Success of Malaysia’s new Alam dan Manusia Year One subject hinges on effective teacher retraining, co-teaching readiness, and clear implementation.
PETALING JAYA: Education experts say the success of the new “Alam dan Manusia: Pembelajaran Bersepadu” (World and Humanity: Integrated Learning) for Year One pupils under the 2027 school curriculum will hinge on how quickly and effectively teachers can be retrained to handle multiple disciplines in the classroom.
The Education Ministry said in a post on its Facebook page yesterday that the new subject combines several disciplines, including science, health education, music, visual arts, TVET and digital literacy, into a single integrated learning framework.
It replaces the existing subjects of science, health education, visual arts and music at the primary level.
Lessons will be delivered through a team-teaching approach, in which two teachers collaborate to plan and conduct classes together.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Institute for Inclusive Development and Advancement deputy director Dr Anuar Ahmad said the biggest hurdle would be retraining teachers who are currently trained in only one subject area.
He told theSun that the Education Ministry must also ensure teachers are equipped to conduct co-teaching.
“This requires new skill sets, planning lessons as a team, conducting assessments and guiding students collaboratively.
The training must start now and it must be phased and effective because we are not talking about a small number of teachers but a very large nationwide group.”
Anuar said integrating science, health education, music and visual arts within one framework is not new and could be beneficial if carried out properly.
“We have done ‘Alam dan Manusia’ before.
There is no issue in combining several disciplines into one integrated subject.
From a pedagogical standpoint, this approach is suitable and could reduce unnecessary subject fragmentation.”
He added that the structure could encourage more meaningful learning as concepts are reinforced across activities and themes rather than taught in isolation.
He said the ministry must provide clear implementation guidelines, including lesson hours and workload distribution for teachers.
“Sometimes, the intention is good but if preparation and planning are weak, the programme will not succeed.”
Anuar said parents should also be briefed so that they understand and support the learning process at home.
The National Union of the Teaching Profession has raised concerns over the practicality of implementing the integrated subject through co-teaching arrangements without clear scheduling and planning frameworks in place.
Its secretary-general Fouzi Singon said the ministry’s concept involves pairing teachers from different subject backgrounds to jointly conduct lessons.
He acknowledged that from the perspective of students, such an approach could be beneficial, particularly for pupils from Year One to Year Three.
Fouzi said the model places significant strain on the schedules and workloads of teachers.
“The question is: when will teachers have the time to plan lessons together?
At the moment, there is no detailed syllabus guide.
So, how will teachers find time to meet and discuss how to conduct these co-teaching sessions?”
He said the union was not consulted before the ministry’s announcement.
He pointed out that at least five years are needed to retrain teachers.
Fouzi suggested the ministry provide remote-access training materials such as video manuals to help support teachers nationwide.
