PETALING JAYA: The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) has urged the education ministry to put an end to all debate on the Dual Language Programme (DLP) by taking a firm stand on the matter.
This follows calls for the ministry to do away with the rule requiring primary and secondary schools offering DLP classes to have one Year One or Form One class teaching mathematics and science in Bahasa Melayu regardless of parental preference.
NUTP secretary-general Fouzi Singon said that the education ministry is best positioned to handle the matter given its knowledge of the programme and the needs of schools and students nationwide.
“Our stand has been that the DLP should be reserved for students in boarding schools and special plan schools (Sekolah Rancangan Khas) as these students are specifically selected to become professionals in our country.
“Issues arise when ordinary schools attempt to implement the DLP although their students lack sufficient command of basic English.
“This debate needs to cease, and the education ministry must take a firm stance on this issue,” he told FMT.
Fouzi claimed that pushback against the current implementation of the DLP largely comes from a “small group of technocrats and middle class individuals” pushing for the ministry to give in to their preferences.
“These individuals are neither education experts nor schoolteachers familiar with educational issues nationwide,” he said.
Fouzi also called for the ministry to maintain its existing requirement that schools offering DLP classes achieve the national average grade in Bahasa Melayu, taking a contrary view to the Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia.
He said during its recent visits to Japan, Korea and Turkey, NUTP found that the learning of science and mathematics in their mother tongues did not impede students’ mastery of the two subjects.
Fouzi also claimed that teaching science and mathematics in English (PPSMI) has failed to produce for Malaysia subject matter experts with worldwide recognition.
“There are no studies or correlations that demonstrate that PPSMI improved the mastery of these subjects.
“From my experience, students struggled more with understanding and solving maths and science questions due to language issues, not due to the structure of maths and science itself.”
Fouzi nonetheless acknowledged the need for the ministry to review the teaching method for English in schools, saying students’ mastery of the language remained “disappointingly low” despite attending at least three hours of lessons per week for 11 consecutive years.
“The teaching and learning of English must undergo significant restructuring to ensure that the second language is well-mastered by all students.
“If students can achieve mastery within three to six months at language centres, why does 11 years of study not result in optimal proficiency?” - FMT
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