While Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim was not able to confirm such a revision, she said priority should be on filling the learning gaps of year six students who have lost two years of physical learning.
“As these students have lost two whole years of face-to-face learning, adjustments need to be made rather than adding on brand new topics such as insurance.
“Now that students have been assessed and teachers know where to fill the learning gaps, that should be the priority,” she told FMT.
Noor Azimah said subjects like mathematics require consistency and rigorous practice, which online learning has not been able to provide effectively.
“If the students are not able to grasp the basic concepts and perform in exams, this may lead to frustration and mental health issues, which may spiral into problems like absenteeism and eventually dropping out of school,” she said.
A Facebook posting by a primary school teacher recently said year six students would be introduced to insurance and takaful concepts in their revised mathematics curriculum, and would add unnecessary pressure on the education system.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia professor Teo Kok Seong said there was no necessity for such topics in the mathematics curriculum.
“The focus should be on basic mathematical concepts of counting, which are crucial components of basic mathematical operations,” he said.
“Insurance and takaful can be taught as applications of these basic concepts along with other various topics, instead of as a financial tool.”
Zalia Othman, a parent of a 12-year-old, said it was too early to teach such concepts to young students. “It’s not knowledge that they can apply for at least another 10 years, so it’s better to focus on basic mathematical concepts to prepare them for secondary school,” she said.
A mother, who wanted to be known only as Liyana, did not think that adding more new topics would help students, especially those who may not come from affluent families.
“As it is, they can’t catch up with whatever they have learned. Look at the bigger picture and help the students, especially the underprivileged ones who don’t have the benefit of tuition,” she said.