Current Issues in Curriculum

Implementation

Equity
Multilingualism
Technological Innovation
Unity
 equity - to the principle of fairness.

often used interchangeably with the related principle of

equality,

Equity in
Education equity encompasses a wide variety of educational
models, programmmes and strategies that may be
considered fair, but not necessarily equal.

“equity is the process; equality is the outcome,” given

that equity—what is fair and just—may not, in the
process of educating students, reflect strict equality—
what is applied, allocated, or distributed equally.
 The growing importance of education equity is
based on the premise that an individual’s level
of education is directly correlated to the
quality of life he or she will live in the future.

EQUITY IN Therefore, an academic system that practices

educational equity is a strong foundation of a
EDUCATIO society that is fair and thriving.

N However, inequity in education is challenging

to avoid, and can be broken down into inequity
due to socioeconomic standing, race, gender
or disability.
 Income and class
Socio- Costs of education
economic
equity in Tracking
education
Racial equity in education
Income and class

• Income - an important role in shaping academic success.

• Those who come from a family of a higher socioeconomic status (SES) are
privileged with more opportunities than those of lower SES.
• Those who come from a higher SES can afford things like better tutors, rigorous
SAT/ACT prep classes, impressive programs, and so on.
• Parents generally feel more comfortable intervening on behalf of their children
to acquire better grades or more qualified teachers.
• Parents of a higher SES - willing to donate large sums of money to a certain
institution to better improve their child's chances of acceptance, along with
other extravagant measures.
• This creates an unfair advantage and distinct class barrier.
Costs of education

• For higher-quality schooling, students in low-income areas

would be required to take public transport which they do
not have the means to pay for. Fewer than 30 percent of
students in the bottom quarter of incomes even enroll in a
four-year school and among that group, fewer than half
graduate.
• Higher education has become too expensive and doesn’t
do enough to help lower income students succeed.
Tracking

• Contributor to the inequality in the education system - tracking.

• Tracking sorts students into different classes or groups based on ability or future plans.
• The point of tracking - to create an environment in which the student's abilities match both the
curriculum as well as the other student's in the class.
• This separation, however, creates an inequality within itself.
• Starting at an extremely young age, the sorting of students mimics hierarchy similar to one which
will form later on in life. Students are both viewed and treated differently depending on which
track they take.
• The quality of teaching and curricula vary between tracks and as a result, those of the lower track
are disadvantaged with inferior resources, teachers, etc.
• In many cases, tracking stunts students who may develop the ability to excel past their original
placement.
Racial equity in education

• From a scientific point of view, the human species is a single

race. It is therefore misleading to use terms such as races and
racial groups.
• Nevertheless, the term racial group is enshrined in legislation,
and phrases such as race equality and race relations are in
widespread official use.
• Racial equity in education means the assignment of students to
public schools and within schools without regard to their race.
• This includes providing students with a full opportunity for
participation in all educational programs regardless of their race.
Tutorial Task 1

Amongst all the aspects on the

issue on equity in education,
select ONE which you are most
Discuss the implementation of
bothered with (the one with
inclusive education in schools.
the most pressing issue) in the
implementation. Discuss your
views and opinions.
What Say You?

• Is there a need for young children to learn another language?

Why?
• Should children learn more than just one language? Why?
• Which is better for a child, to be a bilingual or multilingual?
• How would children in the rural areas and isolated areas benefit
from being a bilingual/ multilingual?
• How would you implement multilingualism amongst your pupils in
your language classroom? Is there a possibility?
 Multilingualism

• "It has been estimated that some 60 percent of today's world population is multilingual. From both a
contemporary and a historical perspective, bilingualism or multilingualism is the norm rather than the
exception"
(J.C. Richards and T.S. Rodgers, Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching).
• Multilingualism is the ability of an individual speaker or a community of speakers to communicate
effectively in three or more languages.
• In contrast with monolingualism, the ability to use only one language.
• A person who can speak multiple languages is known as a polyglot or a multilingual.
Observations
• An example:
"Majesty, the Herr Direttore, he has removed uno balletto that would have occurred at this place.”
• Can you provide examples in the Malaysian context?
 Bilingualism and Multilingualism

"Current research . . . begins by emphasizing the quantitative distinction between

multilingualism and bilingualism and the greater complexity and diversity of the factors
involved in acquisition and use where more than two languages are involved (Cenoz
2000; Hoffmann 2001a; Herdina and Jessner 2002). Thus, it is pointed out that not only
do multilinguals have larger overall linguistic repertoires, but the range of the language
situations in which multilinguals can participate, making appropriate language choices,
is more extensive. Herdina & Jessner (2000b:93) refer to this capacity as 'the
multilingual art of balancing communicative requirements with language resources.'
This wider ability associated with the acquisition of more than two languages has also
been argued to distinguish multilinguals in qualitative terms. One . . . qualitative
distinction seems to lie in the area of strategies. Kemp (2007), for example, reports that
multilingual learners' learning strategies differ from those of monolingual students
learning their first foreign language."
Technological Innovation

The technological innovation system - a concept developed within the scientific field of innovation
studies which serves to explain the nature and rate of technological change.

A Technological Innovation System can be defined as ‘a dynamic network of agents interacting in a

specific economic/industrial area under a particular institutional infrastructure and involved in the
generation, diffusion, and utilization of technology’.

The approach may be applied to at least three levels of analysis: to a technology in the sense of a
knowledge field, to a product or an artifact, or to a set of related products and artifacts aimed at
satisfying a particular (societal) function’.

With respect to the latter, the approach has especially proven itself in explaining why and how
sustainable (energy) technologies have developed and diffused into a society, or have failed to do so.
Unity
Building unity through
education
• Malaysia’s unique diversity - ethnic, religious, and cultural - has always
been its greatest strength, and its greatest challenge.
• As Malaysia increasingly finds itself in a world where differences can divide,
it has never been more important for Malaysians to forge a Malaysian
identity and to embrace our diverse heritage.
• As a shared space for all Malaysians, schools have a unique potential to be
a place to foster unity.
• The challenge - to date, the system has struggled to measure unity in a
systematic manner.
• The best available data suggests that student and teacher diversity in
National schools has decreased, although there is still a fair degree of
interactivity across ethnicities inside and outside the classroom.
Building unity through
education
• The critical question - how unity can be measured.
• Student enrolment in the overall public education system remains
broadly reflective of national demographics. However, there are
specific schooling options that have homogenous environments.
• For example, primary school students across all options are in highly
homogeneous environments.
• The challenge - these homogeneous environments make it less likely
for students to receive exposure to students of different cultures and
ethnic groups, and thus less likely to develop the respect for diversity
critical for unity.
• However, there is some convergence in secondary school.
Building unity through education

• Most students from the various primary schools enrol in a single

secondary school format; the SMK.
• Nevertheless, some students still receive limited exposure to
diversity;
• E.g., a child who transfers from a SJK(C) to an independent Chinese
school or that moves from an SK to a National religious secondary
school or Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA).
• In addition, there is a small but growing minority of students that
leave the public education system and enrol in private schools, and
therefore move beyond the Ministry’s sphere of influence.
Diversity of schools in
Malaysian Education
• The Malaysian education system comprises over 20 schooling options at both the
primary and secondary levels.
Public primary schools.
• The primary level comprises three main types of schools: SK, SJK(C), and SJK(T). Each
type of school is defined by different mediums of instruction and jointly accounts for
almost 99% of total primary enrolments. In addition, there are numerous school types
serving niche groups, such as religious (Islamic) and special education schools.
Public secondary schools
• The secondary school system is marked by the convergence of most students from the
different types of primary schools into a single school format. These National secondary
schools (SMK) are taught in Bahasa Malaysia. SMKs comprise 88% of total secondary
enrolments. A small but growing percentage of students also opt for alternative schools
such as religious schools. Upon completion of lower secondary school (Form 3), students
also have a choice to pursue alternate pathways at technical, vocational, sports, arts,
and other schooling options.
Diversity of schools in
Malaysian Education
• Private schools.
• A small but growing number of students enrol in private
schools. These schools operate at both the primary and
secondary level and include private schools that teach
the national curriculum, international schools, religious
schools, and Independent Chinese schools. Currently,
private schools comprise 1% of total primary
enrolments and 4% of total secondary enrolments.
Tutorial Task 2

• Present your arguments of the current

state of your country’s education system
with reference to building unity through
education.
• Make comparisons to other countries in
terms of unity.