Sabah schools want to keep Math, Science in English

The Association of Sabah National-Type Chinese Schools is preparing a memorandum on the continued teaching of Mathematics and Science in English in mission and other government-aided schools in the state.


The association has set up a sub-committee to complete the memorandum in two months for submission to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak. The document will include the findings of a survey conducted by the association.

“We will get in touch with mission schools to get their support for the memorandum. The eight national-type Chinese secondary schools in Sabah have already expressed their support,” said sub-committee head David Chan.

The eight schools are Kota Kinabalu High School, SM Chung Hwa Tenom, SM Ken Hwa Keningau, SMJK Chung Hwa Sandakan, SM Sung Siew Sandakan, SM Lok Yuk Kota Kinabalu, Lok Yuk Secondary School Kudat and SM Shan Tao Kota Kinabalu.

The initiative, said Chan, follows up on a statement last week by Najib that “the government will seek input from parents and teachers” on the continued teaching of the two subjects in English.

He disclosed that board members of Chinese schools in Sandakan and Tawau will communicate with the churches in their respective areas to pass on details on the memorandum. The approach is expected to save time which would otherwise be spent going to each school to seek input.

Chan does not expect any problems in forging consensus. Many parents have rung him to express support for the memorandum.

“Many students who had registered to enter Form One in government schools had opted to study in independent schools. They are not comfortable studying Math and Science in Bahasa Malaysia,” he said.

Explaining the rationale for the memorandum, Chan pointed out that the two subjects are important and form the foundation for professions such as engineering, medicine, pharmacy and related disciplines.

More importantly, the retention of English in teaching these subjects would enable Malaysians to enter the most prestigious colleges and universities in the world.

“Many Malaysians have gained places in universities like Harvard and Princeton in the United States and the Imperial College in London. They could not have done this if not for their proficiency in the English language.”

“Globalisation has brought competition right to our doorstep. We need to gear our future generation with the best to gain a competitive edge. It is therefore of the utmost importance that secondary schools be allowed to continue teaching Math and Science in English.”

'Don't tamper with system'

Association chairperson Wong Yit Ming said he has written to Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on the memorandum, and sent copies of the letter to all BN component parties in Sabah.

The association wants federal ministers from Sabah and Sarawak and the MCA to bring up the matter in the federal cabinet and support the use of English to teach the two subjects in secondary schools in both states.

Explaining the merits of the memorandum, Wong noted that the unified examination system had allowed for two approaches to the teaching of Math and Science in Chinese secondary schools - in Chinese in Peninsular Malaysia and in English in Sabah.

The approach, according to him, has so far worked very well and there is no reason to tamper with it.

“If the system is maintained, the examinations results will not drop and can even be expected to improve,” said Wong.

He also said that the Malaysia Agreement of 1963 provides for the retention of English in the respective state assemblies in Sabah and Sarawak, the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak, and the respective state cabinets in Malaysian Borneo.

Hence, Wong does not see any reason why English cannot be retained in secondary schools in Sabah at least for the teaching of Math and Science.

The association, at its annual general meeting on March 26, had passed a resolution calling on the Education Ministry to continue implementing the teaching of Math and science in English in government-aided secondary schools and mission schools in Sabah and Sarawak 'according to the wishes of the majority of the parents'.

The federal cabinet had decided last July that the medium of instruction for Math and Science would revert to Bahasa Malaysia in national schools and mother-tongue language in national-type schools from next year.

By Joe Fernandez