. Moral guidance does not
have to and should not be an imposition of any ones values on all children,
especially in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society like Malaysia. It should be
taught in a manner that allows students to think for themselves, to reach their
own conclusions on issues without contradicting their own religious beliefs. Do
we have teachers who are truly knowledgeable, skilled, well-trained and
equipped to handle this type of education? We know that teachers are
individuals, each with their own beliefs, attitudes and values that are different
from one another. In integrating values into their teaching, teachers may
inadvertently be influenced by their own beliefs and not give the same emphasis
to the values they are trying to impart.

Another cause for concern is the integration of values across the curriculum
approach. While it is true that every subject contains issues relating to values, the
extent of values education in these subjects has been found to be quite minimal.
Some teachers do not know what activities or strategies to use to integrate values
into their teaching, while others do not understand the complex nature of
values. In fact, these teachers are not specifically trained to carry out the role of
values educators and cannot deal with any issues relating to values that may

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suddenly arise in their teaching subjects. At the same time, the teaching of their
own subject may be interrupted or suffer consequences if teachers have to take
time to impart or educate on a value.

Another important consideration to the teaching of values is the hidden

curriculum. Values are transmitted by behaviour and nonverbal messages, which
in this case, would be from teachers. A teacher is considered a role model in the
school, and yet teachers are individuals with different beliefs and values. Even
when a teacher is consciously trying to be neutral, he can still transmit the values
that are not intended through the hidden curriculum. This can be a dilemma
because teachers may unconsciously be transmitting values that are at times at a
tangent with those listed in the syllabus.

Nowadays, schools across the country are equipped with ICT facilities that
embrace the knowledge, understanding and competency of information
technology. With the advent of this modern technology and the Internet, comes
the risk that students would be exposed to inappropriate or even harmful
content. Schools and teachers, therefore, have to ensure that students are firmly
rooted in the Malaysian context and instilled with Malaysian values.

ACTIVITY 9.2
Beside the issues discussed in this topic, can you think of other concerns
that have resulted from the implementation of values education in
schools?

In this topic, we have learned the following:

All educational development at the national level are envisioned and

designed based on the National Education Philosophy (NEP). The NEP helps
to shape educational principles, guidelines, assumptions and decisions with
respect to teaching and learning, intellectual and moral building as well as
educational goals.

The Ministry of Education has categorised elements of the NEP into fifteen
sub-groups as stated in the National Education Philosophy, Goals and
Mission (Falsafah Pendidikan Kebangsaan, Matlamat danMisi), which
includes:

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Education is an ongoing effort;

Developing the potential of an individual;

Developing potential in a holistic and integrated manner;

Producing a balanced and harmonious individual;

Intellectual element;

Spiritual element;

Emotional element;

Physical element;

Firm belief and devotion to God;

Malaysian citizens who are knowledgeable;

Malaysian citizens who are competent;

Malaysian citizens who possesses high moral standards;

Malaysian citizens who are responsible;

Malaysian citizens who are capable of achieving a high level of personal

well-being; and

Malaysian citizens who are able to contribute to the betterment of the

family, society and nation.

At the end of the 1970s, the Cabinet Committee Report recommended that the
Ministry of Education develop a mandatory and examinable curriculum for
the teaching of values in the form of moral education (as a subject) for non-
Muslims students; and for it to be taught at the same time when Muslim
students are taught Islamic Education or Pendidikan Islam.

A total of sixteen core values were approved as the primary content of the
moral education, taken into consideration and adopted for implementation in
the KBSR and KBSM from a series of Asian workshops sponsored by the
National Institute of Education (NIER) Tokyo and UNESCO, which
undertook to discuss and identify core values universally accepted.

The sixteen values were cleanliness of body and mind; compassion and
tolerance; cooperation; courage; moderation; diligence; freedom; gratitude;
honesty; humility and modesty; justice; rationality; self-reliance; love; respect;
and public spiritedness.

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The values are drawn from different religions, traditions and customs of
people and also relate to human relationships in everyday life, particularly
relationships with the family, peers, society as well as organisations.

The content for the moral education syllabus was developed and implemented
throughout the different levels of schooling. The teaching strategies used were
focused on daily living and everyday occurrences in the life of the student, and
presented in equal importance and in relation to one another.

The teaching of values as a mean of providing quality education to the

development of future Malaysian generations is considered to be the most
important strategy of the Malaysian education curriculum.

The underlying philosophy observed is that all religions agree on the same
things as good and evil; and more importance is given to similarities between
people than their differences. For an individual to be truly developed there
must be a balance in terms of the intellect, spirit, body as well as emotion,
which are based on values.

The teaching of values is integrated into the teaching of other subjects across
the curriculum as well as through the teacher as a role model.

Issues in implementing values education are:

Teachers are individuals, each with their own beliefs, attitudes and values
that are different from one another. In integrating values into their
teaching, teacher may inadvertently be influenced by their own beliefs
and not give the same emphasis to the values they are trying to impart.

The integration of values across the curriculum approach, while it is true

that every subject contains issues related to values, the extent of values
education in these subjects has been found to be minimal.

The hidden curriculum, values are transmitted by behaviour and

nonverbal messages, which in this case, would be from teachers. Even
when a teacher is consciously trying to be neutral, he can still transmit the
value that he does not intend to through the hidden curriculum. This can
be a dilemma because teachers may unconsciously be transmitting values
that are at times at a tangent with those listed in the syllabus.

With the advent of this modern technology and the Internet, comes the risk
that students would be exposed to inappropriate or even harmful contents.
Schools and teachers therefore, have to ensure that students are firmly rooted
in the Malaysian context and instilled with Malaysian values.

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Behavioural and nonverbal messages Malaysian values

Fundamental beliefs Moral education
Hidden curriculum Multi-ethnic
ICT facilities Multi-religious
Islamic education Universally accepted core values

Haji Ahmad, R. (1998). Educational development and reformation in Malaysia: Past,

present and future. Journal of Educational Administration, 36(5), 462-475.

Ministry of Education Malaysia. (2001). Falsafah pendidikan kebangsaan:

Matlamat dan misi (National education philosophy: Goal and mission).
Putrajaya, Malaysia: Curriculum Development Centre.

MdAroff, A. R. (2014). Values education and the Malaysian education blueprint.

Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in Education (JIRE), 4(1), 59-73.

Moderation (n.d.). Oxford English dictionary online. Retrieved from

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/moderation

Public-spirited (n. d.). Oxford English dictionary online. Retrieved from

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/public-
spirited?q=public+spiritedness#public-spirited_7

Vazhathodi Al-Hudawi, S. H., Su Fong, R. L., Musah, M. B. & Mohd Tahir L.

(2014). The actualization of the Malaysian national education philosophy in
secondary schools: Student and teacher perspectives. International
Education Studies, 7(4), 57-68.

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