DAP rep wants Education Ministry to explain 'confusing' khat option
DAP's Bukit Assek assemblyperson Irene Mary Chang Oi Ling (photo, above) wants the Education Ministry to clarify its statement on the revision to the introduction of khat lessons in primary school.
Chang said the Education Ministry's definition of "optional" was confusing.
"Education Minister Maszlee Malik should clarify the word 'optional' when he announced that 'the introduction of khat would be implemented in an optional manner and teachers would be given the power to decide how to implement it in their respective classrooms'.
"The statement is causing confusion on whether the teachers are given the option whether to teach or not to teach the Jawi calligraphy or have they only been given the option in the manner of implementation," she said in a statement today.
Chang said the unclear statement had led to conflicting news reports.
"In order for the schools and teachers to make the necessary preparations for the next school year, this needs to be clarified by the Ministry," she said.
Chang added that Sarawak DAP's position is for parents to exercise the option on whether their children should learn khat.
"The option should not be given to the teachers as that would be unfair to them as the majority of the teachers might feel obligated to teach simply because they have been included in the subject’s Bahasa Malaysia syllabus and also because it has been turned into a political issue.
"Teachers should not be burdened with this responsibility because, in the same classroom, there are bound to be parents who might want their children to learn and others who might not want their children to learn the calligraphy," she said.
On Thursday, Maszlee announced the initial plan to introduce six pages of khat lessons in the Year 4 Bahasa Malaysia textbook will be slashed to three pages and that they would be optional.
This was amid push back from the non-Malay community over concerns of Islamisation in vernacular schools, which Maszlee has denied.
However, Chang said people were still unhappy and distrust the Education Ministry.
"This is compounded by the fact that the people have not forgotten the minister’s previous statement made in December last year when he had advised Islamic religious teachers to stay back in Sabah and Sarawak to propagate Islam to the students in Sarawak.
"Therefore, he should not be surprised that the present move is met with much suspicion and resistance," he said.
call teo la bodoh.
ReplyDeleteAh Wee finally admits it; the “khat” is out of he bag.
ReplyDeleteKhat was introduced back in 2012; DZJ and Sin Chew newspaper didn’t kick up a fuss then (why?) but now in 2019 they make it sound like teaching khat was a new Harapan initiative.
Was DZJ consulted in 2012? If yes then they and MCA must take the blame for allowing khat into school textbooks, not DAP. If they were not consulted in 2012 then why not?
And in April 2018 (ie before GE14) Ah Wee revealed that the policy was revised by the previous government on the teaching of khat. Again no sound from MCA/DZJ//Sin Chew.
By the way who funds DZJ and Sin Chew?
QUOTE
Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has refuted Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement that the teaching of khat was the same as what was introduced in 2012.
The MCA president said pupils were now exposed to the calligraphy of various groups, including khat in the Year Five Bahasa Melayu textbook.
"What's going to be implemented is the teaching of khat calligraphy in Year Four, Five and Six's syllabuses.
"They are totally different," he said on his Facebook on Saturday (Aug 10).....
....The Prime Minister said it had actually been decided in 2012 and the topic was included in a school textbook. As such, he could not comprehend "why it is an issue now" but not back then.
Dr Mahathir also said he suspected that certain quarters, including politicians and media outlets, were attempting to use the issue.
Dr Wee, who is Ayer Hitam MP, said according to the Standard Curriculum and Assessment Document (DSKP) released in April last year, pupils would learn Malay proverbs through an interactive and fun method, which was khat calligraphy.
UNQUOTE
Please respect the bovine creature at this time, thousands are being slaughtered and sacrificed in the name of religion as we speak.
ReplyDeleteDAP Sarawak is barking up the wrong tree. She should pressure GPS and their parties to protest against the Federal Govt.
ReplyDeleteLet Sarawakians themselves know what are the stand of Sarawak politicians on this issue which concern all.