KUALA LUMPUR: The government must focus on enhancing Malaysia's existing Dual Language Programme (DLP) which allows selected schools and classes to teach science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in English.
This, the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) said would help students enhance their English proficiency, which is an important factor in employability, especially in an era of globalisation.
Its secretary-general, Harry Tan, said this while commenting on the Education Ministry's statement yesterday that it has no plan to reintroduce the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI), but will "improve previous weaknesses".
"We support the Ministry's take on this wholeheartedly as this issue is no longer an educational issue, but has become a political football and divides society.
"We ask that the Education Ministry be serious about the DLP and not let it die a natural death," he said today.
Tan, however, said the ministry has not been aggressive in ensuring an adequate supply of teachers who can teach maths and science in English for DLP, and called on Cabinet to seriously look into the implementation of this programme.
He said that there is an array of literature and methods that would help ensure students' English language competency.
However, he said the NUTP would like to point out that schools are facing a dire shortage of Teaching of English as Second Language (TESL) teachers and students are getting the short end of the stick when untrained "English teachers" are made to instruct them.
"They (the ministry) are not putting administrators who are well-versed in the subject matter to ensure the viability of the programme.
"The DLP programme is important for parents who want their children to master the English language so their children are employable worldwide.
"This should be the thrust of our system, to fulfil the demanding requirement of parents and ultimately prioritise the essential needs of the students and ensure our workforce is marketable.
"We earnestly seek Cabinet's intervention to seriously look into this matter and resolve the problem now if the country is bent on becoming a global player," he added.
PPSMI was first introduced in 2003 during Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's first tenure as Prime Minister, but was abolished in 2011.