LETTERS: Philosophical education is surprisingly unrepresented in academia and has little influence on social and political dialogue.
Malaysian educational institutions, in their pursuit of bolstering the presence of intellectually vigorous disciplines, have rendered opportunities for the adoption of philosophical disciplines obsolete.
Philosopher Professor Dr Syed Farid Alatas has lamented the country's lack of progress in this area, saying that "a society without scholars and thinkers in such fields is a dangerous society".
The introduction of philosophy into the education ecosystem can promote methods of learning that help students deconstruct questionable propositions and ideas to effectuate social change.
This can strengthen the intellectual and moral faculties of the Malaysian consciousness and demonstrates its necessity in the country's institutions.
Over the years, academics have voiced concern about our students deficiencies in critical thinking and analytical skills.
This has prompted the authorities to discover ways in which the education system could be revamped to accommodate philosophy to develop these skills.
There have been efforts to restructure school programmes and introduce modules tailored for critical thinking and learning, which can be seen by the creation of a "Philosophy and Current Issues" course made available by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency for universities.
Praising such a course, Professor Dr John Arul Phillips, dean of the school of education and cognitive science at Asia e University, said the popularisation of philosophy in education institutions would boost critical thinking as "philosophy does not necessarily conclude with one answer".
Philosophical literacy, therefore, ought to be boosted in Malaysia to ensure that future generations benefit from a culture of inquiry, critical thought and intellectual contemplation.
PRAVIN PERIASAMY
Networking and partnership director,
Malaysia Philosophy Society,
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
