A Concerning Phenomenon Among Malaysian Secondary School Students: The Declining Interest in Biological Science

In the pursuit of Malaysia’s goal: to be a high-tech, bio-innovation nation by 2030, Malaysia faces a critical paradox. While the demand of life science professionals is soaring, students’ interest in Biological Science Education is steadily declining. However, Biology, which is one of the major branches in the science field, builds the foundation of food security, healthcare and environmental sustainability. Understanding the factors behind the declining trend and trying to seek for effective approaches we can take to get rid of this crisis are vital to securing the nation’s future scientific workforce.

Current Status and Trends

The 60:40 policy was implemented in Malaysia in 1647. Its goal was to have 60% of all students enrolled in STEM streams, while the other 40% enrolled in Art stream. Regretfully, progress on meeting this goal has been quite slow, with only about 50.7% of students in Malaysia being enrolled in STEM streams. The slow progress on the 60:40 policy could be due to the perception among students that STEM subjects are inherently challenging. Particularly, Biology is often dreaded by students due to the misconception that it involves a good deal more reading than other sciences.

Why Is This Happening?

1. Curriculum Overload (KSSM Syllabus)

Under the current curriculum implemented by Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (KPM), the Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Menengah (KSSM) Biology syllabus is content heavy and academically demanding.

Students are required to master a large volume of scientific terminology, particularly in areas such as: