Feedback from parents and students
I applaud the Education Ministry’s initiative to introduce coding and programming into the national curriculum but proper implementation must be done so that no child is discriminated against in the process. I hope they can implement it across all classes. Due to a lack of teachers to teach Basic Computer Science, my son says only one class in his form is offering the subject so the rest who did not make the cut are learning Design and Technology. I hope the ministry can consider hiring unemployed ICT graduates as tutors.
– Parent Fauzia Sultan, has a child in Form Three
It’s good but unfortunately none of my boys got to enter Basic Computer Science class due to insufficient teachers and computers. Their school only has one class which offers Basic Computer Science with space for only 36 students. It is good to expose them from young so that they can grasp coding languages faster. Schools should however have the facilities and manpower to offer these subject to every student.
– Mother of three, Amy
I like my Basic Computer Science class because we get to do projects on creating websites to book movie tickets and to buy products online. We also did a project using cipher to generate encryption code. I feel it provides authentic knowledge and the subject is useful for this era of globalisation and fourth industrial revolution. It’s interesting and I want to study a course related to computer science because my teacher told me that there are good job opportunities in this field.
– Normarsya Alani Norkhairi, SMK Putrajaya Presint 9(2) Form Three student
Design and Technology is fun when we do projects but I feel bad about not getting to learn computer science because we do things like farming and fashion. I want more hands on experience.
– Prawin Kumar Sivakumar, SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 3 Form One student
Teaching our kids coding is great but there is already a disconnect here as Design and Technology and Basic Computer Science are taught in Bahasa Malaysia, whereas children today are exposed to using English when dealing with computers and online activities. Adequate funding, teachers’ competencies, sufficient infrastructure and an effective syllabus must be taken into account. We need to research and emulate successes in school syllabus from countries that have effectively rolled it out in their school curriculum. There is no point introducing another subject, despite its usefulness, and not being able to sustain proper education and inculcation of it.
– Rekha, has children in Forms Two and Five
I like the fact that I can learn how to code. Basic Computer Science class is fun because we learn how to create websites and are taught about the different functions of computers. It’s a unique subject and it makes us realise how most jobs today are IT based. I didn’t want Design and Technology because I’m not interested in drawing product designs.
– Aina Nursyasya Anuar, SMK Putrajaya Presint 9(2) Form Three student