DAP hopes that Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek can resolve the issues raised by the School Boards and Parent-Teacher Associations of 11 conforming secondary schools in Penang, who wants parents to continue to be given the choice to decide whether their children are to be taught Science and Maths in English under the Dual Language Programme or DLP. Fadhlina had yesterday stated that the Penang State Education Department has initiated engagement sessions with all stakeholders regarding objections in these schools pertaining to the latest DLP circular requiring at least one class to be taught in Bahasa Malaysia before other classes can be taught in English.
These schools stated that almost all their parents want their children to be taught Science and Maths in English under the DLP. The schools are unable to find sufficient students to meet the requirement of at least one class taught in Bahasa Malaysia. The Education Ministry should follow the previous practice adopted by the previous PN/BN government of respecting parental choice in the DLP.
Respecting and honouring parental choice will help to democratize education to serve the wishes of the parents in the best interests of the students. Democratizing education is one important reform of an open and progressive education system. It would be ironic if the previous PN/BN government is seen as more progressive or reformist by respecting parental choice.
This position of PN was reinforced by former PN Foreign Minister and MP for Indera Mahkota Saifuddin Abdullah, during my speech in Parliament on 5 March 2024. Saifuddin expressed full support for my call to continue the previous PN/BN’s government practice of respecting parental choice for a DLP in English without any conditions, interference or restrictions.
Bersatu information chief, Razali Idris, should stop politicizing or putting a racial slant on this request by the schools in Penang when his leader supports the parental choice of students being taught Science and Maths in English without any conditions or restrictions. As Saifudin agreed with me, many of these parents are Malays.
No one is objecting to Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction in these secondary schools as claimed by Razali. Instead, these schools in Penang have reiterated that they do not oppose Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction. The pertinent issue is continuing the previous PN/BN government’s of DLP in English without any conditions or restrictions, which Razali supported and did not object to when it was implemented by his government.
Similarly, UMNO Youth President Umno Youth Chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh should stop trying to play the hero and politicise the controversy when none exists. Further, why did Muhamad Akmal not protest the practice of respecting parental choice of DLP in English without any conditions when it was implemented by the PN/BN government? He should stop being opportunistic and oppose a similar practice of honouring parental choice now.
Let us stop politicising education but democratize education to serve our students’ needs, to produce the best and brightest out of our education system.