GEORGE TOWN, April 27 — All schools are expected to reorganise their visit programmes according to last year’s Guidelines for School Visit Programmes for Students to ensure and strengthen learning outside the classroom.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said that according to the amendment in the Education Ministry’s (MOE) Specialised Circular Letter (SPI) Number 9, school students are now allowed to visit programmes twice a year for each student according to needs and suitability.
“We give permission to teachers to plan their students’ visits. Previously, each school was allowed to organise two visits a year; however, now each student is allowed (on these programmes) twice a year,” she said.
Fadhlina was speaking to the press after attending the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) heritage programme at Bukit Bendera today.
“So, we want many of our children to follow learning outside the classroom so that their perspective, experience, and skills can be (created) outside the classroom,” she added.
Fadhlina, who is also the Malaysian National Commission for Unesco president, said the MOE is now in the process of reintroducing World Heritage Sites under Unesco among school students.
Currently, the MOE has visit programmes to the Unesco World Heritage Site in Banda Hilir, Melaka, followed by Penang today, and then on to Sabah and Sarawak.
The minister hopes the visit programmes to the World Heritage Sites will not only increase students’ interest in history but also in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (STEM), given that biodiversity is one of the topics that school students should master now.
The guidelines’ SPI, which was amended on June 16 last year and came into effect immediately, provides an explanation of the procedure for implementing student visit activities.
The guidelines apply to preschool education to post-secondary education in addition to private educational institutions registered with the MOE.
It also explains that planned school student visits must be for academic or co-curricular programmes, competitions or camps, study tours, or other programmes and activities determined by the approver.
— Bernama
