The document discusses key concepts and issues related to curriculum development in Malaysia, including the various stakeholders and factors that influence the curriculum. It outlines the political, economic, and social forces that shape curriculum construction. The main stakeholders identified are learners, teachers, curriculum managers, parents, and community members. Their various concerns and how they influence curriculum development are described. The relevance of Malaysia's National Philosophy of Education to the curriculum is also highlighted.

1. CONCEPTS AND ISSUES IN
CURRICULUM
• Forces that influence curriculum
construction
 Political
 Economic
 Social
• Concerns of different stakeholders in the
Malaysian context

2. Malaysian Curriculum Development
– cyclical model

3. POLITICAL
• Curriculum is affected by political activities
in many ways, right from
curriculum development, planning /
design, implementation, evaluation and
changing of curriculum.

4. • Map the development of education in
Malaysia from 1979 to now. Describe the
changes in curriculum and factors that
influenced those changes. Identify the
programmes that were created/set up to
support the curriculum.
• Explain the relevance of the National
Philosophy of Education to curriculum
development.

5. POLITICAL (1)
• Curriculum development, the first to be
considered  national policy.
(Policy is a statement or brief description of how an
intended activity should be conducted or practiced.)
• Educational policy is designated by
politicians which should go in hand with the
national policy, this determines the kind of
education we want to offer and the society we
need to build.
• Eg: National Education Policy, National
Education Blueprint

6. POLITICAL (2)
• The main decision makers in curriculum design
are those who hold high position in the education
system (MOE) and the government itself.
• The government through the Ministry of Education
defines and interprets the goals of education
based on identified national policy.
• The curriculum maker devises methods for
attaining those goals, the test constructor devises
instruments to measure the extent to which the
goals have been attained (Njabili, 1999, p.16).

7. POLITICAL (3)
• Curriculum implementation-- putting into effect the
curriculum that was produced by the construction
and development processes (Zais, 1976, p.18).
• Involves:
 infrastructure(building) – schools to be equipped, a
space for training (CPT)
 human resource (hiring, recruitment and retention
of personnel) – the govt has the mandate of
training / hiring new personnel like teachers.
 Funding - able to obtain funds (domestic/foreign) /
freedom to allocate funds acc to changing
priorities

8. ECONOMIC
• National Integrity Plan align with Vision
2020, influence the development and
design of the curriculum. (moving towards
industrialisation country)
– Shift to K-economy
• The education system must yield knowledge
workers to push Malaysia into the K-economy.
• Malaysian education must engender knowledge
and technology in every facet of its education
system.

9. ECONOMIC
• Curriculum focuses on educating
employees for promotions that bring
better returns in profits.
–Nations financing education expect an
economic return from educated students
contributing to the country's economy
with global competition abilities in
technical fields.

10. ECONOMIC
• Curriculum content influences learner
goals, standards for academic
achievement with an underlying influence
of the nation's economy.
– The skills, knowledge base and attitudes
required by industry is developed in the
classroom.
– E.g: needs of workers or expertise in wiring-
topics like how to recognize the wires, to build
simple circuits in Kemahiran Hidup

11. SOCIAL
• Society has its own expectations about the
aims and objectives that should be
considered when designing the curriculum.
– Curriculum designers need to take into
account these societal considerations to avoid
the curriculum from becoming irrelevant.

12. • Social diversity including religion, culture and social
groupings affects curriculum development because
these characteristics influence the types of topics
and methods for teaching information.
– For example, subjects such as sex education has proved
difficult to include in the curriculum because of the
resistance from some religious groups. These groups feel
that including these subjects in the curriculum will
undermine their belief systems.

13. • The design of curricular materials and
their presentation should
accommodate the culture of the
society that the curriculum is seeking
to serve.
–Examples:
• three characters in textbook which
represent the three main races in Malaysia
• Topics on celebrations like Hari Raya,
Deepavali, Chinese New Year, Hari Wesak,
Hari Gawai

14. • Sometimes, our curriculum can lead to
inequities.
– We can have a curriculum that is gender
biased.
– It includes instructional materials that portray
negative attitudes towards women and girls.
– Example: women are always portrayed as the
housewife, not working, do the house chores
– There are also cases in schools which the
schools assign the boys to take electrical and
girls to take ERT.

15. THE CONCERNS OF
DIFFERENT
STAKEHOLDERS IN THE
MALAYSIAN CONTEXT

16. Stakeholders
• Stakeholders are any individual internal or external to
an organization that has a “stake” in the success of
the institution (i.e. students, faculty (teacher), staff,
system administrator, college council, etc)
(www.cobleskill.edu/StrategicPlan/02.html)
• are individuals or institution that are interrelated in the
school curriculum.
• put into action and give life to the curriculum
• interests vary in degree and complexity
• shape the school curriculum implementation

17. GENERAL CONCERNS OF STAKEHOLDERS
• Unrelated concerns
The person does not believe the new program will affect them
• Personal concerns
How will it affect the person as an individual?
• Task-related concern
Specific concern over how to teach or implement the new
curriculum, what strategies and learning experiences to use,
what equipment will be necessary, what material may be
needed, and more
• Impact-related concerns
How the new program or curriculum will affect others within the
school and the community

18. STAKEHOLDERS
1. Learners
2. Teachers
3. Curriculum Managers and
Administrators
4. Parents
5. Community Members
6. Other Stakeholders

19. 1. Learners
• the very reason a curriculum is developed
• the primary stakeholders in the curriculum.
• make and unmake the curriculum by
their active and direct involvement
• “The success of the curriculum can only be
measured by the extent of learning that the
learners have achieved.”

20. Learners
• Considerations must be made such as the
following:
a) Age
b) Gender
c) Physical, mental and emotional
development
d) Cultural background
e) Aspiration and personal goals

21. 2. Teachers
• A teacher is a curriculum maker,
developer, implementer – planning and
writing
• Teacher writes a curriculum daily through
a lesson plan, unit plan or a yearly plan.

22. • addresses the goals, needs, interests of
the learner by creating experiences from
where the students can learn.
• designs, enriches and modifies the
curriculum to suit the learners’
characteristics.
• Teachers are part of textbook committee,
faculty selection boards, school evaluation
committees or textbook writers themselves
– hence, they are stakeholders too.

23. 3. Curriculum Managers and
Administrators
• responsible to the kind of curriculum their
school will offer and how these are
implemented (procure equipment and
materials needed)
• set the strategic directions for schools
• collaborate with schools to formulate
effective policies and practices

24. • They also plan for the improvement of
school facilities and physical plants.
• They have privilege to command but at the
same time to lead the institution.
• They are responsible for the final decision
making in terms with the school purpose.

25. 4. Parents
• Main supporter of the curriculum
• “My child and my money go to this school”
: parents are the best supporters of the
school, especially because they are one’s
paying for their child education.

26. How do parents shape the
curriculum and why are they
considered as stakeholders?
• Parents have strengthened the school
curriculum by giving support to various
activities and assisting on the
accomplishment of the school’s curriculum
= PTA
• Provide permission for their children to
participate in various activities

27. How do parents shape the
curriculum and why are they
considered as stakeholders?
• “The issue has seen a rare alliance between Malay and
Chinese educationists, who are against the switch,
although there are also calls by many parents and
entrepreneurs for English to be maintained.” – The Star,
Wednesday July 8, 2009 on PPSMI

28. 5. Community Members as
Curriculum Resources
• The community members may provide
materials in the existing local community
can very well substitute for what are
needed to implement the curriculum –
bookstores, YTL (FrogAsia), 4G Internet
access and a virtual learning environment
via 1BestariNet.
• Respected community members maybe
included in school boards -- ALUMNI

29. 6. Other Stakeholders in
Curriculum Implementation
• Professional Organizations
- They are being asked by the curriculum
especially to contribute in curriculum
review because they have voice in
licensure examination, curriculum
enhancement and others – 1119
(Cambridge)

30. • Government (MOE)
- It has a great stake in the curriculum
implementation.
- It is represented by MOE for basic
education curriculum.

31. • Business / Industries
Offers scholarships and bursaries to
students and teachers
Provides opportunities for the young to
experience the world of work
Collaborates with schools to formulate
effective programmes for the young such
as offering work related projects
Supports placement opportunities for the
professional development of teachers

32. • Professional Regulation Commission
- The third agency that has high stake in
school’s curricula, because graduates of
the different tertiary degrees must be
certified as professionals – Malaysian
Qualification Association (MQA)

33. • Supreme Courts -- professional bar exam
to certify lawyers and Medical Association
through its medical board exams for
Licensure Examination for Doctors.

34. THANK YOU ! 