KOTA BARU: The issue of reimplementing the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) requires careful study and should be prevented from becoming political fodder for certain parties.
Yayasan Budi Malaysia chairman, Tan Sri Rais Yatim (pix) said the study should also relook at the education background in the Federal Constitution which required all subjects to be taught in the national language.
“In my opinion, PPSMI needs to be segmented, meaning, implemented at certain levels and not all at once. Proficiency in the English Language is not through Science and Mathematics only but the thing is, how far could learning this second language go to boost proficiency.
“We also do not want Bahasa Melayu that we champion to go further down to the lowest level as we want it to be a language for knowledge, a national and international language, and a language in commerce and trade,“ he said after attending a ‘Sepakat Anak Seni’ event, here, today.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir said the government had not made a concrete decision on implementing PPSMI and that the government had set up a committee to study the proposal, with the decision on the matter to be made as soon as possible.
Rais said he did not altogether reject the move for the two subjects to be taught in English but the government needed to be professional in tackling this issue as it could be accused of pandering to political whim or certain parties.
“Therefore, I suggest that the position of Bahasa Melayu as the pillar of our civilisation be upheld. At the same time, the government also needs to study the issue of recognising the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) and this matter should not be taken lightly,“ he added.
Earlier, in his speech, Rais called on writers in the state to continue upholding Malay culture and language which was seen as being sidelined by certain parties, especially the young.
“Bahasa rojak (mixed language), which is increasingly being used by young people, could spoil Bahasa Melayu,” he said.
At the event, Rais also announced an allocation of RM50,000 for a number of writers’ associations in Kelantan to enable them to continue holding activities. — Bernama
