Media Statement by Ngeh Koo Ham in Ipoh on Wednesday, 23^rd February 2011:

Call to stop the abrupt change of medium of instruction from next year for Maths and Science in Malaysian schools

The pupils attending national primary schools have been learning their Mathematics and Science in English since Primary One after the then Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad decided in 2003 to have the students study these subjects in English. The Government spent RM5.0 billion for the exercise!

The BN Government has now decided that these students will have to study these subjects in the Malay language when they enter Form 1 (Secondary school) next year. This is just absurd and ridiculous.

If our Education Minister who is also our Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Dato' Haji Muhyiddin Bin Mohd Yassin cannot see how absurd and ridiculous the decision that was made, I challenge him to sit for a Form 3 test on these two subjects in Tamil or Mandarin. I am certain he will fail.

I call on the Government to allow these students to continue their Mathematics and Science in English which has been their medium of instruction since Primary One.

* Ngeh Koo Ham, DAP Deputy Secretary General & MP for Beruas