KAMPAR: The command of Malaysian students in Science and Mathematics subjects have been on a steady decline forcing the Government to revert the teaching of the subjects to Bahasa Malaysia and other vernacular languages.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the Trends Report showed Malaysian students’ position in Mathematics dropped to 20 from 10 while Science went down from the 20th place to 21.
"Data showed that when English was not used to teach the two subjects 30 years ago, there was an increase in the number of graduates and professionals."
"And when it was changed in 2003, our students could not cope with the change in language," he said Friday.
Speaking to reporters after opening the Fifth Malaysia Festival of the Mind at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) here, Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, said the ministry's records also showed a decline in the students’ ability in learning the subjects.
"If we continue, we will see double jeopardy and I do not want Malaysians to face problems later," he added.
Muhyiddin had on Wednesday announced that the subjects would be taught in Bahasa Malaysia or in the mother tongue in vernacular schools from 2012, while English would be given prominence by beefing up the teaching of the language.
Asked whether the Government planned to enlist political parties to help explain the rationale, given that some people were unhappy with the decision, Muhyiddin said:
"We will keep on explaining (but) as the Prime Minister had said, we will not be able to please everybody."
He added the reversal could only be carried out in 2012 because the government had to explain its decision.
"If we do it tomorrow, those who are not aware of it may get a shock," he said.
He reiterated that the decision made by the Government had taken into account many things and it was not done in haste.
"It is not selective of one or two schools. We are talking about more than 10,000 schools nationwide," he said.
Meanwhile, a blog poll by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad showed that the majority of the 26,000 respondents opposed the policy reversal of the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English.
Dr Mahathir said he included the poll in his blog, chedet.com to gauge people particularly parents actual opinions on the policy reversal.
“Out of the 26,000 respondents we received, 80% disagree to the teaching of Science and Mathematics either in the national language, Chinese or Tamil languages.
“Certainly, after getting the poll results, if my opinion cannot be forwarded to the Government in other ways, I will post my opinion. If there are those in the Government who read my blog,” he told reporters after attending closed-door talk on the position of the institutional monarchy and the Malays in the Federal Constitution from the 1 Malaysia perspective at Putra World Trade Centre here Friday.
Asked whether the Government was making a wrong step by making the policy reversal, he said:
”Yes, yes. I’ve said this many times before because this policy was implemented during the last year of me being the Prime Minister.
“I had definite reasons supported by the Umno supreme council as to why we should teach Science and Maths in English.
“It is not about trying to learn English. It is not about trying to learn Malay. It is simply an acknowledgement of the fact that today’s knowledge comes to us in the English language.
He said that in the past, when Arabs became Muslims, they studied Greek in order to acquire the knowledge of the Greeks.
Subsequently, he said the Europeans, in the dark ages studied Arabic in order to acquire the knowledge of the Arabs.
“Today, the knowledge is with the people who write in English. And for that reason we want to learn English to acquire knowledge, not to learn English, but Science has got a special English language for itself. It is important that we use English to study the Science and Maths.
“I speak what I think. I’m not criticising just anything. I’m criticising something that will affect the future of our children,” he said adding that he was briefed by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Education Minister and his officials a day before the announcement of the policy reversal.
“I don’t expect anything but it was nice of him to come and see me and brief me with his officers. I did give my opinion but it was not reflected in the announcement that was made. It was just a briefing session a day before they officially adopted it.
“It’s quite obvious that they are not going to change their minds even if they talk to me,” he added.
