Page 22 - Jurnal Kurikulum BPK 2018

A Comparison of Preschool Curriculum Frameworks

of Three Southeast Asia Countries

Regina Joseph Cyril
Curriculum Development Division
regina.joseph@moe.gov.my

Abstract

This paper attempted to study preschool curriculum frameworks of three countries in the
Southeast Asia region namely Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. The composition of the
frameworks depict the premise of developing children and equipping them with the necessary
skills for further learning at the primary level. Developed based on the needs and interests of
children at pre-primary age and equipped with skills to face the world and its challenges. Every
country is unique and has its own aspirations for its future generations and the pre-primary
curriculum aptly prepares children for primary education in all three countries.

Key words: necessary skills, needs, interest, developing children

INTRODUCTION

In developing the full potential of children, preschool education is an essential programme
for children to develop holistically in order to amalgamate with society and live harmoniously.
Kilpatrick (2004) aptly points out, “Education…is the effort of the adults in charge to guide the
child’s development and learning so that he may grow up to take his proper place in society and
himself live the good life. …the school should be a place of living, living of the kind of help build
the desirable all-round character to serve the all-round good life” (p. 306). Preschool curriculums
sets the premise for desirable learning to take place with aspirations and aims formulated pertinent
to nation building, which is to be achieved at the end of schooling in mind. It sets the stage for
continuous learning and prepares children for the next stage of schooling, operational through
various domains. Learning then is the essence of the curriculum realized by purposeful and
meaningful activities facilitated by the teacher. Learning is closely linked to the curriculum, has
to be purposeful in order to attain a nation with valuable citizens according to the aspirations of
the country. This is rightly described by Kilpatrick (2004), “To make purposeful activity the
typical unit of school procedure is at one and the same time to respect the learner’s personality, to
uphold democracy, and to cultivate the traits necessary for democracy: self-respect, self-direction,
initiative, acting on thinking, self-criticism, persistence. … conducted under teacher guidance, its
key to effective learning” (p. 242 & 243).
Schooling produces children who are important assets of a nation; and given the right
opportunities to develop to their full potential, they will be valuable resources of a nation. As such,
the learning path of each child has to be designed and charted according to his or her own
development, innate abilities and potential. Early childhood education is vital in ensuring children
develop and learn in enriching learning environments which allow them to explore freely through
fun-filled activities. This early exploration engages children in inquiry-based learning and higher
order thinking which sets the premise for meaningful learning through play. Play comes naturally

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