KUALA LUMPUR: Political and education experts have shot down a proposal by Pas delegates to introduce political science as a subject in secondary schools.
Instead, they urged schools to fully utilise the History and the General Studies subjects to teach nationalistic elements, such as the Federal Constitution and Rukun Negara.
Education expert Dr Anuar Ahmad said a strong grasp of nationalism would enable students to dive deeper into politics if they wish to do so in universities.
"The current political landscape in our country is very fluid with coalitions forming and breaking constantly.
"How can we expect our children to comprehend these changes when we ourselves are having a hard time understanding them?
"The best way, therefore, is to cultivate nationalism in our students first. We need to teach them on the necessity of holding elections, on how our Federal Constitution came into existence, and why we are one of the few remaining countries to preserve the constitutional monarchy system.
"And, under our current curriculum, we are already teaching on parliamentary democracy and electoral processes for Year Five and Year Six students through the History subject.
"So, what we need now is impactful and meaningful delivery on nationalism in our classrooms through existing subjects. Introducing a new subject will only burden our already-strained teachers," he said.
Students, he said, should also be taught to respect the country's political diversity and understand that race-based parties could still work hand-in-hand for the country's progress.
Likewise, political analyst Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said politics could be taught through the History or General Studies subjects for Form Six students, who would become first-time voters in the 15th General Election.
Schools, he said, should focus more on simulation and practical aspects of politics, including by holding mock elections to give students a first-hand experience of politics.
"Since the voting age has been lowered to 18-years old, Sixth Formers should be exposed to elements of governance and policy-making so that they can cast informed votes during the polls.
"More importantly, teachers should simplify concepts for students and teach without partiality or prejudices against any leaders or political parties," he said.
Meanwhile, former SMK Shah Alam parent-teacher association president Mohdan Amran said teachers must be given special pedagogical training if political science was to be taught in schools.
This, he said, was necessary to ensure that teachers set aside their personal biases when handling sensitive discussions related to racial and religious sentiments.
"If we really want to nurture political awareness among students, then the ministry should employ independent experts to develop a neutral and non-biased learning module.
"The ministry must also ensure that political parties do not exploit school grounds to promote or propagate their political agenda.
"The last thing that we want is for us to see our classrooms polarised by political sentiments," he said.