The Introduction of Islamic Values into Environmental Education in Malaysia

An analysis of curricula of ‘Science’ and ‘Local Studies’ in primary education

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to make clear the sociocultural effect that the Malaysian policies, the goals of which are to create the first developed Islamic country in the world, have on environmental education at the primary level in Malaysia through the analysis of curricula at the primary level of education.
After the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the effect of the Islamic restoration movement spread all over the world. Malaysia also has been influenced by the effect, and this has come to the forefront of Malaysian society. In the education area, the “Islamization” effect is becoming more obvious, and the “generalization” of Islamic values has been included through the introduction of the ‘National Philosophy of Education’ established in 1988 which prescribes the foundation of the Malaysian educational concept.
During the same period, the integrated primary level subject, ‘Environment and Man (Alam dan Manusia)’ was divided and restructured into two new subjects: ‘Science (Sains)’ and ‘Local Studies (Kajian Tempatan)’ by the Malaysian Ministry of Education.The goals of this subject matter are to foster basic study skills. This restructuring has also placed emphasis on Islamic values in the new subjects, ‘Science’ and ‘Local Studies’. The comparison of the curricula of ‘Environment and Man’ to ‘Science’, and ‘Local Studies’, demonstrates that the restructuring has placed great emphasis on Islamic values in the context of environmental education.
Firstly, this study compared these subjects' curricula on aims, objects, learning methods, and elements of environmental education two points were found as follows:
1) These subjects use the “inquiry-discovery (inkuiri penemuan)” method. This method had not fulfilled its function in the ‘Environment and Man’ course; the new subject's curricula of ‘Science’ and ‘Local Studies’ have further emphasized the method.
2) The old subject, ‘Environment and Man’, had no emphasis on Islamic values within the context of environmental education; but the new subjects, ‘Science’ and ‘Local Studies’, both place emphasis on these views of nature and on Islamic values.
Point (2) is particularly unique with respect to environmental education in Malaysia. For example, some words of Arabic origin, which are not usually used such as ‘bersyukur/mensyukuri (thank to God)’ or ‘menghormati (respect for God)’ are used in curricula of ‘Science’ and ‘Local Studies’. There are also many examples of relating Islamic values to the environment, such as praising the moon as a symbol of Islam, or the superiority of human beings to all other animals and the correct management of the earth under the permission of the God.
The Islamic point of view introduces the environmental consciousness that says, ‘Under the permission of God, human beings shall manage all natural resources given to them by God, never wasting them, always using them correctly, and accepting them with gratitude’.
Though this concept seems to be similar to the concept of “sustainable development” or “ecology”, the basic concepts are, in fact, different. The former means that human beings shall manage all objects of nature correctly under the permission of God. The latter means human beings decide and control all objects of nature by themselves.
The new curricula of environmental education at primary level of education in Malaysia have introduced Islamic values related to the environment to give pupils an increase awareness and consciousness toward environment. This is one of the definite practices of the “generalization” of Islamic values.