KUCHING: Understanding Malaysia’s formation must go beyond scoring in examinations, said Senate President Tan Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
He said the history of Malaysia’s formation, particularly the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), needs to be incorporated comprehensively and in detail into the national education curriculum.
The former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) pointed out that the current school textbooks primarily present historical facts without offering a comprehensive perspective of the events that occurred before and after the formation of Malaysia.
He noted that this approach has led students to study history merely to achieve high exam grades, with little emphasis on a comprehensive understanding.
“Nowadays, it seems to be all about facts. They state that Malaysia was formed on Sept 16, 1963, and that’s it. What happened before and after that, we don’t know.
“The limited scope of history education causes the younger generation and students to lack in-depth knowledge of this significant historical chapter.
“This, in turn, leads them to study history primarily to achieve high exam grades, with the sole goal of securing an ‘A’.
“So, in order to realise the subject matter (MA63), we must first understand the true facts. Otherwise, we will face criticism. History cannot be disputed,” he said at a press conference after attending the International Sarawak History Conference at Grand Margherita Hotel today.
Wan Junaidi asserted that he has personally reviewed the curricula for teachers since 2018, including those for SPM and STPM.
He expressed his dissatisfaction with the current content, saying, “I don’t understand it. In the past, they used to depict the struggles vividly. Our books were thick.”
To address this issue, Wan Junaidi recommended that history experts incorporate the history of Malaysia’s in their writings.
He stressed the importance of students, teachers, and schools having comprehensive knowledge about the country’s history, extending beyond exam-oriented learning.
Earlier this week, Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali called for the inclusion of MA63 in the national education curriculum.
She highlighted the importance of providing accurate information about the country’s history to the new generation.
She noted that Sarawak’s history was only incorporated into the national curriculum in 1982, and significant changes were made in 2014 and 2017 to include Sarawak’s history as a key component of the school history curriculum.
The International Sarawak History Conference brought together 27 presenters, including five from abroad (Indonesia and Brunei) and one presenter currently on sabbatical at the University of Cambridge.
The conference serves as a significant platform for historians and social scientists to gather and share their research findings, aligning with its theme, ‘Writing Sarawak’s History and Revisiting the Formation of Malaysia’.
CAPTIONS:
KCH-junaidi-ma63-1409-nvl-1: Junaidi (left) and Ikatan Graduan Melayu Sarawak (IGMS) president Datuk Dr Sanib Said at the press conference.
KCH-junaidi-ma63-1409-nvl-2: Junaidi (centre) interacting with the participants of the International Conference on Sarawak History.
