Pakatan leaders: Delay in scrapping PPSMI damaging - Malaysian Insider

Lim described the decision to scrap the English policy as ‘irresponsible’. — File pic By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — Pakatan Rakyat leaders blasted the government for the delay in the dismantling of the teaching maths and science in English programme (PPSMI), claiming it would only worsen the damage already done by the initiative.

The DAP's Lim Kit Siang, in a statement, said the decision to discard PPSMI only by 2012 was an irresponsible and unprofessional decision "as it would turn millions of students into guinea pigs of a failed experiment twice in a decade."

He said students in Form 1 this year will continue to be taught maths and science in English until Form 3 in 2011 after already having spent the past six years in primary school under the PPSMI.

"However, when they come to Form 4 in 2012, they will become 'guinea pigs' a second time, when the medium of instruction for these two subjects is switched back to Bahasa Malaysia in line with the Cabinet decision," lamented Lim.

This means those students will have to cope with maths and science in Bahasa Malaysia when they sit for the important SPM examinations.

" And it's not only this batch of students who will be victimised and made second-time guinea pigs, but an entire generation of school-going children from 2003 to 2013 and beyond," stressed Lim.

The DAP veteran also took a swipe at MCA and MIC for their failure to convince the Umno heads of government to continue with the teaching of the two subjects in English to Form 4 and 5 students despite admitting that it was the best solution.

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin said two days ago that the programme, which cost RM4 billion to implement, must first complete the second phase of its six-year cycle before the government can discard it.

He said this would give the government, students and teachers ample time to make preparation for the changes.

PKR deputy president Syed Husin Ali, backing his PR comrade, described the delay as absurd and irresponsible and said PPSMI should have never been implemented in the first place.

Syed Husin, who leads the left-wing faction in a centralist-dominated PKR, also blasted the government for its failure to give concrete reasons for the delay in jettisoning the PPSMI.

While the political parties bicker about it, society at large remained divided over the subject with those from the urban areas demanding that the programme be continued while those in the rural areas supporting its abolition.

And parties from both sides have so far failed to come up with an alternative that would garner common support from the diversely opinionated public.

Parents unhappy over decision to revert - Star

Jul 9, 2009

KUALA LUMPUR: Many parents and students are very disappointed at the Cabinet’s decision to reverse the Teaching of Science and Mathematics policy.

Said mother of three Kam Swee Har: “Language is not just about teaching grammar and writing essays; it is the whole application of the language.

“The exposure is different when you’re learning technical subjects like Science or Maths.”

Engineer and father of four, Sulaiman Mahran, agreed: “Technical terms need to be absorbed in English, so strengthening English in general is not going to help in Maths and Science.”

Azra Banu, who has a child in Year Six, pointed out that it is the rural students who will lose out in the long run.

Businesswoman Haili Abdul Jamil, who has two children in Years One and Two, is seriously considering enrolling her children in an international school following the decision.

The impact of the decision is particularly hard on students who will enter Form Four in 2012.

Form One student Anisa Sulaiman is anxious about switching to Bahasa Malaysia in the two subjects when she gets into Form Four in 2012.

“I have been learning Maths and Science in English, so it will be difficult if we change the medium of instruction later on,” she said.

In Penang, Han Chiang High School Just English centre adviser Ooi Lay Le said the standard of English among students would drop if the two subjects were not taught in the language.

“We are going backwards,” said Ooi who has been teaching for 40 years.

SJK (C) Union Bahasa Malaysia Committee head Cheah Choo Suan, 55, said teaching the subjects in English would have helped broaden students’ knowledge of new terminologies and improve their command of the language.

Year Five student R. Abirami, 11, from SK Convent Green Lane, said it would be hard for her to adapt to the new system.

“We have memorised the scientific terms in English,” she said. “I’m afraid it will be hard to re-learn them in Bahasa Malaysia.”

In Johor, some parents are even considering sending their children to Singapore where they can learn in English.

Dr Santhi Sivalingam Moorthy, 41, said she would seriously consider transferring her three children, aged between five and 10, to Singapore schools now.

It’s saddening, says Mahathir - Star

Jul 9, 2009

PUTRAJAYA: The future of our schoolchildren will be compromised with the Government reversing the teaching of Science and Mathematics from English to Bahasa Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.

Dr Mahathir, who was behind the original policy of teaching both subjects in English, said his intention was to ensure that Malaysians were able to face global challenges at the earliest opportunity.

Expressing sadness on the policy reversal, he said schoolchildren would find it difficult to know more about the developments in the field of Science.

“These matters, of course, cannot be resolved overnight. But it’s the Government’s responsibility to train and supply capable teachers. I’m confident that our teachers will be able to study and teach in English,” he told reporters at his Perdana Leadership Foundation office yesterday.

Dr Mahathir said it was good that more teachers would be trained in English.

“But if we can train teachers to learn English, why can’t we do the same by training them to learn and teach Science and Mathematics in English?,” the former Prime Minister asked.

Dr Mahathir also questioned why no one protested when the medium of teaching in English in the colonial times was changed to Bahasa Malaysia.

“And at that time, not many teachers knew the national language. Now, it’s all right if we mix a little bit of Malay and English, but at the same time we need to improve the ability of our teachers too,” he added.

On his meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is the Education Minister, before the new policy was announced, Dr Mahathir said he was only given a briefing.