KUALA LUMPUR: Parental groups want the Education Ministry to fully review the Dual Language Programme (DLP) following the recent change in its requirement, which has sparked protests from parents.
Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) chair Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said the review is necessary to ensure that the programme can systematically expand the number of schools adopting DLP, leading to more students enjoying learning Science and Mathematics.
The fine-tuning of training of teacher trainers, teacher trainees and in-service teachers, she said, also need to be boosted as this appears to be the main obstacle.
"After all, some of these teachers had over the past decade also taught Science and Mathematics in the English language as well as Bahasa Melayu," she told the New Straits Times.
The New Sunday Times had reported how parents of Standard One pupils in four schools recently protested over the Education Ministry's stricter" DLP conditions which requires a minimum of one full class per school learning the subjects in Bahasa Melayu as a "prerequisite" for DLP classes.
They are questioning the need for the Education Ministry to now push for "stricter" DLP conditions that required a minimum of one full class per school learning the subjects in Bahasa Melayu (BM) as a "prerequisite" for DLP classes.
This requirement, seven years after the DLP programme started in 2016, has led to an overnight shift for some students, who are now required to study the subjects in BM instead of English.
It is understood that, prior to their enrolment in the DLP, parents were required to sign a consent form acknowledging the school's DLP status and give their approval for their children to be taught in English.
It is learnt that the schools involved in the change are SK Convent 1 Bukit Nanas, SK Bukit Damansara, SJK(T) Vivekananda and SJK(T) Segambut. Schools affected by the change initially provided complete English instruction for Mathematics and Science.
The New Sunday Times has also learnt that the ministry's English Language Teaching Centre, which oversees the DLP, is currently looking at the guidelines and reviewing the programme at all affected schools.
Noor Azimah said that the end result will affect not just Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education but also Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the long run as well, with DLP forming the basis for manufacturing, apprenticeship and vocational programmes driven by industry.
She described the sudden imposition of the new criterion as a stumbling block as "the goalpost is being shifted" by introducing other criteria to prevent the progress of DLP.
She cited for instance the "flawed" Bahasa Melayu assessments for six-year-olds.
"Children came out of the Covid-19 pandemic where some cannot even read nor write.
"Parents would like to know what the ministry has planned to ensure that schools meet the Bahasa Melayu national average, in order to apply to be a DLP school.
"The Education Ministry has to be made accountable," she added.
Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education (Magpie) chairman Mak Chee Kin said he was also left frustrated by the turn of events.
He said given that the DLP has been introduced for almost a decade, the implementation should have been settled by now.
He said the government should take the cue from the DLP implementation in Sarawak instead of making matters difficult for both parents and teachers.
"How can we have a progressive education system when the system keeps changing for the worse each time there is a new minister?
"Obviously, the new condition does not sit well with parents. Magpie will support their action and protest," he said.