SUPPORT CHANGES IN EDUCATION SYSTEM, MUHYIDDIN TELLS EDUCATORS

PUTRAJAYA, July 21 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin
has called on educators to give their 100 per cent support to the changes to the
national education policy, particularly the decision to revert the teaching of
Science and Mathematics in English to the Malay language from 2012.

The education minister said it was important that they understood and
appreciated new policies announced by the government so that they were able to
explain them to the people.

This would prevent the matter from being politicised or misinterpreted, he
added.

"I expect a 100 per cent support from educators, without exception. It won't
be good if, for instance, educators are divided over the decision.

"When the government makes a decision, it is doing so with a clear
rationale. The educators should, therefore, be committed in upholding and
supporting the decision," he said at a gathering with educators at the Putrajaya
International Convention Centre (PICC) here Tuesday.

Also present were Deputy Education Ministers Dr Wee Ka Siong and Dr Mohd
Puad Zarkashi, Education Ministry Secretary-General Dr Zulkurnain Awang and
Education Director-General Alimuddin Mohd Dom.

Muhyiddin said that although in certain places, especially in urban areas,
students were able to record good results in Science and Mathematics in English,
they were very few in number.

He added that only eight per cent of total students in the country were able
to follow the teaching and learning of the two subjects in English and these
were students whose command of English was already good.

"Based on the this reality, the government feels that if the policy is to be
continued, students with poor command of the English language will face a double
jeopardy.

"We are worried that there will be a knowledge deficit situation among
students, with those failing to grasp the basic concept of Science and
Mathematics because of the language barrier continue to face problems
understanding the two subjects at a higher level," he said.

Muhyiddin said that although there were objections to the government's
decision, the views of the silent majority should also be taken into account.

"There maybe 80,000 who disagreed with it and said so in a blog but there
could be two or three million others who supported it," he said, adding that the
government would not neglect the need to improve the command of English among
rural students.

Among the steps taken by the government was to designate five Institutes of
Teachers' Training as the English language campus and to post trained English
language teachers in rural schools.

The government had also set up six sub-committees to implement the policy of
empowering the Malay language as the national language and strengthening the
command of the English language.

"The sub-committees would look into aspects like teachers' training,
curriculum, textbooks, logistics, personnel and information.

"We are confident that we can achieve the objective of continuously
enhancing the quality of education in the country."
-- BERNAMA