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During the process of reviewing, the various relevant parties should have offered their professional views, including the NUTP's insistence that English be kept as teaching medium for science and maths in secondary schools.

By HWN YAUL LEN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily

The policy of teaching science and maths in English will be fully reverted to its 2003 model, something like buy-one-get-one-free.

You want the primary schools to be restored to their old shape, but I'm giving you the secondary schools as well.

Satisfied?

Not really, but a bit out of everyone's expectation.

The first unexpectedness: even the secondary schools will now be back to their old form.

The controversies over the past few years have mainly revolved around the teaching of scicene and maths in primary schools, and what language should be used as the teaching medium.

Many people focus the argument on the primary schools but do not object to the teaching of science and maths in English in secondary schools.

It should have been a bold move for the education ministry to be willing to review the policy of teaching these two subjects in English.

But since the first bold step has been taken, why not do a more comprehensive review and come up with the best decision, something everyone can accept?

I have no idea what has actually happened (as we don't know what has been debated in the Cabinet or whether such issue has been debated at all), the new policy always seems to leave some to be desired!

Educational policies have far-fetching effects on our future generations and must therefore be well thought out before they are put into implementation.

During the process of reviewing, the various relevant parties should have offered their professional views, including the NUTP's insistence that English be kept as teaching medium for science and maths in secondary schools.

Having made some concession, Dr Mahathir insisted that even if science and maths are not going to be taught in English in primary schools, at least the policy should be implemented in secondary schools.

But the education ministry's final decision is to put everything back to square one.

This is utterly disappointing. Even our secondary school students today would shake in disbelief how their juniors are going to learn science and maths in BM in the future. Do the Bahasa textbooks have enough of vocabulary? How about connection with tertiary education next time?

The second unexpectedness: Cabinet ministers and party leaders do not voice any dissident view.

Cabinet ministers accept the decision gleefully. They also do not object to the teaching of science and maths in Bahasa in secondary schools, arguing that this is the best ever decision and all controversies should now be put to a stop.

Anyway, the fact is: everything will now be put back to square one!

But is this really the best decision?

The initiator of all this, Dr Mahathir is frustrated that the government takes away the policy he implemented years ago, and laments that the children have been made the guinea pigs.

Comments (11)

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written by sarawakian, July 11, 2009 00:10:12

UMNO realised in the last GE that a better understanding of English (and the future penetration of internet access) meant everyone would understand better what the international blogs are saying about their evil deeds. forcing the new generation backwards is the only way to ensure the survival of UMNO and cronies.

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written by RumahPanjai, July 11, 2009 00:25:11

Just look at the unemployment rate of Malaysian university graduates. Sky rocketing? One of the reasons being "non proficency in English language". This flip flop policy will further increase their numbers.....

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written by middlepath, July 11, 2009 00:35:41

kita kerajaan ini macam susah lah. kita english tak bagus, lagi tak bagi kita belajar english bagi math dan science. apa macam, mana boleh.
please, bagi kita belajar english Math dan Sc. kita boleh lebih baik, dari segi competitiveness. dan global world ini, kita mesti belajar english.

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written by minds, July 11, 2009 01:26:12

Our goverment are so FUNNY let's change this FUNNY goverment next GE

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written by Edward C, July 11, 2009 07:35:52

I was at the bank just yesterday collecting my cheque book. The nice gentleman behind the counter asked for my company name. So I said "Legal ..... Sdn Bhd". He answered back by spelling the first word in my company name.. "L - E - G - E - L".. is it?

The standard of English our youth possessed these days are really a big fat "ZERO"! I just cannot imagine how we are going to compete in the international arena.

There is nothing wrong with our education system from the 1950's and 1960's. Look at some of the old gentlemen of all races. They all communicate very well in all languages.. meaning BM and English. If we are going to go back to square one, why not take a step to go back far enough when things were RIGHT!!!

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written by Romp, July 11, 2009 11:02:36

The issue is all about killing 2 birds with one stone. The ruling government(BN) will ensure that the people will be less smart so as to not ask so many smart questions that the idiotic menteri's cannot answer; And with the new paradigmn shift in these 2 major subject, it'll reap in more money! So, some will ask how?.. This is how it works.. new contents would means new text books print. So, who owns all these text books printing companys'? New training structure would also means training the teachers. Who provides these training? Most probably will create projects which in turn will be offered to training companies but, there will be a layer for administration of the project which in turn funnel money to Machaohaidin and his cronies.

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written by Eskay Lim, July 11, 2009 20:09:33

The present cabinet of ministers had just put our future students back into the cage by reverting the teaching of Maths/Science into the mother-tongue languages.
The proficiency of spoken as well as written English even by some administrators/ministers are already wanting; just take a look at the recently published circular by Mr. Mustaza Ahmad, the sports director of UTM.
And I dread the day in the near future where our Malaysian graduates and youths can only find employment in our own country except to be cooks and nannies in foreign lands.

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written by Steven Ong, July 11, 2009 22:09:40

Science and Maths can and could be taught in BM provided our educationists and ministry are good at translating all the science and maths topics into BM correctly and on time. Another concern is our teachers capable to teach well in BM? The students are just as good as the teachers. If the teachers are no good then the student cannot be better. So the first priority is that the teachers must be good and qualified in the beginning. Otherwise is like the many fresh graduates now who are unemployed because of poor academic results, because the lecturers are not qualified in the first place. We need brain not BN or PR.Let the brains come back and set things right.

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written by SocratesI, July 11, 2009 23:02:29

This is a direct effort by the Utterly Moronic Nazi Organization and its leech, Najis Rosak, to return the rural Malays to their ignorance of the English language so that they will not be able to understand what all the foreign Press (predominantly writing in English) when they invariably criticize the M'sian Govt. and its leeches (leaders who do not deserve to be leaders). Hopefully they can then brainwash these rural Malays to become totally subservient to them.

Also this is a popular move with the apartheid mentality of the hardcore UMNO members and Najis Rosak needs their support after announcing the supposed "liberalization" of the economy. Let the children suffer for Najis Rosak's benefit ... as long as he benefits, what does he care about your children and mine ??

.

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written by KKchan, July 12, 2009 11:05:04

Just do a survey of all the science and maths books we use here and find out what is the percentage of scientific and maths terms are still in English or coined from English? I am no expert here, but the teaching of computer science is also science. Is there a Malay word for "computer", "internet", "download" or "upload" and "cursor" and "mouse" - tikus? These are common everyday terms. What happens when we get really technical?

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written by Taiping60, July 12, 2009 13:04:06

I can only say one thing.

If the government stick to their plan to change the teaching of mathematics and science in English to Bahasa Malaysia. Come the next General Election, they will give the opposition a free ticket into the government.

Malaysians hate to vote political parties into government based on no brainer issue like this. But if the present government don't admit their mistake, we have no choice but to send them to retirement in the next general election because they are merely a bunch of Politicians who care less about the country than themselves. As a small country with growing economy, we cannot afford to have such politicians. We want politicians to love the country more than themselves. We want politicians to do what is right for the country than themselves. We want politicians to have the courage to push agendas and policies which are good for the country and not themselves. With that, I rest my case and wait until the next general election to act. I hope every Malaysians who are frustrated and angry with this stupid move by the government to walk the talk in the next general election.

We proposed the following;

1) government schools to stick to teaching mathematics and science in English.
2) government schools to improve the standard and quality of teachers in English.
3) government to consider bringing back retired teachers who can teach English for mathematics and science as well as English as a subject. In fact government should also consider recruited retired Malaysians with strong command of English to help the country to improve the standard of English
4) government to give the freedom to private schools, chinese schools and tamil schools to teach mathematics and science and not impose on them to do the same like government schools.

MOST IMPORTANT GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONSIDER DOING WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY.

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