Kuala Lumpur: Teaching hours for the Reproductive and Social Health Education (PEERS) module will be increased under the 2027 School Curriculum as part of efforts to better equip students with essential knowledge, said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek. The PEERS module is integrated into the Health Education curriculum, targeted at pre-schoolers and primary and secondary school students, providing them with information and skills necessary for informed decision-making in their daily lives.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Fadhlina emphasized that this initiative forms part of the Education Ministry’s ongoing advocacy efforts through the Generasi MADANI programme and various awareness programmes rolled out in schools. She assured that there would be a significant responsibility and commitment from the Ministry of Education (MOE) to extend the PEERS module teaching time, ensuring that children receive proper education on this issue.
Fadhlina’s comments came after officiating the 56th MOE-MSSM-MILO Sports Awards 2024, in response to a news report highlighting an increase in HIV infections among university and school students, with most cases linked to sexual activity. Malaysian AIDS Council and Malaysian AIDS Foundation honorary secretary, Dr Zaiton Yahaya, reported that the majority of those infected are between 20 and 29 years old, making up 44 percent of all cases. Additionally, four percent of school students aged 13 to 19 were confirmed to have contracted HIV, with the majority of cases linked to sexual activity.
Addressing the high failure rate in Mathematics in the 2024 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, Fadhlina stated that the ministry would implement intervention measures for subjects that recorded a decline in performance. She noted that similar interventions were successful for Bahasa Melayu and History in SPM 2023, after those subjects showed a decline in performance. The SPM 2024 Examination Results Analysis Report revealed that 84,025 candidates failed Mathematics, accounting for 22.4 percent of the 375,115 who took the subject.