Image via Wikipedia29th August, 2010
KOTA KINABALU: Only about 200 schools nationwide offer Bible Knowledge subject to their students in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
The students can sit for the Bible Knowledge subject at 250 examination centres nationwide, 28 of which are located in Sabah.
It is hoped that the number of schools teaching and students taking up the subject will increase in the future, said Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, Tan Sri Bernard Giluk Dompok at the handing over of Bible Knowledge textbooks to 30 schools in Sabah yesterday.
The textbooks comprised the Book of Kings and the Gospel of Luke and were an initiative of the United Pasokmomogun Kadazan Dusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) where Bernard is the president.
Last year, only 186 students sat for the subject in the SPM examination in Sabah while nationwide, only 400 candidates sat for the paper.
The target is to increase the number of candidates sitting for the paper to 2,000 in Sabah.
Bernard added that they also hoped for the subject to be recognized alongside other subjects such as English, Geography and Mathematics.
Presently, they hope to address several issues that are hampering schools and students from taking up the subject during the SPM examination, he said.
“Some people are concerned of the availability of (study) materials for the subject. We want to help them,” said Bernard.
Schools that were not part of the 30 recipients yesterday are urged to contact UPKO for the textbooks facility.
At the same time, it is also a challenge for schools to get teachers to teach the subject, he said.
“The various schools need to have the initiative to get tutors for the subject because it is not part of the school curriculum yet,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bible Knowledge was introduced at missionary schools throughout the country in the early 1940s.
It was offered during the Malayan Certificate of Education and later, in the Sijil Rendah Pelajaran (SRP) and SPM.
However, the number of schools and students taking up the subject decreased in the 1980s as it was no longer deemed compulsory to teach the subject at schools.
Presently, students undertaking the subject have to study the Book of Kings and the Gospel of Luke.
A total of eight questions are asked during the two and a half hour examination.
Also present at the event were Assistant Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, Datuk Bobbey Suan and the event’s organizing chairman, Datuk Wilfred Tangau.
source: The New Sabah Times
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