With the extremely exam-oriented education system the students are now experiencing, many soft skills that they needed to excel in their life were not explicitly fostered in the formal education. Therefore, Problem-based learning (PBL) which is proven to be able to develop the 21st century skills is introduced among Form 2 students in RCE Iskandar in a pilot project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) from 2016-2018 and at the same time to tackle climate change, Low Carbon Society is chosen as the subject matter for the PBL classes, in line with the Low Carbon Society Blueprint for Iskandar Malaysia 2025.

In this project, interdisciplinary approach of STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and school-based assessment are applied for one class of students selected from 2 schools which have different level of academic achievement in the first year of the project. 6 teachers from the science, mathematics and living skills subjects from each school participated in a series of training by Low Carbon Education and PBL experts from UTM. The teachers designed the problems for 3 stages of PBL in one academic year. The UTM experts visited the schools to observe how the teachers conduct the PBL classes.

PBL as a student-centred approach is very difficult to be accepted by both the teachers and students who are used to the teacher-centred approach. PBL and learning of LCS are seen as difficult and stressful because a lot of planning and monitoring are need from the teacher side while the students must learn by themselves in teams. They have to discuss the issues as a team, prepare learning issues and materials, learn and teach each other, present their learning outcomes, ask questions, explore new knowledge and manage their learning with the facilitation of the teachers. However, after 2 months, both the teachers and students realized the benefits of PBL and learning LCS. Students from the lower achievement school show significant changes in their learning attitude and self-confidence. The students from the higher achievement school become more independent and can organize their own learning activities in the classroom. They become more environmentally conscious and are able to influent their friends and family to live a low carbon life.

At the end of the year, the best 3 teams will present their problems and proposed solution at a public presentation where parents and public community are invited to learn about LCS, the problems and solutions to make RCE Iskandar more sustainable.