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English Language Causes Rift in Malaysia
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Malaysian
children may have to take their science and mathematics
courses in English |
By Kazi Mahmood, IOL South East Asia correspondent
KUALA
LUMPUR, August 19 (IslamOnline) - Brandishing the use of the Internal
Security Act (ISA) to quell a widening rift in the decision to
implement English language as medium of instruction in Malaysia, the
government is still facing an uphill battle on the issue.
Malaysia’s
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Sunday, August 18,
warned groups opposing the use of English to teach Mathematics and
Science starting next year against politicizing the issue.
He
feared that it could lead to individuals or groups playing on
people’s emotion to cause trouble in the multi-racial Malaysia.
“Don’t
use the issue to instigate any race or group,” he told reporters
after opening a forum on “The Happy Family” organized by Yayasan
Budi Penyayang Malaysia (Penyayang) at Universiti Sains Malaysia
(USM), Bernama news agency reported.
The
ruling National Front (NF) coalition was the latest hit in the row
against English with stiff opposition within its ranks.
Three
main Chinese component parties in the NF have reached a common stand
to retain the mother-tongue (Chinese) in teaching Science and
Mathematics in Chinese primary schools, putting them in a collision
course with coalition partner United Malays National Organization
(UMNO) of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
MCA,
Gerakan and the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) have
unanimously agreed that the teaching of Science and Mathematics in
English should start from the secondary school level, said MCA
vice-president Ong Ka Ting.
The
Party Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) also voiced its opposition against the
policy which it claims was being implemented to the detriment of the
Malay and other local languages.
On
Sunday Dong Zong or the United Chinese School Committees Association
of Malaysia, stressed that the use of English for extra classes in the
Chinese independent schools was welcome.
It
also said the decision was in line with the schools’ policy to allow
students to master more than one language. The Dong Zong was called
anti-English and anti-progress by the Malaysian government.
Last
Tuesday Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad defended the
government’s move to use English in schools saying teaching the
subjects in the mother tongues will not do any good for a multi-racial
Malaysia.
The
country shifted from English in the early 1980s, imposing Bahasa
Melayu (BM) as the major medium of instruction in national schools. It
gradually allowed Chinese and Tamil schools to use their own
languages.
The
result of the policy had a reverse effect on the younger generations
of Malaysians who can barely speak English, sources told IslamOnline
on Sunday.
The
failure to implement BM as the principal language in all types of
schools in Malaysia resulted in the division of the races into
specific components, this to the detriment of Malaysia, one teacher
told IslamOnline.
The
Malaysian prime minister said that if the mother tongues are
exclusively used in Science and Mathematics, students may end up in
universities which belong to only a particular race.
“[Currently],
universities in Malaysia are open to all races where English and
Bahasa Malaysia are used as mediums of instruction.
“If
mother tongue is exclusively used for Science and Mathematics, then
those who do not speak the language may not be able to go to some
universities,” he said.
Currently
in Malaysia Malay-Muslims are the ones who are lagging behind in
English language. The Malays form the majority of the country or 60
percent of a population of 27 million.
Chinese
and Indian youths too are beginning to relapse on English. The use of
Tamil and Chinese became widespread, IslamOnline was told.
Ong
Ka Ting of the MCA said: “Our preliminary stand is that the standard
of English must be improved first and that this should start from
improving the teaching of the English language from standard one in
primary schools,” he was quoted as saying by the Malaysian
newspaper, Sin Chew Jit Poh, on Sunday.
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