Fewer students taking up the Bible Knowledge subject

The learning and teaching of the Bible Knowledge subject in all national schools is one of the accomplishments achieved by the United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organization (UPKO), having fought for that right for so long but, unfortunately.

Jan 29, 2016

PUTATAN, Sabah: The learning and teaching of the Bible Knowledge subject in all national schools is one of the accomplishments achieved by the United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organization (UPKO), having fought for that right for so long but, unfortunately, it is wasted effort as too few students are taking the subject,while others just dismiss it outright.

UPKO Acting President, Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau said, getting the approval of the Cabinet to have the subject offered as one of SPM’s elective subjects was an arduous task but willingly under taken by UPKO and, it was quite a victory when the Government finally agreed.

“Getting the approval of the Cabinet wasn’t easy. But it was agreed in the end. So don’t blame us, don’t blame the leaders saying that we did nothing. There was one leader recently who said we didn’t do anything. Did he actually open his eyes and see the churches built and beautified during Tan Sri Bernard Dompok’s time, when he was the Chief Minister?” he said.

He added that UPKO was not just content with having the Bible Knowledge subject approved in the Cabinet, the party went the extra mile by providing textbooks to be loaned out to students and teachers who would like to take up the subject in SPM.

The problem now, he said, is that too few students are taking up the subject and too few parents want to encourage their children to do so.

“The most challenging part is when school principals also discourage their students from taking the subject because they are scared their school’s performance will drop because the subject is purely in English.

“Therefore, we are very concerned because this subject, which is very good, is not put to good use because the principals are concerned about their school’s ranking and two, the parents and the students are also scared they will fail because it is a two-year subject which they must study beginning in Form Four,” he said.

Tangau explained that the subject only uses two textbooks, namely the Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.

Even the teaching of the subject, he said, had already been settled, with the Government making provision to allow outsiders to come and teach students in school if the school does not have qualified teachers.

Really, Bible Knowledge is not theological. It is more historical. When we look at its contents, it is very historical.

“And the Bible is in story-form. We always know the stories, the geography and the history. The main challenge, of course, is because the subject is in English.”

Since 2010, the Ministry of Education has imposed a 10-subject limit on every candidate, while lowering the minimum number of subjects from eight to six.

Students are allowed to take two additional subjects (comprising Arabic, Chinese, Tamil, Iban, Kadazandusun languages and Bible Knowledge) but they will not be taken into consideration for government scholarships. -- Daily Express

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