Implosion of dual language programme

 The education minister needs to be reminded of the importance of the optional Dual-Language Programme (DLP), and how and why it was conceived. Ministers and directors-general come and go but parents stay.

It was in early 2015 that the Economic Council, chaired by the then prime minister, demanded a radical approach towards enhancing English proficiency, having witnessed the damaging effects on youth towards employment.

Immediately, the Education and Strategic Reform Initiatives Human Capital Development of the Performance Measurement and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) under the Prime Minister’s Office, now corporatised, was assigned to explore and recommend that desperately needed radical approach.

An English-syndicated lab was set up and close to 100 stakeholders were invited to participate in finding that radical angle.

Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (Page) and many others rigorously engaged for four solid weeks, brainstormed and armed with massive amounts of data, ideas were consolidated into a workable, concise, and workable plan.

On June 11, 2015, the then-education director-general, in announcing the DLP to the public, aptly called it “a defining moment” in the history of the Education Ministry.

The criteria were clear that schools have written permission from parents, teachers are ready, and schools have adequate resources. There was no Bahasa Melayu (BM) requirement whatsoever.

DLP to non-DLP

It has come to our knowledge that principals have been made to turn existing DLP classes overnight into non-DLP ones just weeks into the new term, disrupting students’ mental health and parents’ peace of mind. Parents of these affected schools are forced to accept non-DLP classes even though they are unanimous in their stance.

Parents are not necessarily given consent letters to fill as required while students are subjected to discreet BM assessments, if at all, to determine whether the child is suitable for DLP or otherwise.

Oddly, parents have been told that if the child’s BM proficiency is poor then the child will be put in a non-DLP class. On the other hand, if the child’s BM proficiency is above average then the child will be put in a DLP class. The perceived risk is that if the child’s BM proficiency is poor at six years old the likelihood of failing BM at SPM when the child is 17 is high. It surely is mind-boggling.

Dignified parents who want DLP for their children are running around like headless chickens as principals and school leaders prevent them from seeking external help. The education minister and her ministry have failed to respond to parents’ concerns and appeals, maybe hoping parents will tire and go away.

We also understand that the fully residential schools which fall under the ministry may share the same fate save for the 11 premier ones such as Malay College Kuala Kangsar and Tunku Kurshiah College.

There appears to be a nefarious attempt by unseen hands to reduce the number of DLP classes. This is not a legacy anyone should want to leave behind. Instead, the ministry should be developing further the DLP to align with the government’s aspirations to ensure that the workforce is future-ready to accept the so-called high-value and skilled job opportunities that the prime minister has promised all Malaysians.

We urge the prime minister to intervene in ensuring DLP is given the full support it deserves. Abolish the BM requirement, which was added at the last minute to appease the language nationalists, automatically halving the number of schools that can choose DLP. Abandon the BM assessment and stop labelling children who are, after all, only six years of age. It is not a zero-sum game. - Mkini

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NOOR AZIMAH ABDUL RAHIM is Page chair.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.