KUALA LUMPUR: Non-governmental organisation Majlis Perundingan Melayu (MPM) has called on the Education Ministry to abolish the ongoing Dual Language Programme at primary and secondary levels.
The matter was voiced by its community and ummah development chairman Kamal Shukri Abdullah Sani after the government's stance of not recognising the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) at the moment.
"MPM hopes the DLP will be abolished by the Education Ministry but do not perform a 'soft-landing' act as was done during the abolition of Learning and Teaching of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI)," he said in a statement today.
Previously, there were calls by various bodies including non-governmental organisations and language activists for the government to cancel DLP as it was similar to PPSMI.
DLP was introduced in 2016 to strengthen the English language and elevate Bahasa Melayu.
In a similar matter, Kamal Shukri said if the UEC was recognised it would create a mess in the examination system.
It would also allow NGOs, private sectors and even companies to conduct their own examinations with the intention to profit.
"It will reject all uniformity and coherence of the national education's principles and expose it to risk or non-compliance against the examination system," he said.
The National Education Policy, Kamal Shukri said has united students through the national education system.
Since Merdeka, the education system is also assisted by bodies such as the Malaysian Examination Board and the Malaysian Examinations Council.
Last week, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek in a written reply at Parliament said UEC was not the ministry's priority for now.
She said the stance was based on the National Education Policy and provisions in the Education Act 1996.
Last month, the United Chinese School Committees' Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) again raised its request for the UEC to be recognised, which it had made earlier during the PH administration.
Dong Zong also said the curriculum at private Chinese secondary schools, including for the subject of history, were drafted based on the Standard Curriculum and Evaluation Document issued by the Education Ministry.