The new Primary School Standard Curriculum (Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah) or KSSR will empower students as well

as the teachers and enrich them with the capabilities to increase their thinking and give them more room and freedom to exercise their creativity. The Education Ministrys Curriculum Development Department deputy director Dr Azian T. S. Abdullah said it would cater to all students and give them a chance to explore their abilities, especially those with special needs. For those that could not cope with the curriculum then we give separate teaching classes with different methods, that can encourage them to be independent. The curriculum also pays attention to special needs kids, as well as Orang Asli and Penan students, she said. She said they must make school a fun place for the Orang Asli pupils, as their learning capabilities and ways are different from other students. She said they have to find ways to attract them to come to school, and increase the number of school-going children from among the Orang Asli and Penan people. For children who are talented and gifted, the curriculum allow for them to be fasttracked, and lessen the period of time for school to five years instead of six in primary, and four years instead of five in secondary school, she said. The KSSR, said Azian, will also be reviewed each year, to make room for improvements and to fall in line with the objectives in the National Education Blueprint. KSSR was first established in 2011 for Year One pupils, which saw some subjects combined, and new ones created with themes on nationhood and patriotism. The learning and content standards that are outlined in KSSR were specifically aimed towards ensuring pupils acquire basic literacy skills by the end of Year Three, and was also in line with the second National Key Result Areas (NKRA) for the ministry to ensure all primary school pupils have basic literacy skills after three years of formal schooling. KSSR will be implemented fully in 2016 where Year Six students will no longer be evaluated based on their Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) results, but from their overall performance and classroom participation. Azian said in four years time, schoolchildren will have the option of choosing a range of international languages to learn from, as the ministry is looking to implement a new syllabus under KSSR.The new curriculum seeks to introduce new subjects such as languages including Iban, Kadazan, Spanish and Arabic by 2017 in all schools nationwide.