PETALING JAYA: The government plan to introduce Character Education, a new subject in schools by 2027, has drawn concern from the Parent Action Group for Education, which urged the Education Ministry to first strengthen the existing Moral, Civics and Religious Studies curricula before adding another subject.
Its founder Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said while the initiative to instil moral values among students is commendable, introducing a new subject without fixing existing weaknesses may repeat past mistakes.
“Adding another subject to an already packed schedule may not be justifiable as it would take away valuable time from other lessons.”
The proposed Character Education subject forms part of the Education Ministry’s 2027 curriculum revamp aimed at fostering integrity, empathy and civic-mindedness among students, amid growing concerns over bullying, indiscipline and youth violence
in schools.
Noor Azimah said if current subjects have failed to meet the objectives, the issue lies
in implementation rather than content.
“There must be proper monitoring and data tracking. Introducing a new subject to replace moral-building lessons only points to the failure of existing ones.
“How can we be assured that this new subject would achieve its objectives when there is no evidence that the current approach has been evaluated effectively?”
She said character development requires a whole-of-school and community effort, not just another classroom subject.
“Discipline frameworks must be strengthened and discipline teachers should be trained in conflict management and early intervention.
“Every school should also have qualified counsellors to provide timely emotional and psychological support to at-risk students.”
Noor Azimah said digital citizenship and media literacy must also be made central to value-based education to cultivate empathy, accountability and responsible online behaviour.
