PETALING JAYA: Two parent-teacher groups have objected to a call for the abolition of the dual-language programme which allows pupils in selected schools to study some subjects in English.
Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, head of the Parent Action Group for Education, said those calling for DLP to be abolished were typically “ultranationalists” who believe that students can thrive solely on the national language.
“Being proficient only in the national language limits knowledge and exposure, especially if the nation wants to attract tech companies to set up shop in Malaysia,” Azimah told FMT.
The DLP was started in 2016, after objections to its predecessor, the programme to teach science and mathematics in English (PPSMI) which was introduced in 2002.
Azimah said ending the DLP would be detrimental to the progress of schoolchildren and discredit the Malaysian education blueprint for 2013-2025 which states that English language proficiency needs to be improved.
The call to end the DLP had come from a group called Majlis Perundingan Melayu, which said the programme was not in line with the national education policy.
Other NGOs and language activists have previously called for DLP to be abolished for being similar to the previous programme.
Another education group, Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education, said the education ministry should strengthen the DLP instead of ending it, by providing more training to teachers who are still not proficient in teaching in English.
Another option would be to employ retired science teachers on contract to conduct lessons, said the group’s chairman, Mak Chee Kin.
He questioned the opposition towards the DLP. “Isn’t it good to expose our students to English earlier, rather than a sudden switch when they enter tertiary level?” he said.
He said DLP critics should look at the progressive improvements made in Sarawak by implementing PPSMI at primary levels.
A unionist, Fouzi Singon, said NGOs should view DLP in a positive light. However, he said no school should be forced to implement the DLP because of quotas set by district or state education officials, said Fouzi, who is the secretary-general of the National Union of the Teaching Profession.
“It should be offered to groups of students who are prepared to be the next future leaders and professionals of the country,” he said.