By Patrick Lee | November 3, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: Rural students are the biggest losers from the government’s decision to stop the teaching of science and mathematics in English, according to the Parents Action Group for Education (PAGE).
PAGE chairperson Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said rural students, especially Malays, would end up speaking only Malay because they would have no context in which to apply English.
She questioned the wisdom of the decision, saying Malaysia was going against the tide when “countries all over the world are pushing for English”. She said she was now convinced that Barisan Nasional was not the right party to govern the nation.
She was commenting on Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s latest statement on the scrapping of PPSMI (the Malay abbreviation for the Teaching of Science and Mathematics in English). Muhyiddin, who is the Education Education, said today that the decision was final.
“Through PPSMI, the kids would have had an opportunity to practice the language,” Noor Azimah said.
Muhyiddin said the government would go ahead next year with its MBMMBI (Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening the English Language) policy, which would cover a “soft landing” programme for students currently studying science and mathematics in English.
He derided PAGE and other supporters of PPSMI for “being out of touch”, saying the decision to abolish the programme had been made in 2009.
Noor Azimah retorted that PAGE had been fighting to keep PPSMI in the system for “the last three years”.
“I think he is out of touch,” she said.
She also said, without elaborating, that PAGE would “support” students hit by the policy change, especially those currently in Primary 3 and Secondary 3.
“They have the right to finish science and mathematics in English under the soft landing.”
Test scores
Noor Azimah claimed that next year’s MBMMBI syllabus was not new, but a direct translation of the current PPSMI texts.
In an earlier statement, PAGE said national test scores improved following the introduction of the PPSMI in 2003.
Citing the Millenium Development Goals 2010 report, it said both rural and urban students had benefited from PPSMI.
“They (rural students) all showed improvements in English, no reduction in Bahasa Malaysia, and improvements in Science and Mathematics in the last few years,” it said.
Through an online petition initiated by PAGE, more than 100,000 parents have protested against the scrapping of PPSMI.
#1 by Jong on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 11:24 pm
“I think he is out of touch,” she said(Noor Azimah)
– No he is not, plainly he has no idea whatsoever! He has to say something. Noor Azimah, you are too polite.
#2 by tak tahan on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 11:38 pm
He is a racist,incompetent,unpatriotic,half-baked inteligent and evil minded moo for his only self-political survival.What else to describe him?Even cow has better grey matter than him..moOOOOO
#3 by pwcheng on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 11:42 pm
Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said rural students, especially Malays, would end up speaking only Malay.
That is the whole idea by the government. They are a kin of Pol Pot and a cousin of Hitler who hates intelligent people. As it is apparent that those who are reasonably intelligent hates UMNO like a leper.
Somehow they think that such hidden agenda can escape the eyes of the intelligents which by now Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim should be able to smell it. They will keep on suppressing the rural folks to keep them in their kampongs so that tUMNO can keep on bluffing them to get their votes.
Isnt there enough of evidences that UMNO mostly wins in the rural areas where else the opposition in the urban areas. Statistics can easily show that the number of intelligent and well educated people far surpassed those from the rural heartlands.
When politics infiltrate into the education systems, the country is eroding and will soon go to the dogs.
Please save the nation by your votes and even that they will cheat. Lets catch up with each others before it is too late. Lets all vote for any party other than the BN so that even if they want to cheat it will be made difficult for them. Give the BN stooge the SPR a run for their money.
#4 by drngsc on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 12:11 am
Let the goumen do the stupid thing. It is an opportunity for us to let the rural Malays know that the rich Malays and UMNOPutras have send their children to study in English whether locally or overseas, and they want to keep the rural Malays uneducated. poor and always dependent on the goumen. That is why they want to stop teaching Science and Maths in English. Let them help us to change the tenant at Putrajaya.
We need to change the tenant at Putrajaya. GE13 is our best chance. Failure is not an option. Very must work very very hard.
#5 by Cinapek on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 12:38 am
It is a sad day that this minister, for reasons of political expediency and pandering to the demands of the chauvinistic language extremists, has closed the door on PPSMI.
He, together with his boss, Najib, would be remembered in history as the two men who destroyed this nation’s competitiveness by removing or downgrading English in schools when both held the education portfolio. And all for political reasons to gain votes and to remain in power.
#6 by monsterball on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 4:23 am
Noor Azimah is advertising and promoting herself….waiting a call from a party to choose her as a 13th GE candidate.
She cannot be trusted as a PR candidate.
#7 by k1980 on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 7:51 am
//She said she was now convinced that Barisan Nasional was not the right party to govern the nation.//
Such a slow learner– took her umpteen years to realize this fact. And will her datukship be revoked for saying the above?
#8 by k1980 on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 7:52 am
Moo will soon propose that PPSMI will be repabled by PPSMJ— learning maths and science in JAWI!!!
#9 by waterfrontcoolie on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 7:57 am
I totally agree that the leaders of the day are out of touch with reality at ground zero. Even a good portion of our graduates could not write proper Bahasa. I deal with all sorts of organizations daily when a little note is needed to convey simple communication, you could hardly understand the bahasa used! Indeed the structure of the language is simple but yet they find it not so simple. The whole educational structure has been experimented by so-called expert with a single Phd thesis and that is! the system stinks. Being a reasonable trading nation, English is the only line of oral and written medium. The real political agenda is to keep the poor rural population ignorant of world affairs;hence easier to BLUFF them!
#10 by dagen on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 8:19 am
Coffins are meant for bodies and not the souls of those bodies nor in moo’s case, education issues. So go on moo. Put in the nails for all we care. As many as you may wish for the issue will not go away until we the people are satisfied that our aspirations and hopes have been met.
#11 by dagen on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 8:34 am
Saw a pic posted by raja petra in his blog showing the prime minister and her husband on haj in saudi. Look at the two idiots. So laughable. I didnt know that the BTN has such profound effect or was it the works of the grieving mother gobi over the death of her daughter and unborned grandchild?
#12 by Godfather on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 9:13 am
The arguments put forth by those intent on scrapping PPSMI is generally religious and racial. They quote from the Koran regarding the need to safeguard one’s heritage and beliefs. They say that the majority race must protected and given prominence, citing as examples China and Japan. Then they go on to say that those who support PPSMI are traitors to their race and religion. Now this is the difficult part, because once they accuse Malay supporters of PPSMI as traitors, these supporters will clam up, and not want to get into any further debate on this issue. Guess this is the Melayu way of not wanting confrontation on issues of race and religion.
Moo thinks that the silent majority supports the abolishment of PPSMI. Just wait for the next GE. These silent supporters will vote against BN. Time for PR to make a clear stand on this matter. PKR’s initial remarks are not helpful at all.
#13 by SENGLANG on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 9:41 am
Did our Minister out off touch with people? No they are very much in touch with the people. Then why they did not listen to the people? In this case was simple. Our education system has been manipulated for decades by the politician to produce the inferiors so that the elite group who receive their education overseas can be the Ministers and rule.
Many many who can afford I mean those with plenty of extra money will send their kids since primary overseas boarding schools. The second group will send their kids after secondary school but after receiving secondary education in local private school, and continue university overseas.
Look at the UACC, their force the youths to stop thinking and they must think what the leaders want them to think. But those overseas can think what they want to think.
PM children are educated overseas. Why because they know it is better for them to have good command of English.
#14 by dagen on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 10:17 am
Nine yrs of science and maths in english. What has it translated into? Pleasantly, I was surprised to find that young malay kids today are more willing to speak in english. At least their inhibition to speak in that language appears to be less than before as well as less than other malay kids of older age group. The standard of course is not fantastic but the improvement is noticeable. Presumably they are the age group that had undergone maths and science in english programme. Malay kids of slightly older age group often are reluctant to speak english. Perhaps because they are not comfortable with that language.
#15 by boh-liao on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 11:50 am
UmnoB/BN no want them ppl in rural areas 2 learn English n 2 read LKS blog, M’sia Today, etc, only want them 2 read UtusM n BHarian, they r UmnoB’s fixed deposit mah, moooo
#16 by Jeffrey on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 11:52 am
DPM made 2 claims: (a) that groups opposing abolition of PPSMI are “small”, which is why govt is not bowing to their pressure; (b) when decision to abolish PPSMI was made in 2009 it was after the matter was brought up in Parliament in which everyone including opposition agreed. Is it true that the Opposition agreed?
I note, according to Muhyiddin, his MBMBI policy to supersede PPSMI is not because he thinks English is unimportant and need not be strengthened – it just that it could be better achieved via bringing in professionals who have expertise in teaching English as a subject instead of having the English Language learnt indirectly via teaching of Mathematics and Science whereby neither Science, mathematics nor English is properly taught esp there are not enough qualified teachers of English and where they are so qualified, they may not be in Mathematics or Science and where they are qualified in either of these two subjects they may not be qualified as far as English is concerned. Is his reasoning here contested by PAGE? Of course it is bad to subject students as guinea pig to flip flop educational policies. However is PAGE’s opposition based strictly on weighing merits of Dr Mahathir’s PPSMI against demerits of Muhyiddin’s MBMBI or something else?
#17 by Bigjoe on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 11:59 am
What the 100,000 facebook member says is this. Tun Razak was wrong. Plain and simple. All the ideology about education in this country has been over-politicized for 40+ years and HAVE FAILED and WILL NEVER SUCCEED – just like the NEP, Ketuanan Melayu, Islamisation etc..Plain and simple..
#18 by Jeffrey on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 12:04 pm
As I understand the debate it is NOT about which is more important- dignifying the National Language or re-instating the pre-eminence of currency of English usage of yesteryear important to bring Malaysian students in line with the competitive demands of Globalised World in which English is linqua franca. The arguments seem concentrated on this issue that the over emphasis on the importance of National Language has imposed an unbearable cost and price to be paid in English deficiency amongst students. As I understand the debate, according to Muhyiddin, the issue is not about cost versus benefit of importance of National Language against that of English. According to him the National Language importance is overarching above all else – that is taken for granted- and whilst this is so, it does not mean the govt is not bothered about raising proficiency of English (within the earlier parameters of National Language’s primacy) ; that the issue is about the method how raising proficiency of English is better achieved – through Dr Mahathir’s PPSMI or Muhyiddin’s MBMBI. Correct me if I were wrong about this.
#19 by undertaker888 on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 1:37 pm
There goes our England. Lown in the dlain. We leed to get lid of lis govermen. If not awe our sons and lawters will be stupid.
Get lid of muyidin. Get lid of umno. Get lid of bn. Yeh!!!
#20 by dagen on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 1:50 pm
So jib denied that his daughter was not in australia during commonwealth meeting. Mere denial is not enough. Buatlah lapuran polis. Ikutlah nasihat muhideen.
#21 by monsterball on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 6:04 pm
It takes DPM a long time to finally understand his stupid boastful comment and now..backed off.
Like a cow…moo here moo there…wasting time….the traditional trademark of all UMNO b parliamentarians.
When you accused them…..they always deny …even the accusations are true ..supported by facts.
This is a country not to succeed with what you know…but whom you know and live with the laws and police ….they control.
It is call a multi racial cultured Dictatorship government…..hoping all are happy.
#22 by monsterball on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 6:44 pm
Suddenly Ibrahim Ali is defending the Christians ….accusing Ambiga…anti Christ.
Christian votes are important.
#23 by monsterball on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 6:45 pm
While all these are going on….Najib got headaches and went to Mecca to calm down his nerves.
#24 by monsterball on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 6:50 pm
……to calm down his nerves with Rosmah as nurse maid….at tax payers money.
No more fear to use money as he likes..for no 2/3 majority…big money cannot go into his cronies pockets…so spend spend spend as much as he likes…for spending is not corruption. It is foolishness….one notch better that stealing.
#25 by trublumsian on Saturday, 5 November 2011 - 4:55 am
the only success from feedlot-gate is producing this cow.