Aided Chinese schools welcomes workbook ban for Year1-3

0

Jonathan Chai

KUCHING: The Federation of the Boards of Management for Aided Chinese Primary Schools Sarawak welcomes the policy of banning workbooks for Year 1-3 from Jan 1 next year.

Its secretary general Jonathan Chai said this is in line with the modern concept of education.

“In fact, under the current National Education Blueprint, we are discarding the traditional spoon feeding method of teaching by encouraging more interaction and exchange of ideas among pupils in class.”

“This is to teach logical thinking with the objective of exploring the potential of our younger generation, and shaping them to be more innovative and creative,” he said when contacted yesterday.

He was prompted for comments on the recent quote by Deputy Education Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon in a national English daily that Year 1-3 pupils should not even use workbooks.

Chai, who is also deputy president of Federation of the Boards of Management of Aided Chinese Primary Schools of Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Division, said replying too much on workbooks would hamper or limit the opportunities for pupils to interact and exchange ideas with their peers in class.

“Some parents and even teachers have the misconception that more practices with workbooks would help pupils excel in their studies.”

“If teachers focus their time and effort using the prescribed syllabus or textbooks from the Ministry of Education, that should be sufficient,” he asserted.

He believed that the workload of teachers would be reduced with less or no additional workbooks. Teachers could then focus on the syllabus set by the ministry.

“It would also be a relief for parents financially. Over the years, the excessive weight of school bags has been a hot topic.”

He opined that heavy schools bags may affect the general wellbeing of children at such tender ages. He noted that the ministry’s circular banning the use of additional workbooks was put in place in 2000 but ‘was never seriously enforced’. He hoped that the ministry “would be serious this time in ensuring that schools adhere to the circular”.

“Having said that, the ministry should also study the reasons behind the excessive use of workbooks and regularly consult with all stakeholders including teachers to ensure that the textbooks and syllabus prepared by the ministry are adequate and up-to-date,” he added.

Of late, Chong said pupils from Year 4-6 should use workbooks only for core subjects namely Mathematics, Science, Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese and Tamil languages.

“Pupils are encouraged to use workbooks as additional exercises only after they have been taught the syllabus set by the ministry,” he said.

He said the ministry had issued a circular in 2000 warning schools of action to be taken against them if pupils are forced to use additional workbooks.

Chong added that the use of several workbooks are not in tandem with the Malaysian Education Development Plan, which emphasises Higher Thinking Skills.

He concluded by saying the ministry had received complaints from parents saying they paid up to hundreds of ringgit just for workbooks.