Many Malay parents asking for previous DLP implementation, says Guan Eng

 

FMT:

Many Malay parents

asking for previous DLP

implementation, says Guan

Eng

Mikha Chan-06 Jun 2024, 04:26 PM

The DAP chairman says there have been requests for their children to learn science and mathematics in English.

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Lim Guan Eng said it is clear that schools do not oppose Bahasa Malaysia as a medium of instruction.

PETALING JAYA: Many Malay parents are asking for the right to decide for themselves whether their children will be taught science and mathematics in English or Bahasa Malaysia, without the education ministry’s condition that one class be taught in Bahasa Malaysia.

At a press conference here today, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng addressed a report by Buletin TV3 yesterday, which has since been taken down, that he said gave the impression schools in Penang are opposing Bahasa Malaysia as a medium of instruction.

According to Buletin TV3, the boards of directors and parent-teacher associations of 11 Chinese schools in Penang have voiced their opposition to the additional condition in the implementation of the dual-language programme that one class be taught in Bahasa Malaysia.

The schools have claimed that all the parents of their students oppose the policy and have refused to enrol their students in the said class.

Lim acknowledged that the offending report has been taken down and Buletin TV3 has issued an apology.

He said that leaders across the political divide are in favour of returning to the DLP’s previous implementation under Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration.

“This is not a new matter. Malay parents have also requested for their children to learn science and mathematics in English.

“This was done under Muhyiddin’s administration, with all science and mathematics classes taught in English if the parents agreed to it. They did not impose any additional conditions,” he said.

Lim said it was clear that the schools were not in opposition to Bahasa Malaysia as a medium of instruction, adding that Koay Hean Eng, the chairman of SMJK Chung Ling’s board of directors, had personally expressed this sentiment to him.

He also pointed out that Indera Mahkota MP and senior Bersatu leader Saifuddin Abdullah had supported his argument on the matter in Parliament in March.

Lim criticised “certain parties” for turning an educational issue into a 3R (race, religion and royalty) issue.

“I hope those making these statements can refer to Saifuddin, a senior minister in the old government and one of Bersatu’s main leaders, who has said that Bersatu’s stance is to allow DLP to be implemented with no additional conditions,” he said.