LETTERS:In the wake of Dr Maszlee Malik's resignation as Minister of Education, various names have been proposed as his replacement. Possible candidates touted include Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah (the current Foreign Minister),
Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed (the former International Trade and Industry Minister) and Nurul Izzah Anwar (Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh).
It cannot be denied that Dr Maszlee brought about some notable reforms during his 20-month tenure. However, it was also marred with controversy.
During a Press conference on Jan 2 this year, Dr Maszlee said: “I have been seen to be the cause of many crises, including the Jawi calligraphy issue, Internet at schools and the free breakfast programme."
It is undeniable that the Education portfolio is rife with catch-22 situations, resulting in this particular ministerial position being a less-than-desirable one.
The Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English (or PPSMI, its Malay acronym) programme was first introduced by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2003. It was not without its opposition.
Subsequently, PPSMI was replaced with the policy on ‘Enhancing Bahasa Malaysia, Strengthening the English Language’ in stages from 2010. This policy, among others, resulted in Mathematics and Science being taught in the national language.
In 2015, the Ministry of Education introduced the Dual Language Programme (DLP), of which schools that had opted for the programme could teach Mathematics and Science in English.
As at January 2018, it was reported that 1,303 schools had participated in the DLP. Last year, Dr Mahathir announced that the government was assessing a policy to reintroduce the use of English to teach Mathematics and Science in public schools in detail.
The National Muslim Students Association (PKPIM), the Muslim Youth Movement (Abim), the Linguistics Association of Malaysia, Amanah Youth, PSM Youth and Gerakan have all voiced their disagreement with the proposal for Mathematics and Science to be taught in English.
There is also the issue of vernacular schools and recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate.
These schools are close to the hearts of many Malaysians and its existence will be staunchly defended by groups like Gerakan, the Malaysian Chinese Language Council and Dong Zong (The United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia).
The UEC is is the unified examination for Independent Chinese secondary schools in Malaysia. The first known Unified Examination was held in 1975 and reached its 44th year in 2018, according to Dong Zong.
In the past, senior members from the Government and Opposition have proposed to officially recognise the UEC as an entry qualification to public universities and federal public services. The proposal received severe backlash from groups such as PAS, Gerakan Pembela Ummah (UMMAH), Perkasa, Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung and Umno Youth.
The three examples above are just a few of hot button issues any Education Minister will have to face. Such issues are highly politicised and if the minister were to take a hardline stance on any of them, he risks alienating voters to the detriment of his party/coalition.
It appears that the ideal candidate for the Education portfolio will be someone who is a moderate and has immense goodwill from all sides of the political divide. He must be able to maintain this goodwill throughout his term at the helm of the Ministry.
JOSHUA WU KAI-MING
Kuala Lumpur