European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 9, Number 2 (2009)

Holistic Education in Malaysia

Habsah Ismail Department of Foundations of Education, Faculty of Educational Studies Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia E-mail: habsah@educ.upm.edu.my Tel: +6-03-89468209; Fax: +6-03-89468246 Aminuddin Hassan Department of Foundations of Education, Faculty of Educational Studies Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia E-mail: aamin@educ.upm.edu.my Tel: +6-03-89468187; Fax: +6-03-89468246 Abstract This article discusses the concept of holistic education in Malaysia in the light of the principles adhered by the National Philosophy of Education (NPE) in the country with its focus on the development of well-balanced and integrated individuals who hold a firm belief in and devotion to God. In addressing the importance of the holistic notion of education, the Western concept of holism and integrated education as seen from the aspects of aim, philosophical principles underpinning the practices, curriculum and the teaching and learning process are also discussed. In highlighting the meaning of holistic education in Malaysia, similarities and differences in the meaning and principles of holistic education in the country and her western counterpart had been explained and the rational for the implementation of the holistic concept was provided.

Keywords: Holistic education, integrated curriculum, core values, philosophy.

The Concept of Holistic Education

Various principles and theories concerning holistic education had been propounded by philosophers and educationists like Montessori, Pestalozzi, Miller, Clark, Rudolf Steiner and even as early as the time of the ancient Greek philosophers of Socrates and Plato. These theories and beliefs rest on the philosophical assumptions that the soul is an essential component of the individual that is connected to the individuals potentiality which constitutes the intellectual, emotional, spiritual and the physical elements. The early words of Socrates, know thyself is a depiction of Socrates belief that the potential element of an individual is latent and concealed in nature and hence, needs to be brought to surface. This innate potentiality can be made active through the use of right and proper technique in education and also an environment that is conducive to its cultivation and nurturance. The holistic concept in education had also been practiced in the early history of education in China and India (Schubert 1986). As pointed out by him, the teachings of Confucius and Lao Tze and also the holy books of the Vedas, Gitas and Upanishads had shown that much emphasis was given to the spiritual element in education as a mean to achieve spiritual happiness. Following the century Era of the Romantic with the emergence of various philosophers like Jean Jacques Rousseau or better known as Father of Progressivism, holistic education became a clear paradigm in the 17 century. The thrust of Rousseaus idea of holistic education is seen in his famous saying, the first impulse of nature is always right, there is no original sin in the human heart (Miller 231

European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 9, Number 2(2009) 1995). To Rousseau, a human potentiality endowed by the Creator could be nurtured to its fullest because an individual does not inherit the original sin.

Holistic Education in Malaysia

The basic philosophy underlying the Malaysian secondary school curriculum is one based on the holistic and integrated concept of education. The Malaysian Secondary School Integrated Curriculum (ISSC) or the KBSM literally translated as the Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Menengah in the Malay language has its principles based on Malaysias very own National Philosophy of Education (NPE) with the belief and devotion to God as its central tenet. The ISSC formulated in the year 1984 and implemented in the following year at the secondary school level aimed at materializing the holistic concept of education and witnessing a radical break from the old curriculum which was too contentcentered and overly focused on examination and academic excellence. The aim of the education system was meeting the national needs instead of individual needs, the curriculum was also too contentcentered with overly emphasis on rote-learning. This paper addresses the concept of holistic education in Malaysia in the context of the ISSC. Central to the aim of achieving a well-balanced personality through education, the ISSC seeks to promote and inculcate other aims and objectives namely: values across the curriculum, integration of disciplines (inter and intra), the concept of godliness and the process of teaching and learning both inside and outside the classrooms. In upholding the ideals of the National Philosophy of Education (NPE) and the implementation of the holistic education through the ISSC, the Malaysian educational system had clearly identified that the concepts of integration and holism are first and foremost based on the concept of belief and devotion to God. Hence with this in focus, the concepts of the human soul, human potential based on the intellectual, spiritual, emotional and physical components must first and foremost to be clearly based on the principles of the NPE. As opposed from the western notion of spirituality which focuses on the elements of feelings, an animating energy or process, romantic or universal love and the innermost feeling encompassing loss, grief, joy and pain (Miller, 2000), spirituality in the Malaysian holistic educational context first and foremost rests upon the belief of God the Almighty and the revelation as the greatest source of truth. Hence, it is this belief that provides the explanation and justification of the creation of the soul and spirit that constitute the human existence. In addressing this point, this paper also argues the extent in which the western concept of holistic education can be implemented and fitted into the educational system context of the country. The issue highlighted is, are these concepts been really understood and its implementation well-justified? What were the problems and constraints that stood in the way of an effective implementation of the NPE and the ISSC?

Integration of Knowledge, Skills, Values and Language in Learning

Incorporating the western aspects as outlined above, the holistic education in this country is defined as a simultaneous process of promoting an overall development of an individual student through the mastery of knowledge, acquisition of skills, internalization of noble values and the proper usage of language in teaching and learning. However, the concept of integration can only be understood and materialized in the classroom if the concept of knowledge and values are defined and according to the principles upheld by the NPE on which the Malaysian educational system is modeled. Since knowledge, values and other key concepts in this essay will be discussed in depth in the following sections of this essay, it is sufficient at this juncture to explain the meaning of the above aspect of integration in terms of its interrelation of the concepts embedded in it. In the ISSC, knowledge, skills, language and values to be instilled in the students form the basic elements in the acquisition of added knowledge ( Ministry of Education, Malaysia 1990). This is in line with the principle of life long 232

European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 9, Number 2 (2009) education which is also seen as a process of acquisition and transfer of knowledge, skills and values through the use of the Malay language. Knowledge acquisition and transfer is closely related to ones ability to communicate effectively. Hence, language in the context of the ISSC is regarded as an important tool of communication in the effective transfer of knowledge of the disciplines taught in the classrooms. Through the proper and grammatical use of language, ideas and concepts can thus be effectively delivered through teaching. Hence, language indeed plays an important role in knowledge building since the intellect forms one of the major components in the individual student that needs to be harnessed according to the holistic concept of education of the NPE. In propagating critical thinking, knowledge transfer in the ISSC aims at creating inner meanings in the minds and emotions of the students. In other words, knowledge transfer as embedded in the holistic education prescribed by the NPE goes beyond mere deliverance of facts and information. The development of a well-developed individual as aimed by the NPE will not be materialized without the infusion of noble universal values and being accepted by the various religious followers of the country. The inculcation of the 16 core values1 across the ISSC is a significant step taken by the Ministry of Education in Malaysia towards fostering a relationship based on peace, harmony and goodwill among the citizens of the country which also calls for an active role of the schools and teachers.

Integration of Learning Experiences in the School Subjects

In the process of learning and teaching of subjects in schools, the interests of students can only be evoked and sustained if teachers are able to integrate the various disciplines into a meaningful and interrelated context (Krogh, 1995). In the case of the ISSC, subjects taught can be made meaningful if teachers implement various process of integration such as the models proposed by Clark (1997); Fogarty (1991); and Drake (1991). Integration of disciplines requires teachers to understand the difference between the meanings of the terms concept, fact, theory, hypotheses and also generalization. Hence, teachers of the ISSC in Malaysia need to understand the epistemological basis underlying the various subjects taught in implementing the holistic education through teaching of subjects. This definitely requires the emphasis of certain salient concepts such as: context over content (Clark, 1997); concepts over facts; question over answers and quality over quantity in their teaching. However, a pertinent point to be made here is that, integration of subjects in the ISSC is not totally devoid off its original focus, that is, God/Creator. Hence, integration of the disciplines is not to be only understood from the perspective of integration of subject matter. Integration of subjects must be made against a more wholesome interpretation of knowledge as uphold by the NPE. Knowledge in the light of NPEs interpretation is seen in the following perspectives: (1) knowledge of man and his Creator; (2) knowledge of man in relation with his fellow beings and (3) knowledge of man and his interaction with his environment.

Integration of Theory and Practice in the Subject Taught

Transfer of knowledge and skills through the subjects taught is not devoid of the infusion of core noble values. Thus, having these values as the platform for character building, the teaching of various subjects should aim at developing different student potentiality and interest. However, this could not be achieved if teachers are not able to integrate between the theoretical and practical aspects of the subjects taught and teaching is reduced to being an inert and monotonous process (Peters, 1966). The teaching of various disciplines at the theoretical level which is devoid of the relation between theory
1

The 16 core values are : cleanliness of body and mind, compassion/empathy, cooperation, courage, moderation, diligence, freedom, gratitude, honesty/integrity, justice, rationality, self-reliance, love, respect, public-spiritedness and humility and modesty

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European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 9, Number 2(2009) and experience of everyday living can result in students being passive receivers of knowledge as claimed by Whitehead (1929) as follows: A merely well-informed man is the most useless bore on Gods earth Therefore in training a child to activity of thought, above all things we must be aware of what I will call inert ideas:- this is to say, ideas that are merely received into the mid without being utilized, or tested or thrown into fresh combinations Thus, integration of theory and practice in the subject taught calls for an active involvement of learning activities that incorporates both inside and outside the classroom context. In other words, this aspect of integration of the ISSC is closely related to the co-curricular aspect of the learning process.

Integration of Learning Experience Inside and Outside of Classroom

Implementation of the holistic concept of education in the ISSC into a meaningful practice is to a large extent dependent upon the process of integration of both the formal and non-formal aspects of the curriculum. This is because the environment is a crucial factor in providing the meaningful context of a certain teaching and learning process. This view is supported by Flake (1993) who believes that the ecological system and the environment play a dominant role in providing inner meanings to individuals in the learning process. This view is also supported by Clark (1997) who states that the learning process can be enriched through the subjective context; time context; symbolic context and ecosystem or global context. Taking these various aspects of contextual learning in the ISSC, learning experience should provide an environment that can link the past, present and future events of the world. In Malaysia, an important aspect of the holistic approach is to critically examine the anticipated educational changes. This is done by looking at these changes in the light of events in education that are linked into a meaningful whole. The use of language in the process of teaching and learning should be seen as a symbol of unity among students of various ethnic and religion. Thus in the context of the holistic education of the ISSC, these various aspects of meaningful learning process is definitely infused with the concept of God or the Creator which is the ultimate cause of the ecological balance and harmony, a metaphysical position to be found in almost every religion in the country. The main religions of Malaysia: Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism. In this sense, the various contextual factors which influence the learning process and experience are seen as an extension of classroom experience into the global and metaphysical dimensions.

Integration of Teaching and Learning Strategies

The emphasis of the integration of teaching and learning strategies in the KBSM or the ISSC is on the development of higher-order thinking aimed at developing the cognitive aspect of the individual learner. Nevertheless, the development of the intellect should not be separated from the other aspects of the individual development which also comprise the affective and physical dimensions. In order to implement higher-order thinking in students, Butler (1993) holds the view that that the following aspects are important in the teaching and learning strategies. First, students should be involved in the process of critical thinking which involves reflective thinking and problem-solving strategies that opposed teaching and learning strategies which are routine in nature. Reflective thinking for instance, involves deep thinking or meta cognitive approach which requires students to make meaningful connections between the disciplines taught and learned.

Conclusion
To conclude, these five aspects of integration in the holistic education of the ISSC do not stand in isolation to one another. Integration among these five aspects should be implemented coherently if the concept of holistic education is to be clearly defined and manifested in the context of real classroom 234

European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 9, Number 2 (2009) teaching. The integration of these five aspects is also pertinent in bringing about a clear understanding of the various sub-concepts subsumed under the holistic concept of education namely; God/Creator, universe, knowledge, values, skills and human existence and their inter-connectedness. With Islam as the official religion in Malaysia, the principles of the National Philosophy of Education is clearly Godcentered and being holistic encompasses the meaningful integration of disciplines both inter and intra discipline, inculcation and transmission of the 16 core values across the curriculum with the use of language as the main vehicle in translating the principles of the NPE into actual classroom practice. In supporting this holistic concept in Malaysia, Wan Mohd. Zahid (1993) clearly points out that the holistic curriculum must meet the following needs in education: First, the importance of the metaphysical principle embedded in the respective religious belief of individuals aimed at instilling the spirit of interconnectedness with the Creator, second the need to master knowledge of both the social sciences and humanities in justifying the need for individuals to interact in the social context and thirdly, the need to master knowledge of the physical sciences in order to enable man to understand his/her position as being a part of the interconnected reality with the physical world. In a nutshell, holistic education in Malaysia addresses the need for a functional knowledge to be mastered in education but functionalism is not to be understood in a restricted perspective which only limit mans experience to his/her interaction with the physical world devoid of the belief of the Creator. Spirituality, an important aspect of the holistic education extends beyond an individuals physical entity encompassing the inner spiritual dimension of emotion, intuition, creativity with the belief in God being primordial. In the Malaysian context, holism not only constitutes the intellectual, spiritual, emotional and physical elements of an individual but extends beyond the social, environmental, and contextual dimensions to a higher metaphysical position with God as the highest source of truth. This is clearly espoused by Al Attas (1990) when he defines the individual man as having, a dual nature, he is both body and soul, he is at once a being and spirit. This is contrary to the view of Moore (1992) who contends that a clear definition of spirituality is impossible since the process of defining a certain term is intellectual in nature whereas the meaning of spirituality is confined to ones personel experience. This position is further justified with the view of Rossiter (1996) who perceives that efforts taken towards developing the spiritual, moral, social and cultural values among students in Britain are fraught with several problems among which are: difficulty of arriving at a very clear meaning of the concepts of spirituality, morality, social and culture. Spirituality is again restricted to the meaning of ones personel experience and these aspects of the individual development are seen as purely cognitive as well as not having any economic value. The NPE had been perfectly formulated by the education policy makers in Malaysia. The statements of the NPE had represented the belief of the multi religious and multicultural citizens of the country. As such , the NPE need not be replaced by another document to guide the implementation of educational practices in the country The ideals of the NPE should be manifested and translated into actual practices in order to achieve the desired aims in education of the country. However, there are difficulties in implementing the holistic education concept in Malaysia. A study by Habsah (2000) on teachers understanding of the ISSC holistic education concept based on the NPE found that even though secondary school teachers in Malaysia understood the holistic education concept, they were faced with several constraints in implementing the principles. The study also addressed the problems the teachers had to face. First, the teachers primary concern was to complete the syllabus before the end of the year. Teachers also perceived that the transmission of core values across the curriculum was not evaluated in examinations, hence, this was not a priority. Another study by Habsah et al ( 2004) also found that secondary school teachers belief in Malaysia towards God was strong but in terms of implementing and integrating this belief into actual practice had been problematic for them because of the same reasons namely: examinations were given priority and the school environment was too academic with great emphasis given to academic excellence. Hence, to conclude, to fully materialize the ideals of the NPE calls for a concerted effort on the part of the teachers, parents and most important of all, the policy makers of the education in the country. 235

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