PAGE hands over memo on PPSMI to PM

PUTRAJAYA (Oct 31, 2011): Unhappy with the government's decision to reject giving schools the option of continuing the Teaching of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) policy, education lobbyist Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) is seeking the prime minister's intervention in the matter.

PAGE chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, accompanied by a group of more than 20 parents, handed over the memorandum which was received by an officer from the Prime Minister’s office here, today.

Noor Azimah said PAGE hopes the Prime Minister ‘listens to the people’ when it comes to deciding on the PPSMI issue.

She said the memo contained details, graphs and charts to show the high number of parents that supported English as the medium for studying Science and Mathematics.

“The figures will show,” she said, adding that there are many proven facts that warranted the continuance of teaching Science and Mathematics in English.

PAGE had expressed its ‘devastation’ at the government’s recent move to deny schools the option of continuing the PPSMI policy following Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s statement on Saturday.

The PPSMI will be replaced by the policy of upholding the Malay language and strengthening the command of English next year.

Muhyiddin said his Ministry has rejected giving schools the option of continuing the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English on the basis that it would create chaos and complicate matters.

Muhyiddin said the Government did not make the decision in haste, but only did so upon discovering that pupils, particularly those in the rural areas, were lagging behind in the two subjects.

PAGE vehemently denied these claims in a recent statement and said the government is forcing down inferior education policies on children.

She said parents have planned to hold "picnics" in various states on Nov 12 as a show of solidarity in seeking a review of the decision to do away with the policy.

"I would like to remind them to hold these picnics peacefully," she said.

Its online petition ‘1M Malaysians Say YES to PPSMI as an OPTION’ Facebook group has garnered 100,000 members less than a month since it was launched. As of 5.30pm today, some 110,392 people had signed up in support of PAGE's stand.

In an immediate response, the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) president Hashim Adnan said the union supported the government's move and said the matter is not as simple as what Noor Azimah had proposed.

"Schools in Malaysia have no power to decide whether they can continue teaching Maths and Science in English or otherwise.

"All orders must come from the Education Ministry," said Hashim in response to Azimah's argument that the Education Act 1966 allows for parents' to decide on how their children are to be educated.

Hashim said PAGE's proposal for PPSMI to be retained as an option will also result in an extra burden for teachers, as well as further stretching already limited resources in schools.

"There are currently 430,000 teachers employed in 10,000 schools nationwide.

"To give a school an option to conduct Mathematics and Science classes in either Malay, English or both, will definitely increase the need to hire and train more new teachers," he said.

Hashim however said that the current practice of using bilingual examination papers can be retained as an option for students.