SCHOOLS SHOULD REORGANISE VISIT PROGRAMMES BASED ON AMENDED GUIDELINES - FADHLINA

GEORGE TOWN, April 27 (Bernama) -- 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 according to the amendment in the Ministry of Education'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 organised two visits a year, however, now each student is allowed (on these programmes) twice a year," she told reporters after attending the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) heritage programme at Bukit Bendera here 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."

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, she said, 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.

She 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 need to master now.

The SPI of the guidelines, which was amended on June 16 last year and came into effect immediately, provides an explanation of the procedure for the implementation of student visit activities.

The guidelines apply to preschool education to post-secondary education in addition to private educational institutions registered with the MOE.

The guidelines also explain that planned school student visits must be held for academic or co-curricular programmes; competitions or camps; study tours or other programmes and activities determined by the approver.

-- BERNAMA