Implementation of General Education Subject (MPU) in Malaysia: an overview

Abstract

Human development encompasses a complete process of forming a knowledgeable, moral, skilled, competitive, and resilient human workforce. Human development has become the main focus and agenda of the country’s leadership to be realized primarily through the education system undergone by citizens’ children. In this regard, the Ministry of Education Malaysia has reviewed the curriculum for Compulsory Subjects (MPW) in all Higher Education Institutions in the country. Thus, the General Education Subject (MPU) has been introduced based on the branch of philosophy of knowledge, which involves humanities, pure sciences, and social sciences. However, with many students in a single lecture, the MPU course has its constraints. Some students consider this course as a subject that can be studied on their own. As a result, it is impossible to realizing future proof graduates. Therefore, this article aims to explain the current situation of implementing MPU courses in Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia. The paper is based on findings by reviewing a thorough literature review on the General Education Subject (MPU) courses. This research has applied the document analysis method by analyzing related documents for MPU courses. The data obtained are thematically analyzed via ATLAS.ti 8 software. The research finding has discovered four themes of the General Education Subject (MPU) implementation in Malaysia: its implementation, relevancy, impact, and teaching approach. Finally, the literature conclusion could be used as an initial guide for Higher Education Institutions to improve MPU courses’ implementation in producing future-proof graduates.