MCA wants English for Mathematics and Science in selected schools

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said that secondary schools must be given a memorandum to decide if they want to teach mathematics and science in English (PPSMI).

The party’s announcement today is bound to be contentious as the federal government had decided to abolish PPSMI two years ago.

“Parents should have a choice to select the medium language for these subjects in schools where they have adequate teachers who profess in English to teach Mathematics and Science subject,” he told reporters during a press conference at party headquarters.

In 2009, MCA had proposed to the cabinet to maintain teaching science and mathematics in English at secondary school level and suggested that the two subjects should be taught bi-lingual if needed.

The government recently announced that Year One pupils in primary schools will stop learning mathematics and science in English from this year while Primary Year Four, First Formers and Fourth Formers would revert to Bahasa Malaysia next year.

“We should adopt a more forward looking perspective with regards to education instead of taking the retrogressive approach in opposing the use of English.

“The teaching of the two subjects in English should be allowed to continue, especially in select urban schools where there is already a demand for it,” he said.

He said that acceptance of English as a medium among urban youths is higher as they are able to look beyond race and religion.

He added that any change of policy to revert to Bahasa Malaysia would affect everybody especially the Chinese community, where many are mono-lingual.

“We need to nurture more Malaysians to be multi-lingual and are good not just in Bahasa Malaysia but also in English and Mandarin,” he said.

Dr Chua said that a person’s race is not determined by language but instead English would give an edge in highly competitive globalised society.

“It is the language to reach out to innovation, technology, science and a host of other knowledge and if we cannot access to such information of progress, we would definitely lag behind,” he said.

He denied that the it will be seen as flip-flopping if t allows the use of English to teach the two subjects, stressing that government decision should reflect the wishes of the people