Language of Heaven?

 

PPSMI Fight Is Still On

The PPSMI fight is not over yet. Here is some news :

• Parent groups vow to fight on for PPSMI
• Concerned parents of various groups met on Sunday to discuss the actions they would take in their fight for the reinstatement of the teaching of Maths and Science in English (PPSMI).
• “First, we will hold a gathering to display our anger and anguish
• to present pleas to Sultan in respective states, with final plea to the King.
• “Candidates for elections in Klang Valley should speak up and we will give them our votes
• Here are other headlines about the PPSMI from The Star :
• Parents gather at PPSMI rallies
• Parent groups plan PPSMI rally
• Teacher joins bid to retain PPSMI
• Lawyer seeks to keep PPSMI

The two points in red above are interesting : the PPSMI folks wish to present memos to the Sultans and the King. Finally they will vote for whoever champions the PPSMI.

I thnik the PPSMI folks are going about this in a very civilised manner. Unfortunately this may not yield the desired results.

The urbanised, West Coast residents whether Malay, Chinese or Indian realise the importance of English as the language of survival. The non-urban people, especially many non-urban and non West Coast Malays do not see the need for English.

Among the religiously educated, or religiously influenced Malays the situation is worse – if possible they would like their children to be educated in Arabic, which they think is the language of heaven.

If there is just one single issue that is going to make or break the future of this nation it is the PPSMI. We abandon the PPSMI at great cost to our future. This will be especially true for the Malays, the Indians, the Kadazans, Dayaks etc.

The Chinese will not suffer as much because Mandarin is now developing into a world class language that can convey vast amounts of new knowledge. The same cannot be said yet of  Malay or other vernacular languages in the country.  Malay depends on ‘borrowed’ words from the English language. These borrowed words do not yet have currency in everyday Malay conversation in the cities, towns and villages.

‘Liberal’, ‘persepsi’, ekonomi, teknologi, publisiti, biologi, demografi, integriti, sosiologi and a thousand other English words do not form part of everyday Malay conversation. People just dont use these ‘English borrow words’ in their everyday conversation. Hence these ‘borrowed words’ cannot yet be the carriers of new knowledge into Malay society.

Yet these are the same English words that our Malay language proponents have imported into the Malay language with the hope of turning Malay into a language of knowledge. This just wont work.  It only causes a corruption of the Malay language that will end up neither here nor there. Bahasa Melayu pun tercemar, bahasa Inggeris pun tak faham.

It is just much easier to learn the English language and catch up with the rest of the world.

This is becoming an election issue now.

 

Can our children learn English? Yes they can. How do we know this? Because they can learn Arabic in school. It is more difficult to learn Arabic than to learn English. But thousands of Malay children are learning Arabic in school.  Why? Because they believe it is the language of heaven. 

Advertisement

Towards Improving Our National Education System

Around circles of readers, many have discussed and asked among themselves the appropriateness and the need for Malaysia to streamline their education system and importantly, the effort to improve the quality of our schools as a whole.

Chief among the concerns is the legality of vernacular schools itself vis-á-vis the Constitution and the Education Act 1996.

This I may add has been discussed rather thoroughly here.

But this issue shall be discussed at another time.

My main interpretation of school’s education system is this:

It must be free from any religious or cultural extremities.

In a way, it should be secular. Secular sounds dirty these days. Mainly because the word had been bastardised to the extent, it meant atheism or a belief system that is devoid of any religious connotations. Worse, it meant anti-Islam. However, the definition of secularism with regards to our children’s education should not be taken to the extreme. Certainly it does not mean that one rejects religion and faith in totality.

What we need is moderation.

These days, the majority of school children in national schools are Malays. Therefore, inadvertently Islamic teachings made their way into the schools’ general rules and education philosophy. I assume, those who are more objective as well as those who are not a fan of Anwar Ibrahim will pin point the cause of this ‘Islamisation’ of our national schools and the reason why non-malays shun these schools stemmed from the period when Anwar Ibrahim was the Education Minister.

That too, is an issue that can be discussed in another place.

But what I imagine is a school system that do not put too much emphasis on skin deep outlook on what is Islamic and what is not. It means, an education philosophy that prioritises worldly skills and knowledge instead of just focussing to permeate an intense Islamic culture within a school’s environment.

Without a doubt, this has made non Muslims felt alienated in their own surroundings. Parents were not happy. Even the less conservative Muslims found it hard to digest some of the do’s and don’ts. The effort to educate the children properly seems lost in the midst of all this. As the result, we cannot develop a well rounded Malaysians who are capable to interact with each other with ease.

In other words, the recent education system is worse than the education set in the 60’s, 70’s and till the mid 80’s. Experts pin pointed it due to the degradation of national schools; both in quality and self respect.

The cliché now is the world is changing at a rate faster than our children’s ability to absorb and comprehend all the knowledge. If we burden them with misguided priorities, then our future generations are trapped in a cycle of ignorance, or being mediocre at best.

Toning down religious and cultural extremities enables the school to produce a much healthier environment where tolerance is paramount and it breaks down the barriers between races, castes and classes. Emphasising too much on the ritual demands will not breed respect in fact, will isolate the children from each other. It will be “it’s us against them” mentality. And this does not happen in malay majority schools only.

How to move forward and take that jump in order to escape the mediocrity of our education system?

It is about time the Ministry of Education take a stronger role in steering our children’s future away from the negative elements that have been plaguing it. Elements that have always been sniping and eating away the very fabric of one’s edification in growing up within our Malaysian universe.

The bigger objective here is always a two edged sword. One that can improve via knowledge, a whole generation of Malaysians and one that also inculcate the spirit of togetherness and racial harmony among the children.

Of course this can be done with a single stream national education system. Preferably at the primary level.

Delving into few discussions on the one school system, there are obviously few doubts being raised among the concerned readers. Among others, questions regarding the quality of education and syllabus, quality of teachers and their approach, learning environment and school’s infrastructure as well as its overall ability to coalesce different ideologies, religions and cultures into one symbiotic and workable system.

Generally, many agreed that the holistic performance of the students is very important for their own future and this can only be done if the MOE is not weak in steering its direction and truly knows how improvements can be implemented.

One of the reasons why national schools could not generate enough interests from all levels of society is due to its inability to churn good students across the board. Yes we do have excellent schools that produce a myriad of high achievers. But these schools are far from between. The MOE should make all national schools at par with their more affluent counterparts.

Fortunately, all the points above are being discussed in the national education dialog which have been running since April 2012. They have 9 priority fields which they ought to improve which are:

1. quality of teachers

2. quality of headmasters

3. quality of school

4. curriculum and its evaluation

5. multilingual proficiency

6. post-school opportunity

7. role of parents and community

8. knowledge resources in school and its effectiveness

9. teaching methods and administrative structure

This could be the biggest project MOE has embarked since Penyata Razak in 1956 and Rahman Talib Report in 1960.

On that note, I do hope the MOE will reinstate the PPSMI after reviewing the youtube video below.

Thank you.

_________________________

An article by:

Jebat Must Die

Bahasa apa yang diperjuangkan?

Apakah Peranan Dap Dalam Memartabatkan Bahasa Kebangsaan ? Kalau ada lah ..

Untuk memanjangkan lagi isu perhimpunan DongZong bersama Dap minggu lepas, saya ingin mengajukan pertanyaan kepada Dap apakah pemahaman mereka bila memperkatakan tentang MEMARTABATKAN PENGGUNAAN BAHASA MELAYU dan MEMPERLUASKAN BAHASA MELAYU SEBAGAI LINGUA FRANCA SERANTAU sepertimana terkandung dalam Buku Jingga –

3 . Memartabatkan penggunaan Bahasa Melayu selari dengan Perkara 152 Perlembagaan Persekutuan dan memperluaskan Bahasa Melayu sebagai lingua franca serantau, melindungi dan memperkukuhkan penggunaan bahasa ibunda semua kaum, serta meningkatkan penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris demi memperbaiki daya saing Malaysia di peringkat global.

Semua tahu Perlembagaan kita juga mengiktiraf penggunaan Bahasa Inggeris dan bahasa Ibunda lain, dan semua orang pun dah tahu betapa tinggi penghormatan yang diberikan oleh Dap terhadap Bahasa Inggeris. Bahasa cina tak payah ceritalah, sokongan penuh Dap kepada perjuangan DongZong sudah cukup membuktikannya.

Cuma dengan Bahasa Melayu yang juga merupakan Bahasa Kebangsaan Malaysia saja yang saya belum nampak peranan Dap dalam apa yang mereka sendiri panggil sebagai MEMARTABATKAN penggunaannya.

Setakat tercatat dalam Buku Jingga, setakat melalak dalam sesi ceramah, semua orang boleh buat. Tapi dari segi praktikalnya, apa yang telah Dap buat ?

DiPenang dimana Dap selaku kerajaan negeri, apakah yang telah Dap sumbangkan dalam memastikan MARTABAT PENGGUNAAN Bahasa Kebangsaan dijaga ?

Sewaktu Dap bersama-sama DongZong DAN Pas DAN Pkr turun kejalanan semasa Demo Anti PPSMI 3 tahun dulu, perjuangan Dap dan Dong Zong adalah sepertimana tajuknya – Anti PPSMI tetapi BUKAN untuk digantikan dengan penggunaan Bahasa Malaysia. Mereka sertai anti PPSMI supaya bahasa Inggeris yang digunakan sebagai medium pengajaran Sains dan Matematik digantikan dengan Bahasa Cina !

Sementara Pas dan NGO yang diketuai oleh Saruman pula mahu ia digantikan dengan Bahasa Malaysia. Perjuangan Anti PPSMI adalah Perjuangan Bahasa Ibunda BUKANnya Perjuangan Bahasa Malaysia !

Ini adalah janji Dap bersama PR seperti terkandung dalam Buku Jingga, tapi selain dari bercakap, apakah BUKTI dari segi tindakan usaha-usaha yang telah dilakukan oleh Dap kearah MEMARTABATKAN PENGGUNAAN BAHASA MELAYU / MALAYSIA / KEBANGSAAN ?

Ada sesiapa boleh tolong berikan contoh  ………. kalau ada ?

PPSMI Yang Dipolitikkan

Pakatan committed to scrap PPSMI

• .

• .

• Whilst the debate is on about BN’s education policy especially on the teaching of Science and Maths in English, Tony Pua had said in his blog that DAP will maintain PPSMI in schools where parents want the policy to be maintained.

• Does this mean that schools in Penang will maintain this policy? Isn’t this commendable?

• But wait. Is the DAP the third force? or has it decided that it will breakaway from Pakatan?

• You see, Pakatan Rakyat’ Supreme Leader Anwar Ibrahim had already openly said that Pakatan is FIRMLY behind the abolition of PPSMI, and this was even further made clear when he met with GMP (Gabungan Mansuhkan PPSMI in a meeting with them on 15th of January 2009.

• What is even scarier that this man who is projecting himself as the next ‘Prime Minister for all’ believes that those who has this to say;

• 

• Acapkali saya tekankan betapa mereka yang bertindak meneruskan hatta menyokong PPSMI adalah kalangan yang khianat kepada perjuangan Melayu. Justeru bagaimana mereka yang tegar menyokong PPSMI diteruskan saban waktu mengaku pejuang melayu tulen? Mereka bisa menyinga dalam soal papan tanda di Pulau Pinang, tetapi terus menikus bila memperjuangkan bahasa melayu dalam sistem pendidikan. Aduhai!

• Kesemua kesatuan guru seluruh Malaysia membantah, apa lagi indikator yang mahu digunapakai Umno-BN untuk mempertahankan PPSMI?

• I have often stressed that even those who continued to support PPSMI are traitors to the Malay cause. Thus how can they claim themselves to be ardent defenders of the cause and Malay warriors when they perpetuate this PPSMI? They often chest thump in the context of showboating especially on Penang yet they cow away when fighting for the Malay language in the education system. Ah!

• All over Malaysia Teacher Unions are against PPSMI, so what indicators are used then to defend the Umno-BN PPSMI?

• The above is my traslation of Anwar’s blog post, and I don’t think I am far off. Remember, this is the man who was then Education Minister during my schooling years and he wanted us to speak Bahasa Baku. saYAH instead of saya….and damn! Because of his ‘tudung’ policy, I never did have a chance at knowing Azura in Chan’s bus……

• But what is shocking is that Pakatan supporters want us to believe that Pakatan will stand stout in defending PPSMI! Bullsh*t! Clearly they are trying to get votes believing that they can hoodwink the rakyat once again.

• Is DAP going to maintain PPSMI in Penang? IF anything that is what I am reading in Tony Pua’s statement. That Penang with DAP at the helm will do so……

• But mark my words, this is another ploy yet again. Because even though CM Lim had said that he supports the reverting of PPSMI to Malay, his father who is the BOSS of DAP wants PPSMI maintained. you see the bad cop good cop game they are paying?

• So what have the indicators that we have seen Pakatan at their best lately?

• How about Malaysian turning Gay if Elton John is allowed to perform?

• How about sending their own to criticise the Royals?

• and changing the consitution to suit Hudud?

• Clearly, Pakatan’s not so clear policies are misguiding…..can you see it?

Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa, Ilmu Menegak Bangsa

PELAJARAN SAINS DAN MATEMATIK

Written by chedet

1. Saya telah cuba menjelaskan berkali-kali bahawa penggunaan Bahasa Inggeris untuk mengajar sains dan matematik bukan untuk mempelajari Bahasa Inggeris atau memperbaiki penguasaan bahasa itu. Tujuannya ialah untuk menguasai ilmu sains dan matematik.

2. Sains dan matematik (hisab) bukan seperti mata pelajaran lain. Fakta sejarah, geografi, sastera tidak berubah dengan pengaliran masa. Fakta dalam sejarah, geografi dan sastera kekal dan tidak bertukar.

3. Sains sebagai ilmu berkembang melalui penyelidikan dan kajian sepanjang masa. Sains yang saya belajar di sekolah dan di universiti tidak sama dengan sains masa kini. Dahulu tidak ada sains elektronik, komputer sains, sains angkasa lepas, “nano” sains, sains pembedahan dada, sains perubatan stem cell dan berbagai-bagai lagi. Semua ini di kenali dan diperkenal dari masa ke semasa melalui penyelidikan oleh pakar-pakar sains.

4. Mereka merekod dan menulis hasil kajian dan kaji selidik, perkataan dan ciptaan mereka sepanjang masa. Hampir tiap hari dikeluarkan kertas baru yang ditulis oleh penyelidik yang memperkenalkan teori dan discovery baru yang perlu diteliti dan difahami oleh ahli-ahli sains untuk mengemaskini ilmu mereka. Tanpa mengetahui ilmu yang terkini maka pengetahuan dan penggunaan ilmu baru ini tidak boleh dimanfaatkan baik semasa mengajar atau untuk diguna dalam ciptaan dan rekaan produk yang baru.

5. Contohnya telefon. Dahulu dawai menyambung alat telefon dengan operator yang akan menyambung panggilan. Kemudian operator diganti dengan memutar dail yang menyambung panggilan secara otomatik, kemudian disambung melalui radio, kemudian diguna disk dan satelit yang mampu menyambung telefon bimbit terus kepada telefon bimbit di mana sahaja.

6. Kita hanya menjadi pengguna kerana tidak tahu teknologi untuk mencipta dan mengeluar telefon bimbit. Yang tahu hanyalah yang belajar dalam bahasa Inggeris. Sampai bilakah kita hanya akan menjadi pengguna semata-mata. Bolehkah kita jadi bangsa maju bertamadun tinggi selagi kita menjadi bangsa pengguna?

7. Kita akan berkata orang Jepun, Korea, Jerman tidak guna Bahasa Inggeris. Ini tidak benar. Mereka perlu ada ramai yang memahami Bahasa Inggeris untuk membaca kertas-kertas dari penyelidik walaupun untuk memahami perkataan-perkataan baru untuk bahagian-bahagian tertentu supaya dapat memahami fungsi dan mengguna perkataan itu sebelum ditulis dalam bahasa mereka.

8. Mustahil mereka boleh memahami makna sesuatu perkataan atau sesuatu proses atau fungsi jika mereka tidak faham secara menyeluruh ayat bahkan rencana berkenaan. Kita faham perkataan “nano” umpamanya kerana kita faham diskripsi dalam Bahasa Inggeris yang menyebut perkataan “nano”. Jika kita jumpa perkataan ini tanpa konteksnya kita tak mungkin faham apa dianya “nano” dan tak mungkin kita gunanya dalam bahasa kita. Demikian jugalah dengan perkataan-perkataan yang dipinjam dari bahasa-bahasa lain termasuk Bahasa Arab.

9. Orang Arab dahulu mempelajari Bahasa Yunani (Greek) untuk menguasai ilmu yang diterokai oleh orang Greek. Ilmu orang Greek tidak banyak dan akhirnya ilmu mereka diterjemah sepenuhnya kepada Bahasa Arab. Untuk mengalih bahasa mereka perlu faham bahasa Greek.

10. Lepas itu orang Arab menambah kepada ilmu ini melalui kajian mereka dalam bahasa mereka. Dalam jangkamasa seribu tahun, orang Arab berupaya dan dapat membuat kajian dan menambah kepada sains yang diperolehi dari orang Greek dan membukukannya.

11. Kemudian orang Eropah semasa Zaman Gelap (Dark Ages) mempelajari dan menguasai Bahasa Arab untuk mendapat ilmu yang dikumpul, diterokai dan dibukukan oleh Orang Arab. Dengan menguasai ilmu sains Arab maka sains dikembangkan pada mulanya dalam Bahasa Latin, dan kemudian bahasa-bahasa Eropah. Proses ini mengambil masa, walaupun jumlah ilmu yang diperolehi dari orang Arab tidaklah begitu banyak seperti sekarang.

12. Kita berada diperingkat mencari ilmu bangsa lain yang dibukukan dengan begitu banyaknya dalam bahasa mereka. Proses penyelidikan dan catitan atau pembukuan ilmu baru ini berlangsung sepanjang masa. Hampir tiap-tiap ilmu baru diperkenalkan dan kadang-kadang ilmu lama diganti dengan ilmu baru kerana yang lama tidak dapat dipertahankan lojiknya.

13. Hampir semua ilmu baru ini diperkenalkan dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Ia terlalu banyak untuk diterjemah kedalam Bahasa Melayu. Tidak mungkin kita adakan penterjemah yang mencukupi yang fasih dalam Bahasa Melayu, fasih dalam Bahasa Sains Inggeris dan pakar dalam bidang sains berkenaan. Jika ada seorang dua, tak mungkin mereka sanggup menghabiskan hayat mereka menterjemah sains yang datang dlam bahasa Inggeris.

14. Sebenarnya universiti-universiti di kebanyakkan negara mengguna buku teks Inggeris untuk pembelajaran perubatan. Sebabnya ialah oleh kerana sukar mendapat buku teks sains diperingkat tinggi dalam bahasa mereka sendiri.

15. Untuk melancar sebuah kapal angkasa dari daratan supaya bertemu dengan Stesen Angkasa Antarabangsa (ISS) memerlukan perkiraan dan perhitungan yang amat kompleks. Ini disebabkan dunia yang menjadi tempat melancar sedang berpusing mengikut axis (paksi) utara selatan dalam 24 jam. Tempat pelancaran ada kalanya siang dan ada kalanya malam. Dimasa yang sama axis itu juga bergerak mengikut musim. Juga dunia sedang bergerak mengeliling matahari.

16. Stesen angkasa juga bergerak dengan pantas supaya lokasinya tetap relatif dunia. Demikian juga kapal angkasa perlu dilancar naik mengikut satu trajectory yang serong dengan kelajuan tertentu supaya dapat bertemu dengan stesen angkasa pada jam, hari dan saat tertentu. Jika tidak bertemu kerana perkiraan tersilap, kapal dan anak kapal akan hilang di angkasa.

17. Semua perkiraan ini memerlukan kecekapan dalam bidang algorithm. Siapakah diantara kita yang menguasai ilmu ini tanpa menguasai bahasa Inggeris yang mampu membuat perkiraan ini?

18. Pelajaran bukan hanya bertujuan menjadi fasih dalam bahasa pengantar – baik Bahasa Melayu mahupun Bahasa Inggeris. Pelajaran adalah untuk memperoleh dan menguasai ilmu. Hanya bangsa yang berilmu sahaja yang akan mendiri tamaddun yang tinggi.

Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa

Ilmu Menegak Bangsa

PPSMI vs Sekolah vernakular – Kenapa berdiam diri terhadap sekolah vernakular?

KECOH TAK SUDAH PASAL BAHASA MELAYU..

Tuntutan beri kesan terhadap perkembangan bahasa Melayu
DARI UTUSAN MALAYSIA
3/11/2011

SHAH ALAM 2 Nov. – Tindakan pihak tertentu mendesak kerajaan supaya melaksanakan semula dasar Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI) secara pilihan di sekolah bakal memberikan kesan yang ‘amat malang’ kepada perkembangan bahasa Melayu di negara ini.Merujuk desakan oleh Persatuan Ibu Bapa Untuk Pendidikan Malaysia (PAGE) sebelum ini, Felo Penyelidik Utama Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu (ATMA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Prof. Dr. Teo Kok Seong menyifatkan perkara itu tidak sepatutnya timbul dalam keadaan kerajaan sedang berusaha memartabatkan kedudukan bahasa kebangsaan itu.

Beliau berkata, keputusan kerajaan memansuhkan PPSMI bukan hanya mengambil kira prestasi murid kesan daripada pelaksanaan dasar tersebut, malah ia melibatkan aspirasi negara untuk membentuk jati diri, nasionalisme serta perpaduan menerusi bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa kebangsaan.

“Adalah satu yang amat malang jika ada pihak tertentu seperti PAGE yang dipimpin oleh orang Melayu sendiri menentang keputusan kerajaan (memansuhkan PPSMI) dan mereka juga memberi tekanan serta mengugut untuk tidak menyokong kerajaan jika tuntutan tidak dipenuhi.

“Kerajaan dilihat telah melakukan yang terbaik dengan memansuhkan PPSMI demi satu agenda yang lebih besar iaitu pengukuhan perpaduan, nasionalisme, jati diri dan keperibadian rakyat negara ini dan dalam hal ini bahasa Melayu adalah instrumen yang paling sesuai,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas sesi perbincangan panel Program Rapat 1Malaysia bersama warga pendidik daerah Klang di sini, hari ini.

Turut menyertai sesi perbincangan panel itu ialah Timbalan Dekan Pusat Pengajaran Sains Kemasyarakatan, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Prof. Madya Dr. Sivamurugan Pandian.

Kok Seong tidak menolak kemungkinan pihak yang mendesak pelaksanaan PPSMI sebagai golongan yang tidak yakin terhadap kemampuan bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa ilmu pengetahuan.

“Sejarah telah membuktikan bahawa bahasa Melayu adalah hebat dan pernah menjadi lingua-franca digunakan dalam pentadbiran, ekonomi, perundangan dan diplomatik di rantau nusantara.

“Dalam konteks moden, bahasa Melayu telah dibangun dan dimajukan oleh Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DPB) sejak 1956 lagi dan ia mampu berkembang sebagai bahasa ilmu. Malah, orang asing pun ketika ini dilihat yakin dan giat mempelajari bahasa kebangsaan ini di pusat pengajian di negara luar.

“Ironinya di sini, golongan penutur bahasa Melayu dilihat tidak yakin terhadap kemampuan bahasa itu, ini amat malang untuk negara kita,” katanya.

KOMEN : MEMARTABATKAN BAHASA MELAYU ADALAH TANGGUNGJAWAB SEMUA RAKYAT MALAYSIA TANPA MENGIRA KAUM. REALITINYA ORANG MELAYU AKAN TERUS MENGGUNAKAN BAHASA MELAYU DALAM KEHIDUPAN SEHARIAN MEREKA, MELAINKAN GOLONGAN YANG SUDAH HILANG IDENTITI KEMELAYUAN MEREKA TIDAK TERKECUALI MEREKA YANG TERDIRI DARI PERJUANG BAHASA KONONYA. SELAGI ADANYA ORANG MELAYU ITU SENDIRI, BAHASA ITU TIDAK AKAN PUPUS.

PERSOALANNYA DISINI….

1) BERAPA RAMAIKAH ORANG CINA DAN ORANG INDIA YANG MEMARTABATKAN PENGGUNAAN BAHASA MELAYU DALAM KEHIDUPAN SEHARIAN MEREKA?
2) SANGGUPKAH ORANG CINA DAN ORANG INDIA MENUTUP SEKOLAH BANGSA (VERNACULAR) MEREKA UNTUK SAMA-SAMA MENYAHUT DAN MEREALISASIKAN WAWASAN ‘SATU SEKOLAH UNTUK SEMUA’ BAGI MEMARTABATKAN BAHASA MELAYU?
3) MENGAPAKAH SECARA TIBA-TIBA, PARTI MCA DAN MIC MENYOKONG PERLAKSANAAN PPSMI DITERUSKAN? ADAKAH KERANA MENYEDARI RAMAI KAUM MEREKA YANG MENYOKONG PPSMI ATAU SEKADAR UNTUK MERAIH UNDI?

KESIMPULANNYA : SATU SEKOLAH UNTUK SEMUA AKAN DAPAT MEMARTABATKAN KEGEMILANGAN BAHASA MELAYU DIKALANGAN SEMUA RAKYAT MALAYSIA YANG BERBILANG KAUM…

PPSMI – Ianya soal Pembelajaran Sains & Matematik, bukannya soal membelakangi Bahasa Kebangsaan

TUN M – Hormati keputusan peralihan bahasa

DARI UTUSAN MALAYSIA
17/10/2011

PARIT 16 Okt. – Bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad percaya banyak pihak mahu dasar Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI) diteruskan kerana ia mampu meningkatkan prestasi murid termasuk di kawasan luar bandar.

Menurut beliau, kekurangan guru bahasa untuk ditempatkan di sekolah-sekolah terutamanya di luar bandar tidak seharusnya menjadi alasan kerajaan tidak meneruskan PPSMI.

”Saya berpendapat ramai orang yang mahukan PPSMI ini dikekalkan, tetapi saya tidak tahulah, tekanan yang datang ini mungkin daripada orang yang bukan belajar Sains dan Matematik, tetapi dalam bidang sastera.

”Kita bukan hendak belajar bahasa Inggeris melalui Sains dan Matematik. Kita hanya mahukan ilmu daripada kedua-dua bidang ini dan ia boleh didapati hanya melalui bahasa Inggeris,” katanya.

Beliau yang juga Canselor Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas menyempurnakan Majlis Konvokesyen Ke-11 UTP di Seri Iskandar di sini, hari ini.

Hadir sama Pro Cancelor UTP, Datuk Shamsul Azhar Abbas dan Naib Canselornya, Datuk Dr. Zainal Abidin Kasim.

Dr. Mahathir yang memperkenalkan PPSMI sembilan tahun lalu pada era pentadbirannya berkata, beliau masih percaya pelaksanaan dasar tersebut tidak akan menjejaskan pembelajaran murid di luar bandar.

“Saya tidak percaya orang kampung kononnya tidak boleh (menguasai) bahasa Inggeris, itu tidak benar. Sekarang ramai daripada mereka yang memegang jawatan tinggi bercakap (bahasa) orang putih pun macam ‘orang putih’ juga,” katanya.

Terdahulu, sewaktu berucap pada majlis tersebut, beliau menegaskan kepentingan bahasa Inggeris sebagai bahasa ilmu terutamanya dalam penguasaan Sains dan Matematik yang sentiasa berkembang hampir setiap hari.

Sambil menegaskan ia bukan membelakangkan bahasa kebangsaan, beliau berkata, pemahaman bahasa Inggeris penting kerana setiap hasil kajian terkini dalam kedua-dua bidang berkenaan ditulis dalam bahasa tersebut.

“Hasil kajian selidik datang bertalu setiap hari dan mustahil kita dapat menterjemahkannya dalam bahasa kita.

“Untuk menterjemahkannya pula, kita memerlukan tiga kepakaran iaitu fasih dalam bahasa ibunda, bahasa Inggeris dan pakar dalam bidang tersebut,” tambah beliau.

Mengambil contoh bahasa Arab yang pernah menjadi bahasa ilmu pada abad ke-15, Dr. Mahathir menjelaskan, orang Eropah ketika itu berlumba-lumba mempelajarinya kerana pelbagai ilmu ditulis dalam bahasa berkenaan dan disimpan di khutub khanah di Baghdad dan Cardoba.

Namun katanya, malang sekali, orang Arab sendiri memilih untuk tidak lagi mengejar ilmu sekali gus menyebabkan penguasaan orang Eropah yang menterjemahkan ilmu yang dipelajari ke dalam bahasa Latin dan bahasa lain.

Sementara itu, diminta mengulas mengenai tindakan Ketua Wanita Gerakan, Datuk Tan Lian Hoe secara terbuka meminta presiden parti itu, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon supaya tidak bertanding pada pilihan raya umum akan datang, beliau berkata, Tsu Koon perlu mengambil kira pandangan daripada orang di sekelilingnya setelah diminta secara terbuka supaya tidak bertanding pada pilihan raya umum akan datang.

Katanya, jika mana-mana parti komponen Barisan Nasional (BN) mahu melakukan ‘pembersihan’, ia patut dilakukan sekarang, bukannya sebelum pilihan raya umum.

”Setiap orang mesti sentiasa mendengar pandangan orang lain. Saya beri satu petunjuk, semasa saya menjadi Perdana Menteri, mereka mula bercakap bila orang tua ini hendak pergi,” katanya.

KOMEN : NAK KAT APA BILA MENTERI-MENTERI KITA BIJAK2 BELAKA DAN LEBIH TAHU APA KEMAHUAN RAKYAT… KONONNYA MAHU MEMARTABATKAN BAHASA MALAYSIA… TAPI KENAPA PROGRAM KERAJAAN DALAM NEGARA PUN PRESENTER BERDIALOG DALAM BAHASA INGGERIS.. MANA PERGI PEJUANG BAHASA YANG SANGGUP BERDEMO DAN MERUSUH KERANA NAK TEGAKAN KONONNYA BAHASA MALAYSIA YANG DIPINGGIRKAN…?

Mertabatkan Bahasa Kebangsaan – PPSMI “dikambing-hitamkan” sedangkan “barah” sebenarnya adalah sekolah vernakular

Kecelaruan & kehipokritan dalam isu PPSMI

• Benar-benar jujurkah pihak-pihak yang bersuara dalam isu PPSMI dalam memperjuangkan Bahasa Melayu, yakni Bahasa Kebangsaan? Jujur setulus hati kah mereka dalam mendokong Artikel 152?

• Ataupun Artikel 152 hanyalah tidak lebih dari sebuah alasan bagi menolak PPSMI?Cuba jawab, kenapa PPSMI?

• Kenapa tidak sistem pendidikan vernakular yang sudah sekian lama menjadi barah sehinggakan DS Najib sendiri layak untuk dianugerahkan gelaran Bapak Vernakular? Tanya juga soalan ini pada Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin.

• 

• Kalau ingin melihat dengan lebih jelas lagi tentang kecelaruan dan kehipokritan ini (walaupun sudah berpuluh-puluh kali perkara ini ditonjolkan), silalah baca  di SINI dan di SINI (lagi artikel terkini mengenainya).

• Mari kita tanya diri kita sendiri soalan berikut ini.

• Kenapa tidak Bahasa Kebangsaan dalam pengajaran Sains & Matematik? Kenapa mahukan bahasa Inggeris? Kenapa negara-negara seperti Jepun, Jerman, Perancis, Rusia (sebagai contohnya) menggunakan bahasa kebangsaan masing-masing dalam pengajaran Sains dan Matematik?

• Kenapa?

• Kerana negara-negara tersebut tidak berkompromi dengan kedaulatan bahasa kebangsaan masing-masing? Kerana bahasa kebangsaan mereka MAMPU menjadi bahasa pengajaran Sains & Matematik?

• Jawapannya.. YA! Kedua-duanya sekali!

• Bahasa kebangsaan mereka mampu KERANA sudah sekian lama mereka mendaulatkan bahasa kebangsaan masing-masing! Bahasa mereka MAMPU kerana ianya terlebih dahulu DIDAULATKAN dengan sewajarnya!

• Lihatlah negara MALAYsia dengan sistem pendidikan vernakular bagaikan kera sumbang di saentero dunia ini. Apabila bahasa kebangsaan (Bahasa Melayu) TIDAK DIDAULATKAN, maka akan berkembangkah bahasa ini sehingga MAMPU digunakan sebagai alat pengajaran Sains & Matematik?

• Usah hipokrit! Kalau dahulu ianya dikenali sebagai Ilmu Hisab (berasal dari Arab?), sekarang ini ianya Matematik. Apa pula, atau ADAkah perkataannya untuk “Sains”? Seperti yang ditulis oleh Tukang Dok Peghati dalam artikelnya di atas:-

• 1) ‘Sophisticated‘(BI) – Sofistikated (diBMkan) – Canggih (BM asli)

• 2) ‘Conclusion‘(BI) – Konklusi (diBMkan) – Kesimpulan (BM asli)

• 3) ‘Variety‘(BI) – Variasi (diBMkan) – Kepelbagaian (BM asli)

• Polis, komputer, telefon dan banyak lagi sudah tidak asing lagi malahan sudah juga sebati dengan bahasa Kebangsaan. Bukan begitu?

• Evolusi bahasa bukan pointnya di sini, tapi PENDAULATAN bahasa itu sendiri walaupun ianya telah melalui pelbagai evolusi sehingga kini.

• Maka kita tanyakan pejuang-pejuang bahasa yang mengusung keranda 152 berdemo dijalanan suatu ketika dahulu. Adakah mereka berjuang untuk bahasa kebangsaan ataupun mereka berjuang untuk BAHASA IBUNDA? Mereka berjuang menentang PPSMI kerana hendak mendokong bahasa ibunda?! Bukannya hendak mendaulatkan bahasa kebangsaannya? Mereka hendak mendokong penggunaan bahasa Melayu di sekolah Kebangsaan, bahasa cina di SJK (China), bahasa india di SJK (Tamil)? Teruskan jugalah dengan bahasa jawa, minang, kelate, utagha, kadazan, murut, bajau, dayak, negrito dan lain-lain lagi. Jangan berhenti setakat bahasa ibunda cina dan india sahaja! 1-Malaysia bukan?Jangan hipokrit! Jangan celaru! Kenapa tidak diusung keranda 152 itu ke sekolah-sekolah vernakular dan ke pejabat PM di Putrajaya?

• 

• Kita tidak dapat lari dari mempersoalkan persoalan ini dengan jujur. “Mampukah Bahasa Kebangsaan yang ada pada hari ini menjadi bahasa pengajaran Sains & Matematik“?

• Mampukah?

• Bahasa Inggeris juga pada sewaktu ketika dahulu tidak mampu untuk menguasai pengajaran Sains & Matematik (ilmu kaji bintang, algebra dsb), lalu orang Inggeris dahulu mempelajari bahasa Arab untuk belajar Sains & Matematik!

• PPSMI bukan soal pendaulatan ataupun membelakangi Artikel 152. Buat masa ini, di bumi MALAYsia ini, Bahasa Inggeris lebih MAMPU menerapkan ilmu Sains & Matematik kepada anak-anak bangsa, terutamanya anak-anak bangsa yang berkomunikasi menggunakan bahasa Melayu/Kebangsaan (tidak tahulah pula sejauh mana bahasa cina yang didokong oleh sebahagian dari mereka-mereka yang hidup di bumi MALAYsia ini!)

• Kenapa begitu?

• Kerana kita sendiri tidak acuh kepada Bahasa Kebangsaan sendiri, TIDAK MENDOKONG ARTIKEL 152 dengan sepenuh hati untuk memungkinkan BAHASA MELAYU mengambilalih tugasan dari Bahasa Inggeris dalam pengajaran Sains & Matematik.

• Jadi betulkan arah perjuangan anda. Kita mendaulatkan Bahasa Kebangsaan, BUKANNYA bahasa Ibunda, dengan mendokong Artikel 152. Musuh anda sebenarnya bukan PPSMI, tetapi mereka-mereka yang membelakangi Artikel 152 Perlembagaan! Yang tidak mendaulatkan Bahasa Kebangsaan dengan sewajarnya walaupun telah ada Akta Bahasa Kebangsaan. Boleh mereka-mereka ini berjuang pula untuk percambahan sekolah vernakular? Boleh mereka ini berjuang bermati-matian mendokong bahasa Ibunda dengan membelakangi Bahasa Kebangsaan di bumi ini? Inilah musuh-musuh anda!Semoga suatu hari nanti Bahasa Kebangsaan kita akan semakin berkembang maju sehingga menjadi bahasa pengantar bukan sahaja untuk pengajaran Sains & Matematik malahan dalam apa jua bidang pun ( termasuk AL-KITAB? hehehehehe……)

Kempen Secara “Lembut” Belum Nampak Berkesan

 

Bahasa Kebangsaan TIDAK PENTING Untuk Rakyat

Semalam saya sentuh sedikit kenyataan Presiden Mic Palanivel ( KLIK ) yang dilihat sebagai menyokong tuntutan PAGE yang mahu PPSMI dikaji semula pelaksanaannya, kali ni bila Presiden MCA ahLek juga dilihat menyokong PPSMI dan usaha memartabatkan Bahasa Inggeris disekolah melalui saranannya yang mahu mewajibkan Sastera Inggeris ( KLIK ) ….. saya bertambah yakin dengan kenyataan saya sebelum ini – Isu Perpaduan Negara Melalui Satu Bahasa Kebangsaan Tidak Menjadi Keutamaan Pemimpin Berbanding Isu Excellence dan Quality.

TIDAK PERNAH lagi saya membaca dimana-mana adanya pemimpin bukan Melayu yang menggesa kerajaan kearah memperbaiki kefahaman Bahasa Kebangsaan dikalangan murid-murid, apatah lagi dikalangan rakyat !

Walaupun tahun lepas Pesuruhjaya Banci pernah merungut terdapat sebilangan rakyat bukan Melayu yang langsung tidak faham Bahasa Kebangsaan Negara sendiri semasa pegawainya membuat bancian, DAN juga hasil kajian NUTP yang mendapati satu pertiga murid sekolah cina lemah sementara satu pertiga lagi langsung tidak faham Bahasa Kebangsaan …… apakah ada reaksi pemimpin bukan Melayu supaya masalah ini ditangani segera ? Hampeh …..

Sementara penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris yang belum pun dilakukan kajian tahap penguasaan murid-murid, pemimpin bukan Melayu sudah pun menuntut tumpuan lebih diberikan. Hinanya Bahasa Kebangsaan Malaysia diperlakukan oleh rakyat Malaysia sendiri ……

Orang cina sendiri dengan sombong dan bongkak menyatakan bahawa TIDAK ADA KEPERLUAN untuk mereka belajar memahami Bahasa Kebangsaan. Jadi disitu kita sudah nampak jawapannya – Kerajaan Harus Wujudkan Keperluan itu !

Dari Utusan – Wajib belajar bahasa Melayu

Kerajaan sedang mengkaji untuk mewajibkan pembantu rumah warga asing yang ingin bekerja di negara ini terlebih dahulu menjalani kursus bahasa Melayu dalam tempoh masa enam bulan. KEPERLUANNYA –

“Jika tidak, akan wujud masalah baru disebabkan kegagalan untuk berkomunikasi dengan majikan,” 

Nah…  Nak dengan Tak Nak jer …. Hendak seribu daya.

Kalau pekerja asing kita boleh paksa mereka belajar berkomunikasi dalam Bahasa Kebangsaan kita, kenapa kita tidak boleh paksa rakyat kita sendiri yang tidak faham Bahasa Kebangsaan Negara supaya belajar ? !

Wujudkan Keperluan itu ! Hanya dengan cara itu saja rakyat dengan sendiri akan memahirkan diri untuk fasih dalam Bahasa Kebangsaan. Sudah terbukti berkesan. Lihatlah betapa fasihnya pekerja asing dari Bangladesh, Myanmar, Kemboja bertutur dalam Bahasa Kebangsaan tidak sampai beberapa bulan mereka tiba disini …. dan bandingkan rakyat sendiri yang berpuluh tahun membesar disini masih juga lemah penguasaan bahasa Kebangsaan mereka.

Segala kempen cara ‘ berlembut ‘ seperti Kempen Bulan Bahasa Kebangsaan TIDAK AKAN KEMANAnya ! Yang ditumpukan adalah mereka yang sememangnya sudah mahir BUKANNYA mereka yang lemah dalam Bahasa Kebangsaan.

Seharusnya kerajaan memandang serius perkara ini. Dalam menggalakkan rakyat mempelajari bahasa kedua atau ketiga, penekanan seharusnya diberikan kepada kemahiran dalam Bahasa Kebangsaan TERLEBIH DAHULU.

PS – Oya, sebut tentang PPSMI nampak gayanya kerajaan sedang berdepan dengan satu lagi masalah yang semakin membesar. Yang kita duk dengar sekarang ini adalah suara mereka yang mahukan PPSMI diadakan semula …… tapi dimana suara mereka yang melalak menentang PPSMI dulu ?

Tulah, lain kali kerajaan kalau nak buat sesuatu itu biarlah kerana prinsip, BUKAN kerana tunduk kepada desakan. Suara mereka yang kuat terhadap sesuatu isu belum tentu mewakili majoriti kerana suara yang diam lebih ramai.

Nah, sekarang kerajaan berdepan masalah dengan PPSMI. Mereka yang melalak menentang PPSMI dulu tetap juga menentang kerajaan dengan isu-isu lain ( kerana motif mereka dulu lebih kepada politik ) sementara kerajaan berdepan kehilangan sokongan rakyat yang pro PPSMI.

SAMA jer dengan kes pemansuhan ISA !

PPSMI ditentang beralaskan Perkara 152, tetapi tidak pula sistem pendidikan vernakular?

Still time for the Najib BN Gomen to make the right decision to reinstate the PPSMI

1. So the BN Gomen thru the DPM and Education Minister have make their stand: DPM: ‘Teaching Maths and Science in dual languages not feasible’

2. I find it kind of strange that a BN Government which said that they wanted to “memartabatkan” our National language our Bahasa Malaysia but tells us that the PPSMI option is not feasible when the Gomen can afford to pour billions of Ringgit into the vernacular school which is one of the factor causing  race polarisation that we Malaysians are facing now.

3. If the Government is sincere in wanting to put Bahasa Malaysia supreme in education then it is high time that the Gomen show some real balls like the Lee Kuan Yew’s Singapore Gomen of years ago and introduce the SatuSekolahUntukSemua System. Otherwise they are just talking politics and just sacrificing our children’s education on the altars of political expediency.. I say politicians should never be allowed to decide on our national education policy, that job should be given to the education professionals.

4. The Gomen and the anti PPSMI group has really got themselves all mixed up, the PPSMI option is never about Bahasa Malaysia, it is about the best means of keeping pace with latest knowledge in this fast changing world. The Government talk about translation of documents and books from English to Bahasa Malaysia but is the Dewan Bahasa Pustaka up to the monumental job and not finished translation after the knowledge is obsolete? The answer is an obvious NO, it is an impossible task of keeping up translation of scientific work and discoveries. Pak Menteri tidak perlu gula-gula atau memperbodohkan rakyat Malaysia.

This is what Datin Azimah of PAGE has to say in reply to the BN Gomen still in denial after March 2008:

PAGE warns BN of polls backlash from PPSMI snub

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — Barisan Nasional (BN) risks losing votes in upcoming polls if it continues barring students from learning science and maths using English in schools, a parents lobby group said today.

The Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) wants the 10-year-old policy of teaching science and maths in English at national schools (PPSMI) to be made an option for students in primary and secondary schools.

“If it is political (decision on PPSMI) give us the PPSMI option in national primary and secondary schools, and we will give you the two-thirds majority, which you are making increasingly difficult for us to do.

“Do not make us give the opposition our vote,” said PAGE chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said in a statement to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today.

“We would not like the Najib administration to be remembered for abolishing PPSMI, for not regaining the two-thirds majority and for making our children yet another lost generation,” she said bluntly.

Noor Azimah stressed that the government’s past decision in introducing PPSMI in schools was not “flawed”, adding it would empower students with the skills and knowledge needed to compete with other countries should the policy be retained.

She criticised Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for saying yesterday that the education system will turn chaotic if parents were allowed to freely choose the medium of instruction for their children.

Calling it “unacceptable”, Noor Azimah charged that all science and mathematics teachers should be able to teach in either Bahasa Malaysia or English as the PPSMI policy had previously been in place for nine years.

“If the number of schools that choose English are small, then it would be even easier to provide the teachers. The reasons should be addressed head-on and not swept under the carpet after spending RM3 billion of the rakyat’s hard earned income. We want an explanation,” she said.

Noor Azimah said that the current education system only divided children according to race-based schools, a split that was slowly incorporating class differences as seen in the growing popularity of private and international schools.

She stressed that PPSMI was not about learning English through science and mathematics, but to provide the context to put the language into practise.

Opposition parties like the DAP have thrown their weight behind PAGE’s cause, demanding the Education Ministry be more flexible and give students the option which will enable the country to retain its best talents.

The growing row over the education policy has split the country along racial, political lines ahead of national polls likely to be called early next year.

Vocal fundamental groups are using the issue to champion their version of nationalism.

Several non-partisan civil societies have recently banded together to counter this tide but the powerful Malay-dominant political parties appear to be reluctant to commit to this hot potato issue ahead of the 13th general election.

Noor Azimah said that PAGE will be sending a letter of appeal to Najib on the matter tomorrow morning in Putrajaya. Source here.

What PAGE has to say is not a threat, the DAP, opportunistic as usual has now done a U-turn to support the PPSMI option:

DAP pushes for optional PPSMI

Blogger Tuan Syed has wrote a very persuasive article for the reinstatement of the PPSMI excerpts:

“Sudah tentu pada PRU13 nanti, isu PPSMI ini akan diambil kira ramai pengundi yang tidak setuju PPSMI ditamatkan. Di sini saya ingin memaparkan semula komen daripada sebilangan pembaca Blog ini yang sokong PPSMI diteruskan. Dan kemungkinan besarnya mereka tidak akan mengundi Kerajaan BN jika PPSMI ditamatkan.

.

Samaada Kerajaan peduli atau tidak akan luahan hati oleh umum ini terpulang-lah kepada Kerajaan. Blog ini hanya menyalurkan pendapat dan pemikiran orang berkenaan PPSMI.

.

Kerajaan cuma perlu memikirkan perkara berikut : jika PPSMI dikekalkan, Kerajaan tidak akan KEHILANGAN sebarang undi, terutama sekali undi orang Melayu, atas isu ini. (Makhluk anti-PPSMI itu yang berjambang putih dan berkelakuan ganjil seperti orang kurang siuman yang kerap merayau di kawasan Masjid India itu tidak akan mengundi Kerajaan, walau apa pun berlaku. Makhluk ganjil itu sudah sah penyokong Pembangkang).

.

Tetapi sebaliknya jika Kerajaan menamatkan atau mansuhkan PPSMI, kemungkinanya paling ramai juga pengundi (terutama sekali pengundi Melayu) akan membantah tindakan ini dengan TIDAK mengundi BN. Sebenarnya “Mansuhkan PPSMI” ini bakal menjadi isu besar pada PRU13.

.

Kerajaan seolah tidak peka bahawa isu pendidikan dan masa depan anak-anak kita adalah isu yang sangat besar dan sangat penting bagi terlalu ramai orang. Ini bukan perkara sia-sia atau isu remeh. Dan majoriti ibubapa Melayu inginkan anak-anak mereka menguasai Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris.

.

Jadi sebenarnya pilihan bagi Kerajaan sangat mudah dan jelas :

.

Pilihan Pertama : Tamatkan PPSMI, jejaskan peluang majoriti paling besar rakyat marhaen (yang tidak akan memasuki university) untuk menguasai Bahasa Inggeris yang akan seterusnya mengurangkan peluang mereka untuk mencapai kejayaan hidup. Maka oleh itu, BN akan menghadapi risiko kehilangan undi secara besar-besaran pada PRU 13.

.

Pilihan Kedua : Teruskan saja PPSMI yang akan disambut dengan tepukan dan siulan meriah oleh majoriti orang Melayu, majoriti besar orang China, hampir kesemua orang India, majoriti penduduk Sarawak dan Sabah; PPSMI yang akan membina generasi muda yang mahir berbahasa Inggeris, yang akan peka sains dan teknoloji dalam bahasa Inggeris, yang akan mempunyai daya saing untuk mencari pekerjaan dan peluang niaga sehingga ke peringkat antarabangsa dan akan baik segala-galanya. Tambah lagi, jika PPSMI di teruskan, golongan yang begitu besar dan ramai ini tidak akan mempunyai alasan untuk memarahi Kerajaan BN (atas isu ini) di Peti Undi pada PRU13 kelak.

.

Bagi saya, walaupun memerlukan cermin mata untuk membaca, tetapi penglihatan saya masih jelas untuk memahami bahawa pilihan yang paling mudah, terbaik dan betul adalah Pilihan Kedua.

.

Bagi saya Pilihan Pertama adalah Pilihan Maut (Death Wish). Apakah Kerajaan kita rela membunuh diri?”

Read in full here.

Does the BN Government of Najib Razak has a death wish or something? Do they want to win and win big in the next GE or are now just in warming up the seat mode waiting for the next GE and a change of Government.

I like many others do not want to hear other Menteri to say it, I want to hear from the guy where the buck stops at his table, I want to hear what YAB PM Najib decide on the PPSMI on behalf of the Government he leads. 

I want him to remember that fateful day when he finally say no to the PPSMI, long after  he finds himself and BN on the Opposition side of the Dewan Rakyat and reminisce on what could have been.

The BN Gomen still have time to do the right thing for our children’s education.  The decision window is still open and the rakyat only wants a fair decision from the leaders they choose to form the Gomen. If you cannot make that decision, then lets have a national referendum to reinstate the PPSMI or Not.

Tubuhkan Suruhanjaya Di Raja bagi memperbaiki kepincangan Dasar Pendidikan Negara

The Political Ransom of PPSMI

GMP sedia turun ke jalan jika NGO pro-PPSMI buat demo October 31, 2011 KUALA LUMPUR, 31 Okt — Gerakan Memansuhkan PPSMI (GMP) yang pernah mengadakan perhimpunan besar-besaran tiga tahun lalu berhubung dasar Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik Dalam Bahasa Inggeris bersedia untuk turun semula ke jalan jika ada pihak mengambil tindakan sedemikian menuntut dasar lama dikembalikan.

Pensyarah Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris Prof Datuk Dr Zainal Kling berkata, Kongres Bahasa dan Persuratan Melayu VII yang berakhir semalam tetap dengan pendirian tegas menentang segala bentuk dasar yang boleh mengembalikan PPSMI ke dalam sistem pendidikan negara. Zainal yang juga ahli jawatankuasa resolusi kongres tersebut turut menyelar tindakan beberapa pertubuhan bukan kerajaan termasuk Persatuan Ibu Bapa Untuk Pendidikan Malaysia (PAGE) yang menuntut kerajaan mempertimbangkan semula cadangan agar diberi opsyen untuk belajar sains dan matematik dalam bahasa Inggeris ekoran keputusan memansuhkan PPSMI.

• “Tindakan Menteri Pelajaran Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin memansuhkan PPSMI adalah satu tindakan yang wajar kerana PPSMI melanggar undang-undang, melanggar Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Akta Pendidikan dan juga Akta Bahasa Kebangsaan,” kata beliau kepada The Malaysian Insider. “Kami menyokong tindakan menteri menghapuskan dasar itu kerana kerajaan adalah pelaksana undang-undang negara,” katanya lagi. Sewaktu kongres di Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka itu berlangsung semalam, terdapat desas-desus yang menyatakan akan ada pihak mahu membuat demonstrasi hari ini. Source here

Is that so?

Court Rejects Bid To Declare Teaching Maths, Science In English Unconstitutional KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 (Bernama) — Four students on Friday failed in their attempt to have the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English since 2003 be declared null and void when the High Court rejected their application. Judge Datuk Mohd Zawawi Salleh dismissed with costs their applications after hearing explanations from both sides in chambers. Lawyer Mohamed Hanipa Maidin represented the four students during the proceeding while Senior Federal Counsel Suzana Atan appeared for the government. Suzana when met by reporters said the judge decided that the two circulars on the teaching and learning of Mathematics and Science (PPSMI) in national schools and national-type (Chinese and Tamil) schools did not contradict Article 152 of the Federal Constitution.

She said Article 152 provided for Bahasa Melayu (Malay language) to be the national language while it remained the medium of instruction in schools. The four students had filed their applications on Jan 21, 2006. Mohammad Syawwaal Mohammad Nizar who was then a Year Four pupil, made his application through his father, Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, an engineer and the former Perak Menteri Besar. The others were Form Three students, Mohammad Fadzil Nor Mohd. Rosni and Nur Najihah Muhaimin, and Syazaira Arham Yahya Ariff, a Form Four student, who also made their applications through their fathers. The four named the Malaysian government as the respondent. In their writ of summons, the applicants had, among others, claimed that their right to learn the two subjects in the national language had been denied with the implementation of the PPSMI policy. In regard to this, they asked that the court order the respondent to revert to the teaching of the two subjects in the national language as provided in the Federal Constitution. They also applied for a declaration that the respondent had no power to implement the PPSMI policy as contained in the circular dated Nov 27, 2002 Mohamed Hanipa said he would appeal against the court’s decision.(Where is the appeal dude??)  — BERNAMA Source here

• And GMP what is your position on Vernacular Schooling?

• Apakah ia tidak melanggar Perlembagaan Persekutuan dan Akta Bahasa Kebangsaan? go here

• Bole?

And what is this ‘political ransom” being bandied by PAGE

“Do not make us give the opposition our vote,” said PAGE chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said in a statement to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today. Source here 

Oh really…so now you are openly admitting that you have given your vote for the Government in PRU12?

• What nonsense is this? You sure ka Makcik?

.…..Nizar of PAS sued the Government for implementing PPSMI, was it his personal thinggy or a Trojan Horse by the Opposition Party?

Now back to the bigger issue at hand here, YB Khairy tried to venture again in the debate recently

 I looked at the problem again and revisited what I previously thought to be undoable – a single national school. I think the problem with this suggestion in the past was that it didn’t tell us how this could be politically workable. Proponents would state the obvious about its benefits, especially on unity, and maybe challenge what some perceived as a constitutional guarantee for the existence of vernacular schools. But that would pretty much be the sum of the argument. It did not really tell you how this could actually happen, especially with the political stakes involved. Source here

Dude what’s up with the kote lembik thrust?First of all why must we politicize our Education System?

Why can’t the Government of Day just do what is mandated by Law

So YB let me ask you a simple question, if there is a Challenge to the “perceived constitutional guarantee” or in your previous terminology “virtual constitutional guarantee” and the Government loses in all level of courts.

What would be the likely scenario? These fuckers gonna blame the Government for not defending “their rights”?

Vote the “opposition” government who if ever comes to power are bound by the same court ruling?

Malas cite la brader….

And what’s up with “Proportionate Referendum”

If the consultative council can fashion a consensus concerning the education system, for example, that agreement would be put to the people for ratification. Again, the idea is to circumvent politics. Taken to Parliament, these big ideas and reforms may die a quick, painful death.

Instead we recognise these changes to be fundamental and in need of a more broad-based acclamation. We take it to a referendum. Now, the main problem with referendums especially when it involves ethnic considerations (as it would in the case of the education proposal) is tyranny of the majority.

Simply put, in Malaysia’s case, since the Malay/bumiputera community is in the majority, it is conceivable that a referendum would support a single-school system – which is why I would like to suggest a proportionate referendum. So, in order for there to be popular, public ratification, each ethnic community would need to show majority support for the reforms. This means, for example, more than half of the Malay community, Chinese community and so on agreeing before it becomes part of a new social contract.

What happen to One Man One Vote? Tyranny of the Majority??

Your logic is flawed dude, under what circumstances would the Chinese and the Indian ever want to vote for  Satu Sekolah??

They can live in their own ethnic enclaves for the rest of their lives and they want the Government to pump in tax payers money to support an illegal institution in that “parallel universe”.

If you really want to do this……GET THE COURTS TO DECIDE ON THE PERCEIVED CONSTITUTIONAL GUARANTEE.…settle the issue once and for all….ada brani??

Enough of Politicians folks , i shall repeat what I’ve said before (go here)

I CALL FOR THE SET UP OF A ROYAL COMMISSION ON NATIONAL EDUCATION 


THE BASIC TERM OF REFERENCES IS CAPTURED IN OUR MEMORANDUM TO THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION 


WE CANNOT TRUST THE GOVERNMENT OR ANY OF THE POLITICAL PARTIES OR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES ANYMORE TO DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE. 

THE ULTIMATE GUARDIAN NEEDS TO INTERVENE

Hipokrit 152 – Sekolah Vernakular vs PPSMI

PPSMI – Akibat mengGUNAkan kepala LUTUT untuk berFIKIR melebihi kepala OTAK..

 

ASSALAMUALAIKUM dan SALAM SEJAHTERA..

Selepas berMATI-MATIan mengatakan KONONnya PPSMI menyusahkan para pelajar untuk memPELAJARi Matematik dan SAINS dalam Bahasa Inggeris, hari ini Kementerian Pelajaran dan MENTERInya terpaksa berGELUT pulak dengan usaha beberapa NGO untuk meneruskan PPSMI.. Yang menariknya, semasa diMANSUHkan dulu MENTERI yang sama menDAKWA mendapat SOKONGan RAMAI ibu bapa yang mahu PPSMI diMANSUHkan.. ->KLIK<-

Kenapa pulak hari ini JUMLAH ibu bapa yang menyokong PPSMI begitu SIGNIFIKAN? Apakah mereka ini dulu SETUJU tiba-tiba hari ini ubah penDIRIan kepada tidak SETUJU?

Dengan KATA lain, adakah PIHAK yang SENGAJA memBERIkan maklumat SALAH terhadap MENTERI Pelajaran semasa mahukan PPSMI diMANSUHkan dahulu? Apakah mereka yang mahu meMANSUHkan PPSMI ini bukan kerana mahu menDAULATkan Bahasa Melayu sebaliknya kerana ‘DENDAM peribadi’ terhadap mantan PM yang memperKENALkan PPSMI ini? Almaklumlah, antara penyokong TEGAR usaha meMANSUHkan PPSMI ini ialah seorang peSALAH POLITIK WANG dalam Pemuda UMNO.. Sedangkan dia sendiri manalah pernah BELAJAR di mana-mana SEKOLAH dalam NEGARA ini? Malah, kita rasa dia pun tak akan MASUKkan anak-anaknya ke sekolah TEMPATAN..

Kemelut PPSMI ini sebenarnya meRUGIkan institusi penDIDIKan NEGARA.. Kementerian tak RUGI, MENTERI Pelajaran pun HARAM tak RUGI apa-apa pun.. Yang RUGInya adalah anak-anak kita sendiri dan masa DEPAN mereka di NEGARA ini.. Objektif PPSMI adalah jelas – mahukan anak-anak kita menguasai MATEMATIK dan SAINS mengGUNAkan Bahasa Inggeris sebagai MEDIUM pemBELAJARan.. Sebaliknya, banyak PIHAK yang KHIANAT telah memutar-belitkan objektif PPSMI ini untuk menuduhnya sebagai TIDAK menDAULATkan Bahasa Kebangsaan iaitu Bahasa Melayu.. Sampai sekarang pihak yang diMAKSUDkan GAGAL memBUKTIkan pelajar asing dan TEMPATAN di NEGARA ini belajar Sains NUKLEAR, teknologi NANO atau Bioteknologi dalam Bahasa Melayu di IPT?

Soalnya, adakah sistem penDIDIKan vernakular yang diPRAKTIKkan di NEGARA ini sampai KIAMAT dan terpaksa diSOKONG oleh sesiapa yang menJADI kerajaan diLIHAT berjaya menDAULATkan Bahasa Melayu sebagai Bahasa Kebangsaan? Inilah perkara yang GAGAL diLIHAT oleh MALAUN-MALAUN yang menDAKWA diri mereka adalah pejuang BAHASA dan sebagainya.. Dah berapa KALI dah SLOGAN ‘BAHASA Jiwa Bangsa’ berkumandang, sebaliknya sampai sekarang Bahasa Melayu tidak menjadi MEDIUM pemBELAJARan untuk apa jenis SUBJEK di semua jenis sekolah? Sudah tentu MUSTAHIL untuk melihat Pak JANGGUT ‘Saruman The WHITE’ Sasterawan NEGARA mengajar SAINS atau MATEMATIK dalam Bahasa Melayu di mana-mana sekolah kerana dia lebih SELESA menjadi si GILA yang berDEMONSTRASI memBENCIkan kerajaan dalam segala segi!

Di manakah SILAPnya sistem penDIDIKan NEGARA? Apakah FAKTA yang dikemukakan oleh NGO yang menyokong PPSMI seperti PAGE tidak berASAS? ->KLIK<-

Di zaman GLOBALISASI yang memerlukan RAKYAT menguasai Matematik dan SAINS sebagai daya penahan, kita masih GAGAL meLAHIRkan ribuan SAINTIS yang diKAGUMi di peringkat antarabangsa.. Sistem penDIDIKan kita lebih banyak meLAHIRkan ahli-ahli POLITIK tahap SAMPAH yang meROSAKkan NEGARA dalam segenap aspek keHIDUPan.. Kalau nak kata mereka ini benar-benar menyayangi Bahasa Melayu, tak jugak? Cakap Bahasa Melayu pun tak berapa BETUL? Kalau BANGSA sendiri tak diSAYANGi, bagaimana pulak nak mengatakan diri sebagai pejuang BAHASA pulak? Atau semuanya demi POLITIK?

Kalau Kementerian Penlajaran boleh bersikap FLEKSIBEL terhadapu keWUJUDan sekolah-sekolah vernakular yang jelas mengetepikan Bahasa Melayu sebagai Bahasa Kebangsaan, kenapa pulak tidak dengan mereka yang menyokong PPSMI? Sekurang-kurangnya untuk subjek SAINS dan Matematik sahaja? Atau pun Kementerian Pelajaran patut mengADAkan SESI bersemuka dengan kedua-dua belah PIHAK yang menyokong dan memBANTAH PPSMI dalam satu SESI? Apabil keSEPAKATan tercapai, sekurang-kurangnya, TIDAKlah kita terjumpa perkataan ROJAK/YONG TAU FU/BUBUR ASYURA seperti berikut:-

1) ‘Sophisticated'(BI) – Sofistikated(diBMkan) – Canggih(BM asli)
2) ‘Conclution'(BI) – Konklusi(diBMkan) – Kesimpulan(BM asli)
3) ‘Variety'(BI) – Variasi(diBMkan) – Kepelbagaian(BM asli)

Apakah ini bukti menDAULATkan Bahasa Melayu? Atau ini menunjukkan ‘kerja MUDAH’ para pakar BAHASA atau para pejuang BAHASA kita seperti Pak Janggut ‘Saruman The WHITE’ Sasterawan NEGARA? Me’MELAYU’kan istilah ‘INGGERIS’? Bagaimana pulak dengan istilah di dalam SAINS dan Matematik? Apakah kita perlu menunggu mereka ini me’MELAYU’kan dulu istilah tersebut baru belajar SAINS dan Matematik atau kita belajar sulu SAINS dan Matematik baru me’MELAYU’kannya dan menDAULATkannya? Sendiri mau FIKIRlah.. Mungkin PM terLUPA nak ‘men’1 Malaysia’kan Bahasa Kebangsaan kot?

Wallahualam..

Petition – SUPPORT PPSMI

PAGE (Parents’ Action Group for Education) sedang berusaha untuk mengumpulkan 1-juta tandatangan untuk sebuah petisyen kepada Perdana Menteri dan juga Timbalan Perdanan Menteri bagi mengekalkan PPSMI.

Sokongan kepada usaha ini boleh dibuat dibawah ini.

 

 

PPSMI ONLINE PETITION

SIGN HERE

 

 

Berikut adalah beberapa perenggan tulisan OUTSYED THE BOX yang dipetik dari artikel yang bertajuk, Mansuh PPSMI Akan Jejas Undi. Sila klik tajuk tersebut untuk membaca artikel penuh.

 

The Governmenmt has to really ask itself whose interest they are representing when they want to abolish the PPSMI? Indications are the majority of the population, especially the Malays support the PPSMI.

.

I think this is also why the Government is shying away from conducting a referendum to directly ask the people their views. The Government knows that a referendum will support the PPSMI. The Government is taking a huge risk with the future of the nation, especially the Malays, just to avoid embarrasment.

Even Perkasa shares the view that “Ibubapa, guru dan pelajar bersetuju dengan PPSMI“. Coming from the most extreme ultra right wing Malay NGO in the country, with a following in excess of 300,000 (YB Zulkifli Noordin the MP for Kulim – has just been elected a VP of Perkasa) this endorsement for the PPSMI by Perkasa is more proof that the Malays are in support of PPSMI. I hope the Government is listening.

Why Fix Something Which Is Not Broken?

 

The Great PPSMI Mistake

There is a letter in The Star today (here) written by the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Education explaining why the PPSMI was abolished.

.

The Ministry says : “We would like to clarify that the decision to abolish PPSMI was done after careful deliberations. The Ministry consulted various stakeholders and conducted in-depth studies on the effectiveness of PPSMI and its impact on student learning before scrapping the flawed policy.”

.

I think the Ministry is not being straight forward here at all. The Ministry is also missing the point entirely. The most important stakeholders who have absolute right in deciding the future of the children are parents. Has the Ministry conducted surveys among parents? There is a strong undercurrent to conduct a public referendum to decide this PPSMI matter. Why not we conduct a public referendum ? Why is the Ministry so afraid of conducting a public referendum on the matter? The book publishers wont agree?

.

Ok even if you dont want to conduct a public referendum, then conduct a wide ranging survey among parents, from Sabah to Perlis. Not the type of ‘telephone survey covering 1000 people’ or ‘informal survey covering 500 people’. Do a larger survey covering say 100,000 Malaysians who are parents with school going children.

.

This can be done easily. No need for con-sultans either. The Ministry can upload the survey questionnaire, ask the schools to download and print the questionnaire, pass it to the parents, collect back the questionnaires and pass it back to the Ministry. And please do it honestly.

.

Instead the Ministry gives quite incredible answers like the following :

.

“We found that during the implementation of PPSMI only 4% of Mathematics and Science teachers used 90% or more of English in the teaching and learning of the two subjects. A majority of them used a mixture of Bahasa Malaysia and English. More often than not, the teachers had to switch to Bahasa Malaysia in their teaching because students could not understand their lessons in English.”

.

So just because the teachers are poorly trained in English skills, we have to change our education system and sacrifice the future of our children? Shouldnt it be the other way around – why dont we train the teachers to make sure that they are English proficient? Instead of we sacrificing our childrens’ future, tell the teachers to make some sacrifices with their time, become English profficient asap and then teach the kids. Susah sikit, nak gostan terus ke?

.

One simple method is to just continue with the PPSMI until our teacher trainee entrants are “PPSMI resistant”. In other words they become comfortable with English. Of course there will be a ‘transition period’ where those caught in between will face challenges but we have to stick with it. Just spend more resources teaching English to our teacher trainees.

.

In no time at all, they will gain the English competence. We cannot abandon things halfway just because the teachers are poorly trained, just because they find the going tough, penatlah, malas nak memikir lah and other such excuses. Just take the easy way out.

.

I think we are also thoroughly confused. Schools now teach more religious classes (kelas agama) than other more important subjects in school.

.

For example the ‘Standard Kurikulum Pra Sekolah Kebangsaan’ (the Government kindergarten) recently introduced for 5 and 6 year olds proposed the following study times per week :

.

Mathematics 40 minutes

English 90 minutes

Malay Language 90 minutes

Agama 120 minutes

.

120 minutes for Agama? Why do we need to teach Agama for 120 minutes to 5 year olds at the kindergarten. Agama is already taught from Standard 1 – 6. It is also taught from Form 1 – Form 6. Finally in University, undergraduates are taught Agama for four more years.

.

So much religion – from tadika right up to final year University. It must be a very, very complicated religion. Agama kita ni susah sangat ke? We are almost manufacturing ustaz and ustazah ?

.

Or maybe we are trying to help the “buku Agama ” publishers as well? I have said this before and I will say it again : the book publishing lobby exerts very strong influence in determining our education policy. It is no secret that there is a very strong book publishing lobby that wants the PPSMI to be abolished as well. Ini semua duit punya pasal juga.

.

It is a fallacy to say that our children cannot learn English or that they cannot learn Maths and Science in English. Before we changed the education policy in the 70s and 80s, thousands of students at Government schools learnt Maths and Science in English. At that time our Government schools were no different from schools in Australia or England in terms of the quality of the education that we received. We took the same Cambridge ‘O’ Levels and ‘A’ Levels to the same levels of English proficiency as any student in England or Australia. We could do it then. We can still do it now.

.

Negara Brunei Darussalam has never changed their education system. Their schools teach almost completely in English. As a result the modern Malays in Brunei are very English proficient – which will serve them well. They are still Malays.

.

The Ministry also says : “This decision (to abolish the PPSMI) is in line with the position taken by Unesco that the mother tongue is the best medium of instruction in schools.”

.

I beg to disagree. What is the mother tongue in Singapore? Chinese, Malay, Tamil? But they decided to stick with an English medium of education. As a result Singapore now has the fifth highest per capita GDP income in the world – ahead of the US, Switzerland, Norway, Canada, Japan etc. (You can refer here) :

.

Now lets take two other countries that “messed” up their education system – Burma and Ceylon. Both Burma and Ceylon had an English based education system just like we had. At one time both these countries were the leading lights in post-War Asia. In the 60s and 70s they produced large numbers of medical specialists, engineers, lawyers, accountants and even a United Nations Secretary General (U Thant). U Thant, a son of Burma, was the third Secretary General of the United Nations for a record 10 years from 1961 to 1971. Lee Kuan Yew has written that he seriously expected Ceylon to pass Singapore in their economic development.

.

Then things went wrong. Just like us, language nationalists in Ceylon and Burma switched their system to the vernacular ie Sinhalese in Ceylon and Burmese in Burma. Both countries also changed their name to Sri Lanka and Myanmar respectively. Ever since then both Sri Lanka and Myanmar have become what they are today – basket cases in Asia.

.

We are not running down any country’s national language including Malay. This is the farthest thing from the truth.

.

But there is something called time (masa) which passes quickly and there is something called change (which also happens very quickly). Both are unstoppable. If you waste your time (doing non productive or less productive things) and you do not keep up with change, then you get left behind. You become poor, hidup susah, struggle for survival in the modern world and other such things.

.

Change and the amount of time it takes to accelerate change are governed by science and technology. Science and technology determine everything now. If you keep up with science and technology, you survive well. If you do not keep up, you cannot even watch black and white tv. They dont make them anymore.

.

The speed at which you acquire and apply the latest science and technology will determine how well you live. And the education system determines the speed of acquisition of science and technology (aka knowledge). It all boils down to the education system, the language that we use, what we learn in our books, what we teach our kids, how we teach our kids.

.

Unfortunately, due to historical reasons only, many languages do not yet have the ‘linguistic and cultural infrastructure to convey ever changing scientific ideas’. The Malay language is definitely one of them. It will take time, yes we have to get started sometime, but it is a slow curve.

.

So to insist that we want to teach our kids science and technology in the Malay language – which is still developing its infrastructure in this area – is to gamble with our future. Look at Myanmar, Sri Lanka and look at ourselves over the past 30 years.

.

That is why the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka folks (the so called guardians of the Malay language) have created thousands of ciplak words like biologi, industri, kontraktor, sistem selular, demokrasi, reformasi and other ‘borrowed words’ from the English language. To help expedite the Malay language to acquire complex ideas and ever changing scientific information and knowledge. This is still work in progress.

.

I feel however this is going to take a very long time to move people up the scientific curve. Kids learn new science based words in school like biologi, kurikulum, voltan, hepatitis, otomatik and such. But they cannot go back home and use these words to engage in everyday conversation with their parents, their neighbours and their society, especially in the villages and far away places. These ‘science based’ words do not form part of their language infrastructure. These are borrowed words – borrowed from the English language.

.

The entire community must incorporate these new science based ‘borrowed words’ and learn to use it in their everyday conversation before the community can derive the most benefit from understanding such words and concepts. This is going to take time – a long time.

.

Unfortunately during that long long time, change is constantly taking place, at an even faster pace. When we at last catch understand black and white cathode ray tube technology, the rest of the world has moved to colour tv and LCD screens. We get left behind. We become poor.

.

It is much easier to teach the entire community a second language, in this case English, whereby the English language already has the ‘infrastructure’ to convey new fangled science based vocabularies and science based complex ideas with the minimum requirement for words. It is much faster.

.

Plus we already have a very strong English language tradition in Malaysia. Why fix something that was not really broken?

.

And we must also understand that it is not just the university graduates who need to be up to par in English, science and technology. The entire population must be well informed to a certain extent about science and technology. In our country, less than 2% of the population enters university every year. What about the balance 98%? In advanced societies or societies that have achieved major economic and social advancements, the majority of their people (who also do not go to university) have achieved a good high school education which prepares them to appreciate, understand, absorb and take advantage of science and technology. In everything they do, whether it is managing a kindergarten, keeping account books in their businesses or making motorcars, they are closer to the scientific method. Hence they progress. Everyone must become clever, not just the university graduates,

.

Yes we can learn science and mathematics in Malay. But it is going to take a very long time to evolve upwards along the learning curve. Or we may not get there. If we adopt the English language, this time frame is accelerated. We get there much faster. We are at par with the advanced people much quicker.

Lagi Isu PPSMI

Sudden switch to BM for Science Students

PETALING JAYA: Students who began their Standard One in 2003 under the English stream – where Science and Mathematics were taught in English – are now expected to learn Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia when they go to Form Four next year.

The change in the “teaching process” has got parents in the urban Klang Valley are all frantic with anxiety. They are trying to get the Education Ministry to clear up the matter.

So far the bewildered parents have received no statements from their respective school heads but worried students have told their parents that “all Form Four subjects will be taught only in Bahasa Malaysia”.

A housewife, who wanted to be known only as Siva, from Subang Jaya said: “Everyone is confused… I went to inquire from my son’s school and was told that they were waiting for the ministry’s directive. But they said they were unofficially told that the teaching will be in Bahasa Malaysia if you have more than 15 Malay students in Form Four.

“I called the Education Ministry last week to verify this and an officer told me that the teaching of all science subjects in Form Four will be in Bahasa Malaysia.

“She also said some schools have a choice of teaching in English or Bahasa Malaysia depending on how many Malay students they have.”

Let them complete SPM

Another worried parent, who preferred to be called Tan, from Taman Desa, said the new policy was “not fair to our children”.

“We were told at the onset when this batch started Standard One in 2003 that they will complete their Science and Maths in English until SPM (Form Five).

“They should just let them finish it. How can they (the ministry) victimise this batch of students now?

“It’s rubbish to say the exams will be set in dwibahasa (dual language), but all the teaching in the class will be in Bahasa Malaysia.

“Why confuse the students? Already, they are under so much pressure.

“What will happen if the students answer the exam questions in English? Are there enough English proficient teachers and examiners who can give them a fair reading?

“Can the ministry guarantee that our children who answer their exam paper in English will not be victimised?” asked Tan.

No ‘dwi’ bahasa textbook

Another concerned parent, Dr Raja, from Damansara, said he had gone around the bookshops and private stores looking for Form Four Chemistry and Biology books for his son and was shocked to find only Bahasa Malaysia textbooks.

He said the government had promised that the Science and Mathematic books would be ready before it implemented the MBMMBI (Upholding the Malay Language, Strengthening the English Language) policy in 2012.

But now that parents are wanting to prepare their children for the hard days ahead, there are no books available.

“How are we supposed to assist and prep our children if we cannot find dual language textbooks? I assume the teachers are also not readyto teach the subjects,” said Raja.

“This is crazy. We are not against the Education Ministry’s Bahasa Malaysia policy.

“But it is absolute stupidity to teach the students in English from Standrad One until Form Three and then switch to Bahasa Malaysia in Form Four and Form Five.

“What assurance is there that there are sufficient and capable examiners who will mark their English answers in SPM fairly?

“As it is, my wife spotted so many errors in the ministry-level quarterly tests papers the students sat for regularly before PMR,” said Raja.

BN doesn’t care

Unhappy parents from several schools in Subang Jaya, Damansara and Old Klang Road are now demanding that the Education Ministry stick to its earlier promise, made in 2002, to allow this batch of students to complete their SPM education in English.

But whether the Barisan Nasional-led government will compromise and rescind its decision is a worrying question as most of the complaining parents are from the opposition-held urban areas.

Said a grassroots political activist here, who declined to be named: “In this country, schools, universities and education as a whole are a political issue.

“Education here is not about building minds… it is about churning out loyalists which begins with schools and language.

“(Education Minister) Muhyiddin (Yassin) was firm when he announced a non-reversal of the MBMMBI policy.

“They’ve (BN) done their groundwork and know that those who will complain are the Chinese and Indians, especially those living in the urban areas.

“These are political seats they have already lost… regaining these seats will be a struggle for BN so I don’t expect the BN government to be too concerned about our children.

“Their general perspective of us is that we are disloyal and avaricious.”

Muhyiddin firm on policy

In October last year, Muhyiddin told Parliament that the government will not return to the policy of teaching and learning Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI).

He said the new MBMMBI policy was in line with the country’s need to dignify Bahasa Melayu as the national language.

Bernama reported Muhyiddin, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, as saying that the government would not turn back on its decision as it “could not please every group”.

He said the government had set 2012 for its implementation and that students in Year Four, Form One and Form Four would be affected.

Muhyiddin had at the time urged parents not be unduly worried about the reversal of policy.

He said the government was already taking preliminary measures to implement the new policy in 2012.

“We may even have to recruit English teachers from abroad,” he said, adding that the implementation of the new policy also meant that Science and Mathematics textbooks need to be produced in Bahasa Malaysia as well as a new curriculum for teaching English