It’s saddening, says Mahathir

Dipetik dari Akhbar The Star

PUTRAJAYA: The future of our schoolchildren will be compromised with the Government reversing the teaching of Science and Mathematics from English to Bahasa Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.

Dr Mahathir, who was behind the original policy of teaching both subjects in English, said his intention was to ensure that Malaysians were able to face global challenges at the earliest opportunity.

Expressing sadness on the policy reversal, he said schoolchildren would find it difficult to know more about the developments in the field of Science.

“These matters, of course, cannot be resolved overnight. But it’s the Government’s responsibility to train and supply capable teachers. I’m confident that our teachers will be able to study and teach in English,” he told reporters at his Perdana Leadership Foundation office yesterday.

Dr Mahathir said it was good that more teachers would be trained in English.

“But if we can train teachers to learn English, why can’t we do the same by training them to learn and teach Science and Mathematics in English?,” the former Prime Minister asked.

Dr Mahathir also questioned why no one protested when the medium of teaching in English in the colonial times was changed to Bahasa Malaysia.

“And at that time, not many teachers knew the national language. Now, it’s all right if we mix a little bit of Malay and English, but at the same time we need to improve the ability of our teachers too,” he added.

On his meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is the Education Minister, before the new policy was announced, Dr Mahathir said he was only given a briefing.

Ratu kata: Nampaknya kita dah bukan makin ke hadapan... tetapi melangkah ke belakang... sedihnya dengan perkembangan terbaru..nampak sangat sistem pendidikan kita pun telah dipolitikkan .... walaupun TPM kata politik tidak mempengaruhi keputusan... org2 politik ni ramai yang berkemampuan hantar anak bersekolah ke sekolah antarabangsa... 'medium language' dia omputih... kita yang tak berkemampuan tetapi masih mahu anak2 dididik dengan dengan bahasa inggeris, itupun cuma dalam mata pelajaran sains dan mathematic pun diketepikan hak kita... belajar tinggi2...tapi otak letak kat lutut....saya percaya ramai ibu bapa yang mengeluh dengan keputusan ini... sabarlah anak2 mami... ini cabaran buat anak2 mami... insyaAllah...anak2 mami akan berjaya dunia dan akhirat...amin..

Dr. M: Don't forsake English and ruin children's future

Honoured: Dr Mahathir receiving the honorary Doctorate of Humanity from Lim at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Cyberjaya yesterday. Seated on the left is Dr Mahathir’s wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.


Tuesday June 9, 2009 (The Star)
Dr M: Don’t forsake English and ruin children’s future


PUTRAJAYA: Parents should think about the future of their children when deciding whether to agree or to oppose the Government’s proposal to make a pass in English compulsory for a student to pass the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, said former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said, English was a necessary component for students to get good jobs once they leave school or for them to go overseas for further education nowadays.

He said that when commenting on Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s statement that the ministry was mulling the possibility of making English a compulsory subject for passing SPM.

He said if parents continued to reject the importance of the English language in their children’s education, then the future of the country would be at stake.

He also slammed those who oppose the move saying that these people were less concerned about education than politics.

“It is more like politics than education. They are not interested in education or acquiring knowledge. All they want to see is how many votes they can win. So I am afraid the country will go to the dogs,” he told reporters after being conferred a honorary Doctorate of Humanity by the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology yesterday.

Asked about the possibility that the policy on the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English would be scrapped Dr Mahathir said: “I feel very sorry. In future, all Malays and Malaysians will be stupid.”

Earlier, he received the honorary doctorate from university president Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing.

Ratu Kata: Bahasa Inggeris ni memang penting, yang dok sibuk2 susah ataupun memperjuangkan bahasa Malaysia ni, anak2 dorang dah tak sekolah dah..siapa kata bila dah cakap omputih, lupa langsung bahasa melayu? mungking yang cakap tu yang akan jadi macam tu...kami sebagai ibu bapa yang anak2 masih bersekolah..menyokong 100% PPSMI diteruskan, dan bahasa inggeris dijadikan matapelajaran wajib lulus untuk SPM. Kalau kerajaan nak adakan sekolah yang diajar dalam bahasa inggeris sepenuhnya...lagi kami sokong...saya orang pertama yang akan hantar anak bersekolah di situ...