We read with interest NST’s Sunday Interview with the deputy prime minister (DPM) “Improving quality in all areas of education” (September 9, 2012) in particular the response given to the question on the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English (PPSMI).
It appears that the DPM is more afraid that his ministry is seen as flip-flopping on the policy than its impact on our children and their future.
Although PAGE had representatives in most state dialogue sessions there were also even more supporters of the policy who are in favour of it to continue as an option, to be exact 250,000 online.
No doubt English proficiency is important, learning the scientific and mathematical knowledge, in its lingua franca which is English, our second language, should be capitalised on and not discouraged, a basic management strategy.
By abolishing the policy, the DPM is preventing many of our children from learning the knowledge in a language they are most comfortable with, a belief UNESCO has always advocated.
The objective of PPSMI is to learn the knowledge in science and mathematics and not to learn English. The DPM appears to have failed to understand this distinction.
In ignoring PPSMI in the blueprint, the DPM has failed to have a proper science policy in place to arrest the decline in the interest in science. The government has cautioned that of the 28 per cent of students who do proceed to higher education, only 17 per cent of these students pursue the science stream, and falling.
If it is the delivery method which failed the policy, then we must ask why it failed and how it can be corrected and improved upon. The answer is not to abolish it even more so after RM5 billion has been spent.
The government under the Prime Minister (PM) wants to bring the nation forward through 1 Malaysia, science, technology and innovation but the policies of the DPM (specifically the abolition of PPSMI) are pushing the nation backwards in the acquisition of knowledge and in enhancing racial integration which is crucial for our continued success.
* Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim is chairman of PAGE.
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — The government is not in denial over Malaysia's bottom dwelling performance in international education benchmarks but is taking bold moves to revamp the system to foster critical thinking skills and prepare the next generation for the jobs of the future said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today.
ReplyDeleteNajib said at the launch of the new education masterplan 2013-2025 today that there was no shame in admitting that Malaysia ranked in the bottom third of the Programme For International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 test for mathematics, reading and science as the government is brave enough to face reality and take bold steps to remedy the situation.
"We don't have to feel embarrassed that in PISA we are in the bottom third," he said. "It's better than having to cover up. We have the moral courage to admit this and it is better than being trapped in a denial syndrome."
In the new masterplan, Malaysia aims to rank in the top third of the PISA test within the next 13 years.
The prime minister (picture) said that the country needed a creative and innovative solution for education that would require sacrifices from all segments of society.
He said that the thrusts of the new economy was knowledge, innovation and technology.
"Our system needs to be adjusted to face challenges and prepare our kids to fill types of jobs that have not even been created yet," he said.
The education masterplan comprises of 11 "shifts" to inculcate six attributes in children: knowledge, thinking skills, leadership, bilingual proficiency, ethics and national identity.
The shifts include empowering state and district education departments and schools to customise solutions based on need and recruiting only the top 30 per cent of graduates for teacher training.
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — The government is not in denial over Malaysia's bottom dwelling performance in international education benchmarks but is taking bold moves to revamp the system to foster critical thinking skills and prepare the next generation for the jobs of the future said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today.
Najib said at the launch of the new education masterplan 2013-2025 today that there was no shame in admitting that Malaysia ranked in the bottom third of the Programme For International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 test for mathematics, reading and science as the government is brave enough to face reality and take bold steps to remedy the situation.
"We don't have to feel embarrassed that in PISA we are in the bottom third," he said. "It's better than having to cover up. We have the moral courage to admit this and it is better than being trapped in a denial syndrome."
In the new masterplan, Malaysia aims to rank in the top third of the PISA test within the next 13 years.
The prime minister (picture) said that the country needed a creative and innovative solution for education that would require sacrifices from all segments of society.
He said that the thrusts of the new economy was knowledge, innovation and technology.
"Our system needs to be adjusted to face challenges and prepare our kids to fill types of jobs that have not even been created yet," he said.
The education masterplan comprises of 11 "shifts" to inculcate six attributes in children: knowledge, thinking skills, leadership, bilingual proficiency, ethics and national identity.
The shifts include empowering state and district education departments and schools to customise solutions based on need and recruiting only the top 30 per cent of graduates for teacher training.