Maszlee: Civics education to mould students into world-class citizens

INTERVIEW | Civics education will be reintroduced in schools in order to mould students into world-class citizens, according to Education Minister Maszlee Malik.

However, the minister promised that the new version would not be as unexciting as its predecessor.

"It is not going to be a boring one (like the old civics education subject). The students are going to enjoy this one and they are going to be prepared to become world-class citizens,” he told Malaysiakini in an interview in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Maszlee said all stakeholders would be included in developing the subject.

According to the minister, various organisations have approached him to propose new subjects for school children.

Among them, he said, were MACC, Suhakam as well as environmental, sexual and human rights NGOs.

However, Mazlee said he did not wish to burden the students with more subjects.

“So we are going to integrate all these issues and concerns into one subject that we call civics education," he explained.

Apart from this, Maszlee also wants to incorporate survival skills into the syllabus.

He said school children would be taught how to swim, along with other skills such as first aid and understanding signages.

"For the first time, we are equipping our children with the knowledge that will make them world-class citizens," he added.

It was previously reported that the Education Ministry was looking into introducing swimming lessons in schools.

This was later overshadowed when Maszlee's remark urging hotels to allow students to use their swimming pools came under the spotlight. - Mkini