Monday, October 20, 2008

TUESDAY-21 OCTOBER 2008- MINISTRY REVIEWING PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

Ministry reviewing preschool curriculum


KUALA LUMPUR:


The Education Ministry is reviewing the national preschool curriculum, Deputy Minister Datuk Razali Ismail told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday. He said the curriculum had been used since 2003 and was a must for all kindergartens and preschool classes sponsored either by the Government or private entities. “The objective of preschool education is to help the children socialise and prepare for Standard One besides giving them holistic learning intellectually, spiritually, physically and emotionally. “The main focus of preschool is not only to strengthen language skills but more towards building a positive character,” he said in reply to Datuk Chua Soon Bui (BNTawau) during question time. Razali said 6,848 preschool classes with 168,189 pupils had been set up at the national schools nationwide and 294 were for children with visual and hearing impairments as well as those with learning difficulties. Razali said the Ministry had drafted preschool special education curriculum guidelines for the special children. “The objective of the special curriculum is to enable the pupils to learn the various skills necessary for their daily lives such as to manage themselves and communicate with others,” he said. It would also promote creativity and help them adopt noble values, he added. - Bernama