Yuneswaran said the education ministry should use Fahmi’s initiative as an inspiration to plan an initial module based on national democracy.
“This initiative, though carried out independently, has successfully attracted the interest of public university students to understand the role and function played by legislators,” he said in a statement.
“Kelas Demokrasi” is a series of political literacy workshops, hosted by Fahmi at public and private universities, that initially began as videos and live streams on TikTok and Instagram.
In the lead-up to the last general election, Fahmi hosted several democracy workshops for public university students across the country.
Authorities at several universities prevented him from holding the workshops on campus grounds, most notably at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaya and Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Yuneswaran said the module should be implemented as a “prelude” at upper secondary level, which would equip Form 4 and 5 students with the relevant knowledge on democracy before they fulfil their responsibility as voters.
“In addition to basic theory on elections, education on democracy also needs to emphasise important aspects of the Federal Constitution.
“Knowledge of citizenship and the function of a constitutional monarchy should be in the syllabus,” he said.
In April, Umno Youth chief Akmal Saleh said the wing was thinking of organising a programme for secondary school and university students to boost their political awareness.
He said such programmes were important to prepare those who would be eligible to vote in the next general election. Last year, Parliament passed legislation lowering the minimum voting age to 18.
However, the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) said it was inappropriate for students at all levels to be exposed to politics directly in the manner suggested.
Secretary-general of NUTP, Fouzi Singon said Form 6 students were currently taught about democracy, elections and the importance of selecting the right leaders.
On April 6, Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said, while he agreed with the idea of having political education programmes in secondary schools and universities, political parties should not get involved, citing the indoctrination against the opposition by the former national civics bureau.