The schools in Sabah are set to adopt the Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) system, an advanced teaching technique made famous in France.

“Today is a historic day for the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and Ministry of Education (MOE) as we have both witnessed the IBSE teaching style, which has already been made a pilot project in the Tuaran District Education (PPD).

“This involves a total of 25 schools and 40 trained teachers. The education minister and myself had visited SMK Mengkabung early this morning.

“Some of these teachers have been sent to France for further training. In actual fact, this pilot project has already been done in a few areas in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor,” said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Madius Tangau.

Both Madius and Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid had conducted a working visit to SK Mengkabong Tuaran yesterday to evaluate the effectiveness of the IBSE system.

“MOSTI and MOE have been working in collaboration with regards to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

“IBSE actually started at an agency in France called Laman Alapat. It is connected with the France Academy of Science and UNESCO.

“IBSE makes it easier and more enjoyable for students to learn science. This was then brought up by MOSTI. IBSE is in line with the 21st Century Classrom initiative.

“This is something that is intriguing but it is also something that can be further developed,” Mahdzir said.

To put in context, IBSE is a system where the students are encouraged to conduct their own experiments, without relying too much on their textbooks. The teacher’s role in the class is only to guide them.

Current results have proven that the IBSE has been an effective catalyst in boosting the students’ academic performance.

During the visit, Mahdzir and Madius sat down and listened to the concerns of the teachers in SK Mengkabong.

Its principal, Nuridah Kadom had disclosed that her school is currently in need of a new building ground as the school’s current ground is not safe due to its landform.

“We need a new building, with a complete field. More importantly, we need a school that is safe for the students.

“We have an eight-acre land, which can be used to build a new building for our students,” said Nuridah.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by Neil Brian Joseph

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