Sub-projek C2 (Projek 1): Sastera Dalam Kesepaduan Sosial

Frequent opportunities for genuine interaction among different ethnic communities must be provided in education to encourage cooperation towards a common goal.   (“Study on Multiculturalism and Inter-Ethnic Relations in Education”.  Violeta Petroska-Beska, Mirjana Najcevska, Nikolina Kenig, Safet Ballazhi, and Ana Tomovska.UNICEF Country Office, Skopje. November 2009, p. 106). Literature facilitates personal understanding, encourages social cohesion, the determining of societal structure, and the defining of individuality within the larger society. Students’ engagement with literary texts, especially in the social processes of constructing meaning, exploring interpretation, and openly discussing issues of culture and identity brings critical awareness of diverse cultures and identities in a multicultural society.

In Malaysia, the teaching of literature is beneficial to learners as its inclusion would enable them to improve their language as well as enrich their understanding of culture.  (Sivapalan, Subramaniam & Abdullah 2010). One of the aims of the inclusion of the literature component in the English syllabus to help students in their “personal development and character building and widen their outlook of the world through reading about other cultures and world views” (Ganakumaran 2003).