Education Ministry invites public for discussions

Sunday July 20, 2008

The public has been invited to contact the Education Ministry to participate in a discussion on the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English at the end of August.

Education director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom said members of the public could e-mail him at alimuddin.dom@moe.gov.my if they wanted to attend.

“They can also e-mail me their views on the policy,” he told reporters after the ministry’s post-Cabinet meeting on Friday.

Alimuddin said the first in a series of roundtable discussions on the policy was held from Monday to Wednesday, adding that it comprised public university vice-chancellors, researchers and representatives from the Council of School Principals and Headmasters.

“After our discussion, we found that students’ achievements and the teaching in rural schools have to be improved when compared with urban schools,” he said.

He said suggestions were also made to further improve teachers’ competencies, facilities and support programmes.

The discussion at the end of August would also involve parent-teacher associations, school management committees, non-governmental organisations and teacher unions.

The ministry, he added, would hold another roundtable discussion in September for politicians.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein had earlier announced that a decision on whether Science and Mathematics would continue to be taught in English would be made after the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) results were released at the end of the year.

The policy of teaching Science and Mathematics in English was implemented in phases, starting with Year One, Form One and Lower Six students in 2003.

Hishammuddin also clarified misconceptions that a decision on whether to continue using English as the medium of instruction would be based on this year’s UPSR results.

He said the decision would not be based on the UPSR results but that the ministry was only announcing the decision after the results were out as it needed time to go through more roundtable discussions.

TS