‘Minister’s DLP decision means a return to Malay-medium schools’
Published on: Sunday, January 21, 2024
By:
Ameer Fakhri, FMT
Noor Azimah’s comments came after Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek stood firm on calls to review the DLP’s guidelines, saying its implementation aligned with her Ministry’s goal to uphold the Malay language and strengthen the command of English.
PETALING JAYA: Strict requirements of the dual language programme (DLP) may deter parents from enrolling their children in national schools, says a parents’ group.
Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) Chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said this would result in a return to Malay-medium schools, signifying a setback from the programme’s goal set in 2015 for all 10,000 primary and secondary schools to have at least one DLP class.
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“Parents may opt for alternative education options, (potentially) creating a new divide (in the education system),” she said.
“DLP unites, a philosophy that the unity government stands firmly by, but there seems to be hesitation on such an important language policy.”
Noor Azimah’s comments came after Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek stood firm on calls to review the DLP’s guidelines, saying its implementation aligned with her Ministry’s goal to uphold the Malay language and strengthen the command of English.
“We have maintained our decision every time we were asked (about it). There are guidelines that need to be adhered to,” Fadhlina said on Friday.
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She insisted her directive for DLP schools to introduce at least one non-DLP class did not violate any guidelines, after 35 citizen groups alleged otherwise.
On Monday, Page submitted a memorandum to 31 ministers asking for their support to expand the DLP to more schools.
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In the memorandum, the 35 non-governmental groups also demanded that the education minister reverse her previous directive for participating schools to include at least one non-DLP class, saying this was against the guidelines.
Noor Azimah said Page was not able to meet with Fadhlina over the DLP despite trying since last year.
The group urged the Minister to respect parents’ decisions on DLP and to be fair to students enrolled in the programme.The DLP is meant to give students in selected schools the option to study subjects like Mathematics and Science in English.
Noor Azimah also said there is a need to capitalise on the DLP for English language immersion, as waiting for new teachers to be trained was not a viable solution.
“We cannot afford to lose another generation,” she said, advocating for the expansion of DLP schools and classes as well as the enrolment of more students in DLP classes.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, in a speech on Nov 23, had said there should be no more debate on the position of English versus Bahasa Malaysia in 2024.
“A child of Malaysia must master Bahasa Malaysia. At the same time, all our children, especially at national schools, must be given focus so that their mastery of English is much better than it is now and they can at least be bilingual.”
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