The federal Education Minister recently made it clear that all government schools are required to follow the recently introduced Dual Language Programme (DLP) guidelines without exception.
This is welcome news, particularly at a time whereby the matter of education, particularly English, has been a topic subjected to punditry and ‘flip-flops’.
In large part, this is caused by those in power who view lightly the importance of implementing the policies put in place by the leaders before them. It has become somewhat of a running joke that whenever a new Education Minister is appointed, the teaching fraternity has to brace for confusing changes.
During Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s first tenure as prime minister, science and mathematics were taught in English under the PPSMI policy introduced in 2003. This was to improve students’ command of the language at the primary and secondary levels. This, however, was scrapped in 2012.
In 2016, the federal government introduced a dual language programme (DLP), allowing parents to determine which language they wanted science and mathematics to be taught to their children.
However, this was received with some resistance from pro-Malay language groups, even as far as holding rallies to express their rejection of DLP.
An educationist blamed the English language which served as a medium for teaching science and mathematics as being the cause of students’ declining proficiency in the two crucial subjects under PPSMI. Prof Datuk Dr Ishak Haron pointed out that many students struggled with the English language foundation, hindering their understanding of technical subjects.
However, this is what the policy strives to achieve — to sort of remedy or correct a generational lack of proficiency in the English language, from pupil to teacher.
If a teacher has to teach science and mathematics in English, he or she has to buck up and ensure a respectable command of the language. This is to ensure that he or she can deliver the teaching and learning sessions effectively. The pupils, too, will benefit from extended exposure to the language.
But effectively, a policy is as good or as strong as the support that the people have for it and when the public views it as being inefficient or troublesome, it is scrapped.
I was among the generation who benefitted from the policy which was implemented in all secondary schools the same year I entered it.
I never received any formal English education aside from the compulsory English subject in school and tertiary education along with the use of the language in the teaching of other subjects.
While it does not fully elevate one’s lexicon, it does prepare the pupils and provide them with a basic understanding of the language for them to build on. To this date, I still believe that proficiency in the language has unlocked many doors as individuals with good language skills, particularly English, are in high demand in professions such as mine among others.
In recognising this fact, the Sarawak government took a leaf out of Dr Mahathir’s book and used English as a medium of instruction for mathematics and science in primary schools since Jan 2020, being the first state to do so.
This will be extended to secondary schools in Sarawak beginning in 2026 as the year will be when the first cohort of primary school students learning science and maths in English will enter secondary school.
Sarawak Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Seri Roland Sagah Wee Inn last month said that this was one of several pivotal points agreed to by the federal Education Ministry in the devolution of education powers to Sarawak.
This should be emulated by other states as English mastery is crucial to understanding newer knowledge, particularly in the field of new economy and industrialisation. The economic areas such as carbon trading, renewable energy as well as digitalisation are the future.
Upholding the Malay language should not be used as an excuse to deprive ourselves of information that is only accessible in English and future expertise that can be learned through the medium. Nor should it be used as an excuse for the lack of proficiency in the English language.
2024 should be the year when Malaysians agree that DLP and the emphasis on the English language as a medium of instruction for science and mathematics are the way forward.
Let the policy work and give it time. We should press forward and not backtrack.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune.
