DAP chairperson Lim Guan Eng has slammed Bersatu and Umno Youth for supposedly playing politics over new requirements for the Dual Language Programme (DLP) for teaching Science and Mathematics at school.
He said Bersatu has unfairly branded a group of Chinese secondary schools in Penang as impinging on 3R (race, royalty, religion) issues, whereas their grievances are an education issue.
He also clarified that, contrary to certain media’s erroneous reports, the schools are not opposed to using Malay as the medium of instruction.
Yesterday, Buletin TV3 had erroneously reported that the boards and parent-teacher associations of 11 SMJK and Chinese secondary schools in Penang had held a press conference to state their opposition towards the use of Malay in classrooms.
It has since retracted the article and issued an apology for the mistake at noon today.
Meanwhile, at Lim’s press conference at DAP’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today, he said he contacted SMJK Chung Ling school board chairperson Koay Hean Eng last night because of the erroneous report.
Koay was reportedly speaking on behalf of the 11 SMJK and Chinese schools during their press conference yesterday.
Lim said Koay confirmed to him that the schools were merely urging the Education Ministry to rescind its directive requiring the schools to have at least one class teaching science and mathematics in Malay.
“He (Koay) is the chairperson of the board. They do not oppose the use of Malay as the medium of instruction. He is merely requesting that Science and Mathematics be taught in English, as it was done before.
“During the tenure of former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, if parents wished for Science and Mathematics to be taught in English, then students could learn these subjects in English.
“There were no conditions requiring at least one class to be taught in Malay. He believed this policy would cause problems because many (students) prefer to learn Science and Mathematics in English,” he said.
Let parents choose
Lim added that it is not only Chinese parents who are choosing to have their children learn Science and Mathematics in English, but also a substantial number of parents of Malay students.
He also pointed out that, unlike Bersatu’s current stance, Indera Mahkota MP Saifuddin Abdullah had previously supported allowing parents to choose the language for their children’s Mathematics and Science education.
To substantiate his claims, he played a video clip of parliamentary debates on May 5.
The video showed Lim urging the Education Ministry to allow parents to choose the language of the children’s Science and Mathematics lessons, which received support from Saifuddin.
“So, I kindly ask those in Bersatu who have issued statements to refer to Saifuddin, who was a senior minister in the previous government and now a key leader in Bersatu.
“Let it be taught without restrictions or interference as he has said. Let parents make their choices and decisions.
“If parents want their children to learn in English, let them learn it in English as we said before and everyone has agreed to.
“Many parents are Malays, so this is not a 3R issue. This is an education issue,” he said.
Lim has likewise urged Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh not to politicise the issue.
He pointed out that when Umno was in the government under Muhyiddin’s administration, Umno Youth did not oppose the DLP but has now come out to protest.
“When parents asked for the old arrangement to be reinstated where there is no requirement for one class to be taught in Malay, he (Akmal) vehemently objected.
“Why didn’t he object back then?
“I want to reiterate that this is not an issue of opposing the use Malay as the medium of instruction. No, it’s far from that.
“We hope these people will not politicise education but should democratise it. Democratising education means respecting the choices of parents,” he said.
Policymakers should go to ground
Meanwhile, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok told the same press conference that Education Ministry officials should conduct on-site inspections to formulate better policies, whether it is done by an officer, a deputy minister, or the minister herself.
“I want to say to the minister, deputy minister, secretary-general and officers to go to the school in person and contact the schools that are protesting now. They are really in a difficult situation.
“It is very difficult for the headmasters to arrange special classes taught in Malay.
“We always say that such things should be simplified. But what is happening now is that the Education Ministry is creating trouble for schools and parents,” she said.
Yesterday, representatives from 11 SMJK and Chinese secondary schools in Penang claimed an Education Ministry circular dated April 15 requires them to have at least one class teaching science and mathematics subjects in Malay, but there are virtually no takers for such classes.
As such, they urged the ministry to do away with the directive and allow the lessons to be conducted in English under the previous DLP.
The group also claimed the directive ignored the will of the parents and went against DLP’s original intent, which was to better equip students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.
Bersatu party’s information chief Razali Idris criticised the group for supposedly going against the Federal Constitution that clearly states the prestige of Bahasa Malaysia in the country.
Meanwhile, Akmal has also voiced support for the Education Ministry’s circular, emphasising that Bahasa Malaysia is the national language. - Mkini
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