[Lgpolicy-list] [lg policy] Malaysia: Muhyiddin calls for a third language for students

[Harold Schiffman]

 Muhyiddin calls for a third language for students[image: Full voice: Umno
members showing their support during the assembly at PWTC.]

Full voice: Umno members showing their support during the assembly at PWTC.

TAN Sri Muhyiddin Yassin wants students, especially from the Malay
community, to master a third language.The deputy Umno president prefers it
to be Mandarin.

Muhyiddin, who is Education Minister, proposed the creation of jobs for
30,000 new language teachers in national schools to facilitate teaching of
a third language as an elective subject.

“I hope with the support of the (Umno) delegates and the Finance Minister,
we can create new teaching positions to implement this policy,” he said in
his winding-up speech.

He said mastering a third language could help the Malay, Chinese and Indian
students understand each other better.

Muhyiddin said the third language policy was already included in the
schooling system.

“But too few took up (the third language course),” he added.

He also emphasised the need to enhance command of the Malay language to
promote national unity.

This, he said, was important as studies have shown that some students could
not even speak the national language.

“I have given a directive to improve the curriculum and quality of teachers
teaching Bahasa Melayu in national schools,” he added.

Muhyiddin also noted that 121 of the 638 resolutions presented at the Umno
general assembly were related to education issues.

He also expressed gratitude to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for allocating
RM56.6bil, or 20.11% of the Budget 2015 allocation for the Education
Ministry.

Muhyiddin announced the setting-up of Parents Teachers Association
Foundation with a start-up fund of RM200mil.

“We will get more government-linked companies and the private sector to
contribute towards the Foundation,” he added.

He also warned that Barisan Nasional risks losing the general election if
it loses 2% of the current 133 parliamentary seats to the Opposition.

“But if we gained another 5%, we can regain a two-thirds majority,” he
added.

“We need new initiatives to correct public perception or else we will slip
into the danger zone,” he added.

He said a political audit team would be set up in every constituency to
monitor development in the run-up to the next elections.

“We will appoint any member, not necessarily one with a party position, to
help monitor the constituency,” he added.

Muhyiddin warned Umno members to think seriously about staying relevant.

“Either do or be dead,” he said.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/11/30/Muhyiddin-calls-for-a-third-language-for-students/




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