Dear Supporters of PPSMI,
PAGE is working on several ideas.
In the meantime, these suggestions can be carried out by you, to continue the momentum, before we make our next move. They are:
1 Go to www.transformation.gov.my, look for the education lab and make the request for PPSMI to continue for the many schools that want it;
2 Go to 1malaysia.com.my and write to the Prime Minister about wanting PPSMI to continue in the schools that want it;
3 Go to muhyiddin.blogspot.com (subject to confirmation) and write to the Deputy Prime Minister/Education Minister about PPSMI for schools that want to continue;
4 Raise a resolution at the forthcoming PIBG AGM to retain PPSMI in your school;
5 Elect a PTA Chairman who is supportive of PPSMI;
6 Get your school and your child's school Alumni to write to the Prime Minister supporting PPSMI; and
7 Bring a memorandum supporting PPSMI to the Prime Minister when Parliament resumes on 15 March 2010.
Please help us spread the word as we need the numbers to succeed.
Thank you.
Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim
PAGE Chairperson
FOR OUR CHILDREN/UNTUK ANAK-ANAK MALAYSIA
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday, December 21, 2009
Send out a clear message on PPSMI
NST 2009/12/18
IN place of the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English, better known as PPSMI, the Education Ministry has introduced the policy "Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening the Command of English" (also known by the Malay acronym MBMMBI).
There are obvious flaws in this policy which the education minister should address.
Firstly, every linguist will tell us that the way to mastering any language is through exposure, exposure and exposure.
PPSMI exposes students to English and allows them to practise the language by application. Eliminating PPSMI and introducing MBMMBI will reduce English exposure time from 41 per cent to 21 per cent of total learning time. Thus, MBMMBI will further weaken the command of English of our future generation.
Evidence of this is obvious. Since Bahasa Malaysia replaced English as the medium of instruction in schools in the early 1970s, the standard of English of Malaysian students has dropped drastically to the extent that even local university graduates are rendered unemployable due to their poor English communication skills.
Secondly, MBMMBI will eliminate scientific English and replace it with "scientific" Malay words, the majority of which are actually nothing more than "Malay-fied" English terms such as "oksida", "fotosintesis", "silinder", etc Trouble comes when these terms are not "Malay-fied", for example, "segitiga sama kaki" which means isosceles triangle. It is a common joke by professors at foreign universities to brand our students as coming from the "Land of the Same Leg Triangle".
Many Malaysian students are experiencing difficulties coping with tertiary studies, even in local universities and UiTM where English is the medium of instruction. It doesn't help when one hears that lecturers are forced to pass low-performing students or face dismissal.
As such, MBMMBI will produce incompetent engineers, doctors and technicians.
Thirdly, it intends to introduce mathematical and scientific terms in English lessons to make up for the loss of PPSMI. According to the education minister, Science and Mathematics teachers have failed under PPSMI. Therefore, wouldn't it be illogical to expect our non-technical English teachers to explain mathematical and scientific terms and jargon? Worse, it would be out of context.
Fourthly, under MBMMBI, Bahasa Malaysia would be the only main language spoken and mastered and English would be relegated to a distant second place. As it is, nationalists have labelled English as a colonialist language and criticised those who want to learn in English as traitors. Unfortunately, there will be some hapless folk who will be influenced and misguided by these bigoted "patriots".
Many Malaysians have already moved their children to international schools and more have shifted abroad. We, the common people, would have to find creative ways to escape this political charade, to escape from the "Land of the Same Leg Triangle".
Incidentally, the Hong Kong government has just announced that half of its secondary schools will switch its medium of instruction from Mandarin to English, including specifically, the teaching and learning of Science.
We, the parents, must take matters into our own hands. Insist on a resolution to maintain PPSMI in your children's schools at the next annual general meeting of your parent-teacher association.
Come out loud to send the message to our education minister.
DATIN NOOR AZIMAH ABDUL RAHIM
for Parent Action Group for Education (Page)
FOR OUR CHILDREN
IN place of the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English, better known as PPSMI, the Education Ministry has introduced the policy "Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening the Command of English" (also known by the Malay acronym MBMMBI).
There are obvious flaws in this policy which the education minister should address.
Firstly, every linguist will tell us that the way to mastering any language is through exposure, exposure and exposure.
PPSMI exposes students to English and allows them to practise the language by application. Eliminating PPSMI and introducing MBMMBI will reduce English exposure time from 41 per cent to 21 per cent of total learning time. Thus, MBMMBI will further weaken the command of English of our future generation.
Evidence of this is obvious. Since Bahasa Malaysia replaced English as the medium of instruction in schools in the early 1970s, the standard of English of Malaysian students has dropped drastically to the extent that even local university graduates are rendered unemployable due to their poor English communication skills.
Secondly, MBMMBI will eliminate scientific English and replace it with "scientific" Malay words, the majority of which are actually nothing more than "Malay-fied" English terms such as "oksida", "fotosintesis", "silinder", etc Trouble comes when these terms are not "Malay-fied", for example, "segitiga sama kaki" which means isosceles triangle. It is a common joke by professors at foreign universities to brand our students as coming from the "Land of the Same Leg Triangle".
Many Malaysian students are experiencing difficulties coping with tertiary studies, even in local universities and UiTM where English is the medium of instruction. It doesn't help when one hears that lecturers are forced to pass low-performing students or face dismissal.
As such, MBMMBI will produce incompetent engineers, doctors and technicians.
Thirdly, it intends to introduce mathematical and scientific terms in English lessons to make up for the loss of PPSMI. According to the education minister, Science and Mathematics teachers have failed under PPSMI. Therefore, wouldn't it be illogical to expect our non-technical English teachers to explain mathematical and scientific terms and jargon? Worse, it would be out of context.
Fourthly, under MBMMBI, Bahasa Malaysia would be the only main language spoken and mastered and English would be relegated to a distant second place. As it is, nationalists have labelled English as a colonialist language and criticised those who want to learn in English as traitors. Unfortunately, there will be some hapless folk who will be influenced and misguided by these bigoted "patriots".
Many Malaysians have already moved their children to international schools and more have shifted abroad. We, the common people, would have to find creative ways to escape this political charade, to escape from the "Land of the Same Leg Triangle".
Incidentally, the Hong Kong government has just announced that half of its secondary schools will switch its medium of instruction from Mandarin to English, including specifically, the teaching and learning of Science.
We, the parents, must take matters into our own hands. Insist on a resolution to maintain PPSMI in your children's schools at the next annual general meeting of your parent-teacher association.
Come out loud to send the message to our education minister.
DATIN NOOR AZIMAH ABDUL RAHIM
for Parent Action Group for Education (Page)
FOR OUR CHILDREN
Education minister not upholding 1Malaysia
The Edge Financial Daily
Monday, 14 December 2009 00:06
Our education minister’s recent comment on his decision to abolish PPSMI (the teaching of Maths and Science in English) for all schools as being final and not to be questioned is thumbing down on our prime minister’s slogan of 1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now.
The Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) upholds that parents know what is best for their children and political considerations should not rule over educational needs.
PAGE findings had shown that the majority of urban parents and a significant number of rural parents want their children to study Science and Maths in English.
If our education minister doubts our statement then PAGE seeks our minister to call upon all national schools to vote on a resolution on this issue at the next annual general meeting (AGM) of their Parent-Teachers Associations (PTAs).
Our education minister should not have called upon his party members to hijack over and dominate the school PTAs “to suppress the voice of parents” and neither should he nor his subordinates threaten school administrators who differ with him on this issue. Please be reminded that many principals as well as science and maths teachers were not consulted to have their say on this matter.
We parents who had also been ignored in his final decision-making process will abide by the outcome of this democratic and transparent process, and our minister can rest be assured knowing that what he does will be in all sincerity, the true wishes of the people. Long live 1Malaysia.
Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim
PAGE chairperson
FOR OUR CHILDREN
Monday, 14 December 2009 00:06
Our education minister’s recent comment on his decision to abolish PPSMI (the teaching of Maths and Science in English) for all schools as being final and not to be questioned is thumbing down on our prime minister’s slogan of 1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now.
The Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) upholds that parents know what is best for their children and political considerations should not rule over educational needs.
PAGE findings had shown that the majority of urban parents and a significant number of rural parents want their children to study Science and Maths in English.
If our education minister doubts our statement then PAGE seeks our minister to call upon all national schools to vote on a resolution on this issue at the next annual general meeting (AGM) of their Parent-Teachers Associations (PTAs).
Our education minister should not have called upon his party members to hijack over and dominate the school PTAs “to suppress the voice of parents” and neither should he nor his subordinates threaten school administrators who differ with him on this issue. Please be reminded that many principals as well as science and maths teachers were not consulted to have their say on this matter.
We parents who had also been ignored in his final decision-making process will abide by the outcome of this democratic and transparent process, and our minister can rest be assured knowing that what he does will be in all sincerity, the true wishes of the people. Long live 1Malaysia.
Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim
PAGE chairperson
FOR OUR CHILDREN
Monday, December 7, 2009
Support for PAGE
Lim Kit Siang writes:
Government should respect PAGE and empower parents to decide whether to use English to teach/learn maths and science in primary/secondary schools.
During the 2010 budget debate on the Education Ministry late this evening, I called on the government to respect the Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) and to empower parents to decide whether they want their children to use English to teach/learn mathematics and science in primary and secondary schools.
I reiterated the DAP stand that maths and science should be taught in the mother tongue or home language in Std. One and spoke on the decline in mastery of the English language by Malaysian students, all the way to the university level.
The government had been talking about the importance of ensuring fluency and proficiency of English students, especially university students, but little had been achieved going by the employers’ complaints about the poor English command of graduates.
This has undermined Malaysia’s international competitiveness as English is an international language and a language of competition in the world arena.
As many parents in the country have expressed their wish that English be used as the medium for mathematics and science, I called on the Education Ministry to declare its stand on PAGE’s call to allow parents the choice of deciding whether their students in schools should use English to be taught mathematics and science.
I also called on the Education Ministry not only to allow Chinese and Tamil languages to used chosen as SPM subjects in a 10 + 2 formula, but to ensure that both subjects are recognized officially for scholarship and other official purposes.
What PAGE is asking for is very resonable: that those students, teachers and schools that benefited from the policy maintain status quo. There will be no need for re-learning of students, re-training of teachers, re-writing and re-printing of text books, scientific and mathematical knowledge continues to be gained speedily further enhancing students' potential yet saving hard-earned taxpayers' money that can be put to better use elsewhere.
Government should respect PAGE and empower parents to decide whether to use English to teach/learn maths and science in primary/secondary schools.
During the 2010 budget debate on the Education Ministry late this evening, I called on the government to respect the Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) and to empower parents to decide whether they want their children to use English to teach/learn mathematics and science in primary and secondary schools.
I reiterated the DAP stand that maths and science should be taught in the mother tongue or home language in Std. One and spoke on the decline in mastery of the English language by Malaysian students, all the way to the university level.
The government had been talking about the importance of ensuring fluency and proficiency of English students, especially university students, but little had been achieved going by the employers’ complaints about the poor English command of graduates.
This has undermined Malaysia’s international competitiveness as English is an international language and a language of competition in the world arena.
As many parents in the country have expressed their wish that English be used as the medium for mathematics and science, I called on the Education Ministry to declare its stand on PAGE’s call to allow parents the choice of deciding whether their students in schools should use English to be taught mathematics and science.
I also called on the Education Ministry not only to allow Chinese and Tamil languages to used chosen as SPM subjects in a 10 + 2 formula, but to ensure that both subjects are recognized officially for scholarship and other official purposes.
What PAGE is asking for is very resonable: that those students, teachers and schools that benefited from the policy maintain status quo. There will be no need for re-learning of students, re-training of teachers, re-writing and re-printing of text books, scientific and mathematical knowledge continues to be gained speedily further enhancing students' potential yet saving hard-earned taxpayers' money that can be put to better use elsewhere.
Friday, December 4, 2009
"Overhaul economy", Second Finance Minister
'Malaysia must overhaul economy'
By Rupa Damodaran
Published: Business Times 2009/12/02
Malaysia must overhaul its economy urgently to keep up with the changing world and regain the pole position it once held in the region, a minister said.
Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah said the country needs to diversify its trading partners and overcome competition from other emerging economies in exports.
"We must also consider the gradual dismantling of our open-ended protection of specific sectors and industries, which has introduced a climate of complacency and artificial levels of supply," he said at the opening of the two-day National Economic Outlook Conference 2010-2011 in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The event was organised by the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research.
Ahmad Husni said Malaysia had lost its competitive edge in many sectors of the economy, with private investments now half of what they were before the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis.
"Malaysia is trapped in a low-value-added, low-wage and low-productivity structure," he said.
Among its peers like China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, Malaysia's economic growth over the past three years was the second lowest.
"Our economy has been stagnating in the last decade. Our private investment has been steadily in decline," Ahmad Husni said.
He added that the country's manufacturing sector was suffering from a lack of investment, while the services sector was underdeveloped.
Between 2000 and 2007, Malaysia's investment per value-added in percentage nominal terms in manufacturing dropped from 30.6 per cent to 21.7 per cent. In the case of services, the decline was from 26.8 per cent to 22.1 per cent.
Ahmad Husni believes that the 1Malaysia concept can "re-catalyse" the private sector's role in the economy and enhance the level of competitiveness.
He also said that the government was confident of achieving 5 per cent economic growth next year and had identified several growth drivers. It would seek to enhance capacity through domestic demand.
PAGE: The Finance Ministry has painted a picture of doom and gloom. For the boost that it requires, PPSMI will play a major role in contributing towards preparing the future generation for the global and financial challenges ahead.
UNTUK ANAK-ANAK MALAYSIA
FOR OUR CHILDREN
By Rupa Damodaran
Published: Business Times 2009/12/02
Malaysia must overhaul its economy urgently to keep up with the changing world and regain the pole position it once held in the region, a minister said.
Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah said the country needs to diversify its trading partners and overcome competition from other emerging economies in exports.
"We must also consider the gradual dismantling of our open-ended protection of specific sectors and industries, which has introduced a climate of complacency and artificial levels of supply," he said at the opening of the two-day National Economic Outlook Conference 2010-2011 in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The event was organised by the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research.
Ahmad Husni said Malaysia had lost its competitive edge in many sectors of the economy, with private investments now half of what they were before the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis.
"Malaysia is trapped in a low-value-added, low-wage and low-productivity structure," he said.
Among its peers like China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, Malaysia's economic growth over the past three years was the second lowest.
"Our economy has been stagnating in the last decade. Our private investment has been steadily in decline," Ahmad Husni said.
He added that the country's manufacturing sector was suffering from a lack of investment, while the services sector was underdeveloped.
Between 2000 and 2007, Malaysia's investment per value-added in percentage nominal terms in manufacturing dropped from 30.6 per cent to 21.7 per cent. In the case of services, the decline was from 26.8 per cent to 22.1 per cent.
Ahmad Husni believes that the 1Malaysia concept can "re-catalyse" the private sector's role in the economy and enhance the level of competitiveness.
He also said that the government was confident of achieving 5 per cent economic growth next year and had identified several growth drivers. It would seek to enhance capacity through domestic demand.
PAGE: The Finance Ministry has painted a picture of doom and gloom. For the boost that it requires, PPSMI will play a major role in contributing towards preparing the future generation for the global and financial challenges ahead.
UNTUK ANAK-ANAK MALAYSIA
FOR OUR CHILDREN
Under fire over RM10b FDI loss
NST 2009/12/02
CHIEF Minister Lim Guan Eng was yesterday taken to task for turning down RM10 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) into Penang just because he could not guarantee the prospective investors 1,000 engineers.
Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahya (BN-Teluk Bahang) told the state assembly that he was shocked to read about the matter and saddened that such a huge investment opportunity had been lost.
"It is implausible that we do not have or cannot find the engineers."This (decision to turn down the investors) was a very big mistake that the state government has committed.
"Dr Hilmi, who is a former Penang deputy chief minister, said the people in the state had lost out on a big investment just because Lim was not far-sighted enough.
He also said developers had been spooked by the policies introduced by Lim's administration.
He cited an example where the state approved development plans but inserted a specific condition that it could be cancelled at any time by the chief minister.
At this point, Lim stood up to clarify that this was no longer the case and the state government no longer imposed such a condition.
Lim said there was no reason for Hilmi to raise the matter as it was no longer an issue.
However, Hilmi responded that it was exactly such inconsistent policies which caused investors to worry.
"You may no longer impose such conditions but the damage is already done.
" Hilmi also touched on how the state government was allegedly delaying projects submitted by those deemed to be associated with the Barisan Nasional.
"I have heard grouses about this... I understand Perda (Penang Regional Development Authority) had submitted plans some two years ago but they have yet to be approved."
PAGE: The politicians have missed the point. The country has failed to produce the engineers required. For this reason, schools should be given the option to choose PPSMI if it feels that teachers are capable, students are able and parents are agreeable, so that competent engineers are ready for employment when such an opportunity arises again.
UNTUK ANAK-ANAK MALAYSIA
FOR OUR CHILDREN
CHIEF Minister Lim Guan Eng was yesterday taken to task for turning down RM10 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) into Penang just because he could not guarantee the prospective investors 1,000 engineers.
Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahya (BN-Teluk Bahang) told the state assembly that he was shocked to read about the matter and saddened that such a huge investment opportunity had been lost.
"It is implausible that we do not have or cannot find the engineers."This (decision to turn down the investors) was a very big mistake that the state government has committed.
"Dr Hilmi, who is a former Penang deputy chief minister, said the people in the state had lost out on a big investment just because Lim was not far-sighted enough.
He also said developers had been spooked by the policies introduced by Lim's administration.
He cited an example where the state approved development plans but inserted a specific condition that it could be cancelled at any time by the chief minister.
At this point, Lim stood up to clarify that this was no longer the case and the state government no longer imposed such a condition.
Lim said there was no reason for Hilmi to raise the matter as it was no longer an issue.
However, Hilmi responded that it was exactly such inconsistent policies which caused investors to worry.
"You may no longer impose such conditions but the damage is already done.
" Hilmi also touched on how the state government was allegedly delaying projects submitted by those deemed to be associated with the Barisan Nasional.
"I have heard grouses about this... I understand Perda (Penang Regional Development Authority) had submitted plans some two years ago but they have yet to be approved."
PAGE: The politicians have missed the point. The country has failed to produce the engineers required. For this reason, schools should be given the option to choose PPSMI if it feels that teachers are capable, students are able and parents are agreeable, so that competent engineers are ready for employment when such an opportunity arises again.
UNTUK ANAK-ANAK MALAYSIA
FOR OUR CHILDREN
Be bold, govt officers told
NST 2009/12/02
By Jaswinder Kaur
KOTA KINABALU: Government officers given the task of making decisions must not allow politicians to intimidate them, state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said yesterday.
Instead, he added, they should focus on carrying out their duties based on regulations and the law.
Masidi said if civil servants did not let politicians interfere, they would be able to make the right decision, especially when deliberating on development at sensitive areas, such as hillslopes and the sea.
"Politicians will always sign letters seeking support by saying sila bantu (please assist) but government officers must not take this as an approval.
"Use your wisdom and follow the law. I was once a civil servant myself, and was placed in cold storage for going against a politician.
"I was brave enough to go against the directive because I knew I was right."
Masidi said this at a seminar on highlands development for state and Federal department heads at the National Institute of Public Administration (Intan) campus in Sepanggar, here yesterday.
He said the popular decision might not always be correct, but that the right decision would always be right.
"I bring this up in the context of this seminar because we are talking about highlands and development on slopes. There is always a dilemma in this, with politicians coming into the picture.
"We do not need to destroy the environment to achieve development or to succeed in life. Look at alternatives that will not harm nature, or else we will face bigger problems in future.
"Later, speaking to reporters, Masidi said unregulated hillslope development in Kundasang, which is a popular tourism spot, was a thing of the past now that the area was finally under the Ranau district council's rating zone.
He said the district council had been instructed to meet operators to find ways to improve safety standards of lodges and other structures already there.
"The buildings exist, so this is what the council has to do. We cannot afford an accident that may lead to loss of lives, and the tourism industry to fall."
PAGE: This is the stand all politicians should take for all their ministries, in particular, the Education Ministry, where it involves many defenceless children and parents who would rather not say or do anything for fear that their children/school will be victimised. The Ministry of Education is not vindicative.
UNTUK ANAK-ANAK MALAYSIA
FOR OUR CHILDREN
By Jaswinder Kaur
KOTA KINABALU: Government officers given the task of making decisions must not allow politicians to intimidate them, state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said yesterday.
Instead, he added, they should focus on carrying out their duties based on regulations and the law.
Masidi said if civil servants did not let politicians interfere, they would be able to make the right decision, especially when deliberating on development at sensitive areas, such as hillslopes and the sea.
"Politicians will always sign letters seeking support by saying sila bantu (please assist) but government officers must not take this as an approval.
"Use your wisdom and follow the law. I was once a civil servant myself, and was placed in cold storage for going against a politician.
"I was brave enough to go against the directive because I knew I was right."
Masidi said this at a seminar on highlands development for state and Federal department heads at the National Institute of Public Administration (Intan) campus in Sepanggar, here yesterday.
He said the popular decision might not always be correct, but that the right decision would always be right.
"I bring this up in the context of this seminar because we are talking about highlands and development on slopes. There is always a dilemma in this, with politicians coming into the picture.
"We do not need to destroy the environment to achieve development or to succeed in life. Look at alternatives that will not harm nature, or else we will face bigger problems in future.
"Later, speaking to reporters, Masidi said unregulated hillslope development in Kundasang, which is a popular tourism spot, was a thing of the past now that the area was finally under the Ranau district council's rating zone.
He said the district council had been instructed to meet operators to find ways to improve safety standards of lodges and other structures already there.
"The buildings exist, so this is what the council has to do. We cannot afford an accident that may lead to loss of lives, and the tourism industry to fall."
PAGE: This is the stand all politicians should take for all their ministries, in particular, the Education Ministry, where it involves many defenceless children and parents who would rather not say or do anything for fear that their children/school will be victimised. The Ministry of Education is not vindicative.
UNTUK ANAK-ANAK MALAYSIA
FOR OUR CHILDREN
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