KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — The Education Ministry should uphold the previous Perikatan Nasional-Barisan Nasional (PN/BN) alliance government’s policy allowing parents to decide if their children are taught Science and Mathematics in English under the Dual Language Programme (DLP) without any conditions or restrictions, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng said today.
He also hoped that Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek will address concerns from the school boards and Parent-Teacher Associations of 11 Chinese Vernacular secondary schools in Penang whom he said have faced challenges meeting the new requirement of having at least one class taught in Bahasa Malaysia (BM) before other classes can be taught in English.
“Respecting and honouring parental choice will democratise education to serve the wishes of the parents in the best interests of the students,” Lim said in a statement.
According to Lim, the majority of parents prefer their children to be taught in English under the DLP.
However, schools are struggling to find enough students to form a class taught in BM, as mandated by the latest circular from the Education Ministry.
“This position was supported by former PN Foreign Minister and MP for Indera Mahkota, Saifuddin Abdullah, who agreed with me in Parliament on March 5, 2024, on continuing the previous practice of respecting parental choice for DLP in English,” the Bagan MP said.
He also accused Bersatu information chief Datuk Razali Idris of politicising the issue by introducing a racial angle.
Lim claimed that many parents in favour of the DLP are Malays, underscoring the non-political nature of the request.
“No one is objecting to Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction.
“The issue is about continuing the previous policy without conditions, as was the practice under the PN/BN government, which Razali supported,” Lim said.
Lim also took aim at Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh for what he described as opportunistic politicking.
He questioned why Dr Akmal did not oppose the policy when it was initially implemented by the PN/BN government.
“Let us stop politicising education but democratise education to serve our students’ needs,” Lim urged, stressing the importance of producing the best and brightest from the Malaysian education system.
The issue arose two days ago when the school boards and Parent-Teacher Associations from 11 Chinese vernacular schools in Penang urged the Education Ministry to honour parents’ preferences and retain the original intent of the DLP for Science and Mathematics.
Yesterday, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said her ministry is engaging all stakeholders in Penang on the DLP.
She added that the DLP follows the guidelines outlined in the ministry’s circular dated March 19 this year.
“Schools implementing the DLP must ensure that opportunities are available for students who wish to study Science and Mathematics in either the national language or their mother tongue,” she said in a statement.
