Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said participants were free to speak their mind.
“This is why we are here ... we are listening to the views of all stakeholders,” he said after chairing the ministry’s fifth roundtable discussion on the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English.
Senator Lee Chee Keong from MCA said the party wanted Science and Mathematics to be taught in the mother tongue in primary schools.
“The statistics show that very few students in Chinese primary schools are answering in English. In fact only 2.86% answered in English for Science and 1.29% for Maths,” he said.
He said this showed students were either not able to understand or unable to answer in English. At the same time, Lee said there should be more English periods in schools in order to ensure students were not left behind.
“Students should be able to study the two subjects in English at secondary-school level,” he said.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk S.K. Devamany said the MIC did not have an official stand on the issue yet.
“We want to get stakeholders to put forward their views before we make a stand,” he said during a break at the ministry’s fifth roundtable discussion.
He said the MIC education bureau had met Tamil school headmasters and those from the teaching fraternity, adding that the feedback received was mixed.
Devamany, who is an MIC central working committee member, said the party planned to meet with parents next.
“Parents have the right to decide what they want for their children,” he said.
Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) chairman Noor Azimah Abd Rahim said it represented parents in both urban and rural areas who wanted the subjects to continue being taught in English.
“As parents, we feel that the students’ English will improve if the policy is able to continue. It will also give students a competitive edge,” she said.
Dong Zong (United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia) chief administrative officer Kuang Hee Pang said the ministry must be clear on whether it was English or Science and Mathematics which was important.
“Students should be able to use the mother tongue to study the two subjects,” he said.
I agree with neither. Plans like this should be implement AFTER a thoroughly planning YEARS before being carry out. It's wrong to say, "Oh, wait, let's teach science and mathematics in English" and carry out the plan immediately after the statement. It took years in the 70's for the whole education system to make the transition from English to Malay, and now they want to change again? I wonder what the hell is on their mind. It's been 5 years...or was it six, i lost count, since the plan to make the transition began, and throughout the span of these 5-6 years, the cabinet itself wasn't even sure WHAT they want at all, changing plans every other day.
Like i said, there's a serious problem with the education system of Malaysia. It's not only flawed, it's corrupted.
"THE lack of preparation, including having teachers who are not proficient in English, has foiled the Government’s plan to train students who are good in Mathematics and Science, said Utusan Malaysia.
In its editorial, the daily said the problem had also resulted in students who were “lucky” enough to benefit from the teaching of the two subjects in English.
“The main objective of implementing this policy is to train students who are talented in the two subjects while improving their English.
“However, we do not want the policy to only include students from urban areas while those in the rural areas, especially Sabah and Sarawak, do not benefit from it,” it said.
The daily said the round-table discussion, which was held yesterday, must provide substantial evidence to show that the policy was able to improve the students’ competency in the two subjects.
It said that if relevant parties believed that it was still not the right time to implement the policy, they would have to clearly explain the reasons.
“The decision on whether to continue implementing the policy should not be taken lightly as it will affect the future of the education industry.
“A small mistake can affect the life of the rakyat, especially those who are marginalised and deprived of various facilities,” it said."
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