Nigel Aw | Nov 3, 2011
Malaysiakini
Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said today the decision to discontinue the teaching of mathematics and science in English (PPSMI) policy is final.
So, calls for the programme to be retained are two years too late, said Muhyiddin, who is also deputy prime minister.
“In 2009, (when the abolition of PPSMI was announced) there was no negative reaction. The majority accepted it well.
“I presented it in the cabinet, everyone agreed, I brought it to Parliament and everyone, including the opposition at that time, agreed.
“But now, because there are some groups opposed to it, they (the opposition) want to jump on the bandwagon.”
Muhyiddin was responding to calls by non-governmental organisation Parents Action Group for Education (Page) to allow certain schools the option to continue with PPSMI.
“Maybe it’s like what (former prime minister) Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) said, that Malaysians forget easily. It was not raised then and a new policy has been implemented two years ago.
“Page doesn’t know what is going on, maybe they are ketinggalan zaman (behind time),” he said after attending an English language training project ceremony for teachers in Kuala Lumpur this morning.
Muhyiddin added that the focus now is to create a “soft landing” for the transition from PPSMI to the new Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening the English Language (MBMMBI) programme.
“I will explain tomorrow on the leeway and the process of transition that will take place,” he declared, while acknowledging concerns by parents on how their children would cope with the change.
‘Majority understands PPSMI abolition’
Commenting on Page’s threat to vote for the opposition if the government remains adamant on this path, Muhyiddin brushed it aside as a minority voice.
“Even though they went overboard with political threats, the government will not bow to such threats. They are a small group, the majority understand (the aboliton of PPSMI).”
Responding to recent calls by MCA and MIC for the government to consider giving schools the option to retain PPSMI, Muhyiddin said that representatives from both MCA and MIC in the cabinet had agreed to its abolition in 2009.
Asked what would happen to the special allowance for teachers teaching PPSMI, Muhyiddin declined to comment, merely stating that it was “the government’s affair”.
On a separate matter, Muhyiddin said the decision on appealing the Court of Appeal ruling that Section 15 of the Universities and University Colleges Act is unconstitutional would be left to the Higher Education Ministry.
“However if (Higher Education Minister) Khaled (Nordin) needs advise, he can bring it to the cabinet and we will discuss it.”
Earlier, Muhyiddin met some 200 teachers who have undergone English language training by foreign trainers under a project undertaken by SMR Group, trumpeting it as a better means of improving the command of English language among teachers and students.
“The question is whether the best way to learn English is to learn English in maths and science or to bring in professional teachers? I believe this is a better approach.”
#1 by tak tahan on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 3:55 pm
The best way to learn English is from you,moo the cow head.Weren’t the results obtained from year 2003 onward show improvement in every subjects?Why keep on changing then,mooOOO?Why let go so much cow dung in bolehland,moo?You should work in padi field as moo instead of education minister.
#2 by shahrulazmiahmad on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 4:18 pm
UMNO/BN dah tersepit… in the first place, they abolished English as medium due to pressure from Rakyat… not really UMNO sincere about it… now another groups of Rakyat wants government to retain this status quo… and it make UMNO/BN so pening…
The best… kita gulingkan UMNO/BN in next general election… than we can provide option to every Malaysian… whether they want in Bahasa or in English or in their mother tongue..
#3 by Jong on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 5:21 pm
Is Najib giving this arrogant fool the ropes and more ropes to hang himself?
#4 by k3737373737 on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 5:26 pm
WHY DON’T WE HAVE A REFERENDUM ON THIS ISSUE INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO THESE GOONS YAK YAK YAK?
#5 by dagen on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 5:34 pm
If a policy is bad it has to be amended or even dropped no matter how long it has gone on without any protest by anybody or any party, you idiot!
#6 by k3737373737 on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 5:36 pm
BTW WONDER WHERE DID ALL THESE MINISTERS SEND THEIR KIDS FOR EDUCATION? THEIR KIDS’S BM MUST BE OF VERY HIGH STANDARD SINCE THEY ONLY LEARNED ONE LANGUAGE.
#7 by dagen on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 5:55 pm
Yeah regarding comment #6, everybody with relevant info pls post them somewhere so that a complete data sheet could be compiled.
#8 by dcasey on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 6:04 pm
WTF this guy is unbelievable…as if he just woke up from a long slumber or something. PAGE has been in the forefront of its campaign against the govt to reinstate the PPSMI since the announcement in 2009. It has been consistently and relentlessly championing this cause until today. It is a joke when he said “In 2009, (when the abolition of PPSMI was announced) there was no negative reaction. The majority accepted it well”. It is even a bigger shocker when he added “Page doesn’t know what is going on, maybe they are ketinggalan zaman (behind time)”. No Mr Moo, you are wrong, doubly wrong. Firstly you are wrong in doing a quote by Mamakthir which was never correct in the first place and secondly Malaysians do not forget easily. In case you also have selective amnesia like that old chap mamakthir, PAGE went on an agressive signature drive on Facebook two years ago and eversince then it managed to clock significant followers. Don’t believe ahh? Take a look at its facebook page and see how many thumbs up it got. So stop playing down the effectiveness of PAGE because I know it is causing you to have sleepless nights now. PAGE is real and these ppl are the real silent majority, they don’t muck about in the shadows trying to talk big.
Anyway you won’t understand MR Moo, so we all wait for GE13 lor, to see the potency of PAGE. But meantime, we all know now why this Moo guy has been steam-rolling PAGE’s campaign to the ground…he think’s members of PAGE are nobodies…only minorities whom he can disregard and dismiss without giving two hoots. Now that is what I call ARROGANCE!!!
#9 by boh-liao on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 6:52 pm
Garangnya, mooo mooted What me worry abt Page’s threat 2 vote 4 PR?
Page can go 2 ‘ell, UmnoB/BN no need Page’s vote lah
Page got spongy brains, can’t remember what they agreed in 2009 1
MCA n MIC too can go 2 ‘ell, UmnoB can win GE13 without MCA, MIC, even no Gerakan too
#10 by Godfather on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 7:28 pm
Moo is going for broke. Nail in the coffin for BN.
#11 by clnt on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 7:35 pm
Doesn’t he as the Education Minister understand that learning the English Language and learning Maths & Science in English is two entirely different thing. What we are concerned about are the terms used for Maths & Science in English and the ones used in BM.
The education departments have been going to the schools to ask them to fill in questionaires rejecting PPSMI. The results will then show the failures of PPSMI. This is to cover his a.se. So don’t believe what he said about PPSMI being a failure!!!!
#12 by Godfather on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 8:01 pm
Moo obviously thinks that the rural vote is far more important than the urban vote. He may be right. Najib is ball-less to intervene.
#13 by monsterball on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 8:42 pm
They learn English in Science and Maths…almost all Malays will not understand.
This is to bring Malaysia backward to make Malays happy.
#14 by monsterball on Thursday, 3 November 2011 - 8:57 pm
Now this subject…you can bet…cintanegara has nothing to say….for he knows next to nothing abut Maths and Science.
#15 by k1980 on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 7:17 am
Rural students are cringing in fear now that Viagra Chua is proposing that English Literature be made a compulsory subject. More failures and drop-outs expected
#16 by kpt99 on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 7:19 am
Learnig Maths and science is not merely to improving english language but more to acquiring the knowledge of these 2 subjects faster and easier without having to do much translations of the terms which are mostly in english.
One should not deny that every second and minute new terms and words are found in this fast and dynamic technology world,
Mahatir was absolutely right to say that INTM and DBP dont have experts to follow or translate all these words to our own language,once they have finished the current terms,perhaps hundreds and thousands are invented and used .Hence it better just these 2 subjects in their language in order not to complicate the process of learning.
He further stressed that a university student may takes a year to learn all the english terms before actually he /she can starts to learn its contents which is just a total waste of time.
By changing the spelling of these terms,like cell to sel,ovary to ovari,popularity to populariti,and could be thousands more wouldn’t solve the problems instead make Msalaysia more embarrassing or laughing stock to the world by merely copying without any integrity and originality.
#17 by dagen on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 8:11 am
Ho Ho Ho. Tough talking huh, moo? Tis’ town aint big enuf for two of us. So lets see who’s tougher. Us, the master or you, the servant?
BTW, did the mudderphaarker really use the expression “nail in coffin” to describe his stand on the issue? If he did he will surely regret. He is an inextricable part of that issue. Bet he overlooked that!
#18 by Thinking Two on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 9:29 am
Thank you Mr. Mo for suppressing all your malay friends. That’s why Non-malays are so above average in term everything and even some are at the top.
#19 by Bigjoe on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 11:56 am
Blaming the opposition? The opposition is the pickle about what to do. DAP support it but PKR does not. Even DAP is not very vocal about it because they know its a minefield – a minefield created by UMNO/BN wrong-headedness for the last 40+ years.
This is Karma of UMNO/BN own making and Muhiyiddin is blaming it on others. THIS is the kind of leadership people can expect from him. Tough problem, politics first, blame someone else and attack the people who bring it rather than actually solving it.
#20 by dagen on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 3:52 pm
No protest therefore the decision must be final, said the stupid idiot, as if he was the PM, as if he represents the whole cabinet. If a policy is bad, it must be changed or, where appropriate, dropped altogether, even if (1) it has been in operation for ages; or (2) no one has ever protested; or (3)majority of the people approved of it initially. A responsible government would do that.
Typical cowboy. Firing from the hip!
#21 by monsterball on Friday, 4 November 2011 - 7:26 pm
He talk big….act big..but got chicken heart.
He is not afraid of Najib…but afraid of housewives.
I guess his wife is smarter than him too.
#22 by rockdaboat on Saturday, 5 November 2011 - 11:58 am
Moo is the one that is “ketinggalan zaman”, to use his own word.
I remember DAP objected to the decision to discontinue the teaching of mathematics and science in English then.
Now Moo has either forgotten or was not aware of what were going on or he is lying!
#23 by clnt on Saturday, 5 November 2011 - 2:30 pm
Why blame it on the opposition! Does it matter whether they support the abolition of PPSMI or not…
We should be the ones opposing to the abolition as it is our children’s education which is at stake. If we want to be just fence-sitters and let others fight for our children’s future, don’t blame anyone if things don’t come out right.
Speak out loud if you think the policy is not done right and we will be heard!!!!!
So stop blaming DAP or PAS if they support or oppose the continuation of PPSMI!!! It is you and I who are the stakeholders here.