Malaysia (2): Exams to remain bilingual

[Harold Schiffman]

Hisham: Exams to remain bilingual

By KAREN CHAPMAN

KUALA LUMPUR: It is definite – students will continue to have the
option of using two languages for Science and Mathematics subjects in
public examinations. Responding to various reports on the matter,
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein reiterated that
the Government had decided to maintain the status quo. "It will remain
bilingual," he told reporters after presenting prizes to the winners
of the F1 in Schools Technology Challenge. The biggest problem, he
added, concerned those in primary schools and rural schools.

"If we insist on one language, there will be a major impact on these
pupils and will increase the gap between those in rural and urban
areas. So we will maintain the bilingual approach," he said. He was
clarifying news reports yesterday which had quoted him as saying that
the decision not to force students to use only English for the two
subjects in the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) would only be
confined to next year. Hishammuddin said much also depended on the
teachers' abilities, noting that while many had been trained, there
was room for further improvement.

"Maintaining the policy won't affect anyone, as students will have the
option of answering in English, Chinese, Tamil or Bahasa Malaysia,
depending on their capabilities," he said.  The policy of teaching
Science and Mathematics in English was implemented in phases, starting
off with Year One, Form One and Lower Six students in 2003, and the
initial plan was to have students answer only in English for these
subjects from next year. On Saturday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had announced that UPSR candidates would
continue to have the choice of taking the two subjects in either
English or Bahasa Malaysia or the vernacular language of their school.

Hishammuddin had then said on Sunday that secondary students would
also continue to have the dual-language option in public examinations.
Meanwhile, the minister also said at the function that the focus for
November under the National Education Blueprint 2006-2010 would be on
strengthening national schools. He said this was to ensure that they
would be the school of choice. "We want to improve their performance
in various areas and offer programmes that meet the requirements of
parents from different backgrounds," he said.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/10/31/nation/19327828&sec=nation
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