History subject of Malaysian secondary schools is politicised to such an extent that it does not interest students anymore.

Unfortunately only Umno leaders still do not know why the subject does not interest students.  

Schools are there to provide education that enable and empower students to contribute positively to themselves, society and the nation and yet Umno fundamentalists tamper with the syllabus to erase the diverse, multi-ethnic and multi-religious history of our country.   

Schools should be free of indoctrination, evangelism and racism if we as a nation were to compete and find a respectable place among other countries.

The Education Ministry seems more concerned with producing colourful and glossy history textbooks.  

Only when there is public outcry does the ministry come out to inform the general public that they seek history teachers’ views, otherwise teachers are never taken seriously.

Do the ministry officials ever take the students view into consideration? Since students are the main stakeholders, they should have a strong say in the whole matter.

The ministry has a tendency to impose certain narrow views on the students. Students now are better exposed to world views than their elders, via the internet and other alternate media.

Therefore, it is not possible to stuff parochial and dogmatic views into their minds. It is important that the ministry takes an inclusive approach towards not only history but also moral studies through consultation with student representatives.

Students’ aspirations and expectations must be factored in the formulation of the history syllabus.  

The current government talks so much about the brain drain and spends millions of tax payers’ money to entice talent to return but at the same time, the government is making superficial and primitive changes in the curriculum that drive talent away from our education system.

Do the Umno racists ever bother about the brain drain, or perhaps they feel they have more brains than others? We need proactive and inclusive action and not mere empty and shallow promises from the government to instill confidence in our country.

Students today can access so much more historical information that’s just a click away. Will our existing history syllabus and the teaching methodology ever compete to attract students’ interest?

Therefore, to make history interesting, thought provoking and informative, the history syllabus and its teaching methodology must be revised.  

A study of history is to understand how we arrived at the present, religion is minor episode in the vast ocean of history.

Therefore, to limit history subject to only a particular religion and race is a disservice and disloyal act of the highest order to the fertile and budding young minds of this beloved nation.

History has ample proof of how religious dogmas, conflicts and misunderstandings have destroyed civilisations and empires.

Religion is the opiate of the poor, give them generous quantities of it and they will blissfully support the very religious leader who are destroying them.

Religious leaders throughout history have waged wars, caused more death, torment and destruction than any other single class.

Yet Umno politicians instruct civil servants to turn history into religious and racial indoctrination.

Let’s fix up the history subject to one that is inclusive and revealing the mysteries of the past.

S Ramakrishnan is DAP senator.