TEACHING OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS BACK TO BAHASA MELAYU

(Malaysian Mirror) - The teaching of Science and Mathematics will revert to Bahasa Melayu while vernacular schools would conduct it in their mother tongue Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced. The implementation would take effect in 2012 he added. As Education Minister Muhyiddin said the cabinet today approved the advice by the ministry to empower the Malay language and strengthen the teaching and learning of the English language at all levels of schooling. "This strategy was drawn up based on the study and monitoring carried out by the Education Ministry on the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English since the policy was implemented in 2003," he said when making the announcement at the Education Ministry, here today. The first group of students who studied science and mathematics in the English language since Year One sat for their Ujian Penilian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) last year. Implementation of policy The implementation of the policy of using the Malay language in the teaching of the two subjects would be carried out in stages in Year One and Year Four in the primary school and Form One and Form Four in the secondary school beginning in 2012 Muhyiddin explained. However, he said, the change would not involve students in Form Six and matriculation class. To ensure the implementation of the new strategy did not affect the achievement of students who were taught the two subjects in English, the teaching of and examination for the two subjects would be conducted in both languages until the last batch of students who were taught in English completed in 2014. He said the government made the decision after scrutinizing the outcome of studies and surveys carried out on the teaching and learning of the two subjects in English which showed it could not be implemented as desired. "What is implemented is the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English or Malay languages," he said. Monitored its usage Muhyiddin said monitoring by the ministry last year found only a small group of teachers were using English language fully in the teaching of science and mathematics. "On the average, the percentage of English usage is between 53% to 58% out of the total time allotted for science and mathematics," he said. In addition, he said, only a small group of mathematics and science teachers in secondary and primary schools who took the English language Proficiency Level Evaluation test last year achieved the proficiency level. He said the precentage of students who scored grades A, B, and C for the science subject in the UPSR last year dropped from 85.1% to 82.5% for urban schools and from 83.2% to 79.7% for rural schools. "For mathematics, the achievement of urban schools dropped from 84.8 per cent to 80.9 per cent while the achievement of rural students dropped from 80.9 per cent to 77 per cent," he said. He said the gap in achievement between urban and rural schools in science and mathematics was becoming wider when the PPSMI (teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English) was implemented. Not pressured into making a decision On Tuesday in MUAR the Education Ministry disclosed it submitted its findings on the use of English in the teaching of Science and Mathematics to the Cabinet for its approval. Having met various groups and non-governmental organisations including former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad Muhyiddin said he compiled their views on the matter. The Cabinet would not be hasty in making its decision and would give importance to the needs of students and the country’s educational system he explained. Expected to outline the details of the policy after the Cabinet meeting Muhyiddin said "Whatever the decision, it will not be due to pressure from any party or groups and it should not be viewed as politically inclined.,” He told reporters here there have been calls from various groups for the policy to revert to before 2003 when the subjects were taught in Bahasa Melayu in national schools and either in Chinese or Tamil in national-type schools. The issue has seen a rare alliance between Malay and Chinese educationists against the switch although there are calls by many parents and entrepreneurs for English to be maintained. Would such alliance amongst educationists having a vision for a better Malaysia benefit the country in the long run when much of technological information in transfer of skills between research institutions and companies is in English? Three ways to resolve the issue Meanwhile, The Star quoted a ministry official as saying that Muhyiddin has three ways to resolve the issue. “First, he could decide to maintain the present system and set another deadline for a further review. “Second, he could reverse the medium of instruction to that of pre-2003. “Third, he could make the teaching of Mathematics and Science in primary school in Bahasa Malaysia and the vernacular languages, and in English for secondary schools,” said the official. Knowledge first In an interview with The Star in May Education deputy minister Dr Puad Zarkashi had said that any decision would take into account the ministry’s readiness in manpower and teaching methods. "We will consider the opinions of every party, especially scholars, before making any decision,” he said, adding that most English teachers were based in the cities not in the rural areas. Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had stressed that Education is the nation's most important tool in breaking the cycle of poverty the surest route to long-term economic growth. That is why, he said, his administration is forging a new economic model that puts knowledge first. Individuals writing to the media had urged Muhyiddin to be proactive. One person wrote: “The Minister is doing our nation a great disservice in delaying a decision on the teaching of science and mathematics in English in our schools." Language difficulties C CELESTINE of Malaysian Mirror writes: For Malaysia, developing a pragmatic people with a paradoxical character, to attain selfhood is not inconsistent with its belief system. The ability to reflect and think creatively in the age of the Internet is hindered by the controversy of which language to use in the name of unity and patriotism. Yet it is a question of whether Malaysians want to attain selfhood; for which investment is in life long education encompassing creative arts and humanities as well as science and technology. The teaching of core subjects in the national language is not going to erode creative individuality but it may cause them not to interact dynamically with people from other countries. Language that welds a nation can divide due to the self serving interest in man, to use it to debilitate instead of strengthening. Those using the same language do not necessarily think the same.