Pendidikan Moral

In Malaysia, Pendidikan Moral (Malay for "Moral Studies") is one of the core subjects in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination. It is a required subject for all non-Muslim students in the public education system in Malaysia. Muslim students are required to take the Islamic Studies (Pendidikan Islam) course. Pendidikan Moral, along with Islamic Studies, are governed by the Department of Islamic and Moral Studies (JAPIM), a branch under the Ministry of Education.

Syllabus

The core of the syllabus is the 36 moral values (called "nilai" in Malay). These values include "Kepercayaan kepada Tuhan" (creed), "Bertanggungjawab" (responsibility) and "Sikap Keterbukaan" (open-mindedness) among others. The 36 values are divided categorized into 7 major fields of study (called "bidang" in Malay), namely:

• Perkembangan Diri (self-development)
• Kekeluargaan (family)
• Alam Sekitar (nature)
• Patriotisme (patriotism)
• Hak Asasi Manusia (human rights)
• Demokrasi (democracy)
• Keamanan dan Keharmonian (peace and harmony).

These values are presented in detail in textbooks and form the basis of corresponding examinations. Each value is defined by the Education Ministry. Answering examination questions requires some interpretation of these definitions.

Examination

Pendidikan Moral is often learned by rote. Teachers in schools tend to concentrate on answering techniques rather than the teaching material provided in the textbook. In the SPM, the Pendidikan Moral paper is divided into two sections: structural questions and essay questions.

References

• Ministry of Education Malaysia
• Department of Islamic and Moral Studies