PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has urged the government to reconsider its decision to do away with teaching Science and Maths in English.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mahathir suggested that English should be the primary language of instruction for the two subjects.
He said knowledge in these two subjects is lacking in the Malay language and is predominantly available in English.
“This knowledge has to be translated into Malay. The translators must have a good understanding of the subject and be fluent in English and Malay. Not many people would have this qualification,” he said.
In 2020, during his time as acting education minister, Mahathir announced the revival of the Teaching of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) policy.
PPSMI had been introduced in Year One and Form One in 2003. However, it was abolished in 2013.
Unlike subjects like Geography and History, Mahathir said, Science and Maths are constantly evolving due to new discoveries and applications.
“New discoveries and new applications have to be learnt or acquired if the student is going to keep up with the new technologies,” he said.
“If the teaching is in English, all the new knowledge can be learnt directly as most scientific papers are presented in English.”
While there is also the national desire to develop the Malay language, he said, the pursuit of knowledge should not be compromised for linguistic development.
“Education would be worthless if we are left behind in terms of knowledge which is so essential for our development and progress,” he added.
Earlier this year, two parent-teacher groups criticised a call for the abolition of the dual-language programme (DLP), which allows pupils in selected schools to study some subjects in English.
