Topic 6:

Current Issues in Curriculum Implementation

LITERACY

 Literacy is traditionally understood as the ability to read and write.

 The term's meaning has been expanded to include the ability to use language, numbers,
images, and computers to communicate.

ACCESS

 Access means students must:

 have access to the curriculum,
 be involved in the curriculum, and
 progress in the curriculum.
 Every child in Malaysia deserves equal access to an education that will enable that child to
achieve his or her potential.
 The Ministry thus aspires to ensure universal access and full enrolment of all children from
preschool through to upper secondary school level (Form 5) by 2020.
 Target set:
100% enrolment across all levels from pre-school to upper secondary by 2020.

EQUITY
 Equity means equality of opportunity in education.
 Top-performing school systems deliver the best possible education for every child,
regardless of geography, gender, or socioeconomic background.
 The Ministry aspires to halve the current urban-rural, socio-economic, and gender
achievement gaps by 2020.
 Target set:

50% reduction in achievement gap (urban-rural, socioeconomic, gender) by 2020

MULTILINGUALISM

 Multilingual Education typically refers to "first-language-first" education, that is, schooling

which begins in the mother tongue and transitions to additional languages. 

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS
  Technology innovation is the process through which new (or improved) technologies are
developed and brought into widespread use.
 The process involves research, development, demonstration, and deployment.

UNITY
 Unity in diversity is a concept of "unity without uniformity and diversity without
fragmentation" that shifts focus from unity based on a mere tolerance of physical, cultural,
social, religious, political, and ideological differences towards a more complex unity based on
an understanding that difference enriches human interactions.
 As students spend over a quarter of their time in school from the ages of 7 t0 17, schools are
in a key position to foster unity.
 Through interacting with individuals from a range of socioeconomic, religious, and ethnic
backgrounds—and learning to understand, accept and embrace differences—a shared set of
experiences and aspirations for Malaysia’s future can be built.
 The Ministry aspires to create a system where students have opportunities to build these
shared experiences and aspirations that form the foundation for unity.
 Target set:
An education system that gives children shared values and experiences by embracing
diversity.

SPECIAL NEEDS

 A child or young person has special educational needs if he or she has learning difficulties or
disabilities that make it harder for him or her to learn than most other children and young
people of about the same age.
 Special educational needs could mean that a child or young person has:
 learning difficulties - in acquiring basic skills in an early years setting, school or college
 social, emotional or mental health difficulties - making friends or relating to adults or
behaving properly in an early years setting, school or college
 specific learning difficulty - with reading, writing, number work or understanding
information
 sensory or physical needs - such as hearing impairment, visual impairment or physical
difficulties which might affect them in an early years setting, school or college
 communication problems - in expressing themselves or understanding what others are
saying