NUTP welcomes PPSMI revival but urges gov't caution

 Any decision to revive the Policy of Teaching Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) must be made with caution to address all previously encountered problems, according to the National Union of the Teaching Professions (NUTP).

The Malay Mail quoted NUTP president Aminuddin Awang, who welcomed a revival of PPSMI, but expressed caution over the ill-preparedness of the teaching force to adapt to the system which has been abolished and replaced with the "Uphold Bahasa Malaysia and to Strengthen the English language" (MBMMBI) policy.

"NUTP supports the Prime Minister’s suggestion that Maths and Science be taught in English, but we pray that the minister treads carefully on this issue so that it will be politically right for the betterment of the society," said Aminuddin in response to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's reported remarks on Friday.

Mahathir, who is now acting education minister, had reportedly revisited his idea to reinstate PPSMI during a special meeting with the ministry last Thursday.

A video of Mahathir's remarks at the meeting was uploaded on his official Youtube account on Friday. However, it does not mention how or when the new teaching policy would be implemented.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail further clarified yesterday that no decision has so far been made and discussions on the matter was only at an initial stage.

According to the Malay Mail, Aminuddin said one of the main problems with PPSMI when it was enforced over a decade ago, was language competency issue among teachers.

"There were numerous problems plaguing the implementation - incompetent English proficiency teachers, difficulty in preparing the dual-language exam papers and even the lack of motivation among the teachers themselves until incentives were given which gave rise to many wanting to teach for the sake of the incentives.

"Then we had to do a soft landing approach when the policy was withdrawn," he was quoted as saying.

In making his call, Mahathir argued that English is the native language for Science and Mathematics, and therefore the two subjects should be taught in English.

Aminuddin however reportedly said he believes the present Dual Language Programme system - introduced as a pioneer project in 2016 - is sufficient as it already provides parents with the option to choose whether their children will be taught Maths and Science in English or otherwise

At the same time, he said that the implementation of DLP has also been problematic due to lack of teachers, leading to rejected applications from parents who took up the option for their children.

"There are insufficient teachers as the old guard that taught PPSMI have gradually disappeared due to retirement, hence the Science and Maths teachers currently in the majority are those who are not proficient in English, but in the national language.

"We (also) have problems even getting textbooks for Maths and Science in the English language," he said.

"We also have the perennial problem of those in charge who are either powerless to address the issue or just not in sync with the program as they themselves are not proficient in English.

"The upper echelons of the system are just not doing enough to even keep this DLP alive," he was further quoted as saying.

The federal-level PPSMI policy was at the time met with mixed reactions, but it was carried out for nearly 10 years before being scrapped in 2011.

Mahathir's latest push for the move had once again sparked similar debates, with former deputy education minister P Kamalanathan calling for caution against rushing it through.