Friday July 17, 2009
MCA man: Teach secondary students Maths and Science in English
By SIMON KHOO
KUANTAN: An MCA leader here has called on the Government to consider a more liberal approach by allowing a two-tier system pertaining to teaching of Science and Mathematics in English.
MCA central committee member Datuk Ti Lian Ker said teaching of the two subjects in secondary schools should be maintained in English.
He said at the primary level, schools should be given a choice based on the local demand or needs of the local market.
“I am of the opinion that we must provide diversity. After all, education is everything.
“There must be different approaches and choices for Malaysians,” he said here recently.
Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the two subjects would be taught in Bahasa Malaysia from 2012.
In Chinese national-type primary schools, Maths and Science will be taught solely in Chinese and no longer bilingually as has been the practice since 2003. Tamil schools will revert to the mother tongue as the medium of instruction instead of English.
Ti said the educational system must be liberated in tandem with the 1Malaysia concept mooted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
He added that he had received numerous complaints about the command of English among Malaysian undergraduates studying locally and abroad.
He said their weakness in the English language had resulted in the overall drop in the prestige of local universities and a poor perception of the country’s education system.
“Our local undergraduates studying abroad, by and large, have a lot of catching up to do.
“They have to put in more effort and time for their studies compared to others as a result of language deficiency,” he said.
Prior to the announcement, Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob and his executive councillors had also expressed their support for the two subjects to be taught in English.
“The policy should be continued for the benefit of the people.
“Although there are some weaknesses in the implementation, the policy has achieved its objectives and brought about positive development.
“We must be aware of the need to learn and master more languages, particularly English to compete with the world,” Adnan was quoted as saying.
