This Form 3 Student's Answer On Condoms Being Sold In Public Was Marked Wrong
The question was apparently in a Form 3 PT3 trial paper.
By Tang Ruxyn — 27 Sep 2016, 11:20 AM
A snapshot of an examination question has been making its round on social media lately
The question asked students if they agree that the sales of condoms in the open has a negative impact which will create social problems in the society. Students were also asked to provide an explanation for their answer.
On this particular paper, the student answered "No", stating that "condoms are a step for birth control which is needed to prevent pregnancy".
It is believed that the Science paper question is from the Form 3 PT3 trial paper.
This was first brought to the public's attention by June Low, a local writer and sexual health educator
According to Low, the question was recently sent to her by a "concerned adult".
She uploaded the snapshot on her Facebook profile yesterday, 26 September, to find out why the answer provided by the student was wrong.
She also tagged the Ministry of Education (MOE) Malaysia, Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia, Department of Health Kuala Lumpur and the National Population and Family Development Board Malaysia (LPPKN) in the post.
Local netizens were irked when they saw that the student's answer was marked as wrong by the examiner
"Teaching science or pseudoscience?" one of the comments on social media read.
Critics said that they found nothing wrong with the answer provided by the student, saying that it was factually correct.
They argued that since the particular question asked for an opinion and an explanation to back that opinion, the student in question should be given the full marks as the answer clearly fulfilled the stated conditions.
A few also said that the student should have been awarded at least one mark if the teacher had "followed the marking scheme", and that this was an example of the ongoing "blatant moral brainwashing" in Malaysian schools.
Additionally, some have wondered if the question "has anything to do with science"
Those who were more critical pointed out that this was a failure to educate students about the importance of using condoms, especially at a time when baby dumping is becoming a common problem in the country
They said that such instances, where the idea of selling condom openly is being insinuated as a bad thing that could lead to social problems, could, in fact, dampen efforts that have been carried out to ensure that young people are exposed to accurate and comprehensive sex education.
Critics have argued that it is a fact that the usage of condom during sex not only offers protections to users from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) but also prevents unwanted pregnancy.
Earlier this year, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim revealed that 104 babies were dumped last year.
Out of these 104 infants, 61 were found dead and 43 were found alive.
Police statistics shows that 100 babies are dumped each year, and the figure could be much higher as these only refer to the reported cases.
Do you agree that the student's answer is correct? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.