PETALING JAYA: There is a sense of relief that the students will be allowed to continue learning Mathematics and Science in English but at the same time parents want the policy to be continued for future generations.
“What has been announced is a half measure, it is not a total reinstatement of PPSMI…it is a knee-jerk reaction because of the demands of parents. This is just a move to please as the elections are around the corner.
“English is important for scientific knowledge. the body of knowledge of Math and Science are in English,” said Shamsudin Bin Hamid a father of four school-going children.
” The younger generation should not be deprived of this.” he said.
Yesterday, Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the cabinet has decided to allow students under the PPSMI policy to continue learning Mathematics and Science in English or in Bahasa Malaysia.
Muhyiddin who is also the Deputy Prime Mnister said that this was this is to address the concerns of parents whose children are already studying the subjects in English.
However, he said that the abolishment of PPSMI as decided in 2009 still stands and students coming into Standard One next year will learn the two subjects in Malay as the MBMMBI (Upholding the Malay Language, Strengthening the English Language) commences.
Shamsudin said Bahasa Malaysia as the national language will still be given importance as a medium of instruction for other subjects.
“I fully support former primer Mahathir Mohamad’s suggestion that other subjects such as history and geography should be thought in Malay, as it is our national language, but it is imperative for Math and Science to be thought in English,” he said.
Another parent, Lee Hui Seng, whose 16 year-old son is studying in a school in PJ said all parents whose children are directly affected will be happy however the struggle must continue to keep this debate alive.
“(After 2020) the government will have another batch of parents screaming at them for the policy (MBMMBI) to be reversed.
Lee also disagreed with Muhyiddin statement that the PAGE (Parents Action Group for Education), was a minority group.
Muhyiddin had said that he group only “knew how to make demands” and brushed them aside as a minority group.
Lee, said that although PAGE was a small group they represent a “large spectrum of parent’s sentiments,”.
“It also has to be pointed out that the voices of the parents were heard not through street protests but through continuous pressure through letter writing and the use of social media,” he added.
Another parent S.Nantha Kumar told FMT that he was “happy and unhappy at the same time”.
“Of course I am happy for my children but the issue is bigger than my children,
“The world is getting smaller, it is getting more competitive. If we strive to be a high-income nation, then our work force has to transform to the next level. The basic technology terms are all in English,” he said.
He said that in the future rural Malaysians would suffer more from this policy reversal as they would struggle to find jobs in Multinational and other international companies.
PAGE chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said that although PAGE was “delighted” by the announcement, feedback from parents showed that they need to “continue to push for the PPSMI policy”
“It is a timeless and visionary policy, and every generation should benefit from it,” she said.
By Tarani Palani
Support English as the medium for teaching maths and science.
ReplyDeleteHope that the Ministry of Education is making the right decision for people.
ReplyDeleteWait and see how it will goes!
ReplyDeleteHope there be no changes in a short period of time.
ReplyDeleteharap keputusan yg dibuat benar2 dpt memartabatkan pendidikan negara.
ReplyDeletedan harap lebih ramai pelajar cemerlang akan dihasilkan pada masa depan.
ReplyDeleteThink for the future. Please make a wise decision.
ReplyDeleteAmbil kira pandangan rakyat juga.
ReplyDeletedimana PAGE ketika Gerakan Mansuhkan PPSMI (GMP)lantang mahu PPSMI ini dihapuskan??
ReplyDeletenampaknya majoriti menyambut baik PPSMI ini dimansuhkan dan ditukar kepada MBMMBI.
ReplyDeletemereka yang menentang mungkin perlu bagi option samada untuk menggunakan BI atau BM. apapun, diharap kerajaan/Kementerian Pelajaran membuat pertimbangan sebaiknya berhubung perkara ini.
ReplyDeletekeputusan telah pun dibuat dan banyak pekara pasti telah dipertimbangkan sebelum keputusan dibuat.
ReplyDeletediharap keputusan yang dibuat akan memberikan hasil yang baik kepada pelajar-pelajar.
ReplyDeleteMungkin KPM lagi mempunyai sebab kukuh untuk mengantikan PPSMI kepada Bahasa Melayu.
ReplyDeleteKerana peratusan kelulusan menurun dengan memperkenalkan PPSMI ini menyebabkan kerajaan terpaksa mengantikan semula pembelajaran kepada bahasa melayu. Ini bagi keupayaan pelajar itu sendiri menguasai sesuatu pembelajaran.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is, the majority of the population esp. a certain racial sector who constitute the majority of the voters are either against or just not ready for ppsmi. Only the minority who supported ppsmi posted their comments to voice out their grouses. So by browsing through websites like this we get the distorted view that the majority are pro ppsmi.
ReplyDeleteMuhyi is not stupid, he only acted and talked stupid to please the anti ppsmi majority to get their votes. This is what politicians are good at, they're all professional liars.
To improve the command of English or any language, learners need to use it, speak it on a daily basis plus it must be a compulsory pass for SPM. Otherwise, increasing the teaching hours for the language will have minimal effect because why would students take it seriously if it not compulsory to pass the subject.
Ppsmi alone is not enough to improve the command of English. It greatly helps those students who will be entering a career in the science fields but to improve the standard of English, B.I. at Spm must be made a compulsory pass like B.M. So both ppsmi and compulsory pass in B.I. is the way forward to improve English if the government is serious in arresting the declining standards of English. Unfortunately, the decisions they make on only based on their political survival.