The Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) applauds the Prime Minister of Malaysia for an excellent presentation of the New Economic Model (NEM). Of particular interest, as far as the education system is concerned, is the courage shown by the Prime Minister to acknowledge and address critical shortcomings of the education system, and his strong desire that much needs to be done through perseverance and commitment to ‘weather the storm’.
For a shift in approach from rote learning to creative and critical thinking, the most immediate step to take would be to lessen the number of examinations within the year in schools. Presently, examinations are so frequent that little teaching can be done and subjects are skimmed through in order that the syllabus is ‘covered’.
Questions posed to students on a daily basis and during assessments, should be re-designed to be more open-ended, encouraging the student to think in a rational way, to solve problems given in a logical manner and to provide an environment where the opinion of the student is never wrong, further empowering the student to be challenged and to be confident with himself and among his friends.
Closer to our hearts, whilst we all agree that English language proficiency needs to be enhanced, for incomes to move upwards, the people need the ‘right’ knowledge in the ‘correct’ language of their chosen fields of expertise, namely, ICT, science and commerce, which will surely be the prime mover of the economy.
To overcome this weakness, the introduction of MBMMBI, which we believe has flaws by lowering exposure to the English language from 41% to a mere 21% of subject hours, only addresses language and not ‘critical’ knowledge nor ‘specialised’ language.
The change of medium of instruction from English to the mother tongue, namely Bahasa Melayu, Mandarin and Tamil, to be made effective 2011, in the teaching and learning of science and math, will further erode not just the English language, but also stifle knowledge to be gained in these very specialized areas of ICT, science and commerce, where English is, without any doubt, the lingua franca.
Having said that, unless and until the government stops subordinating the education system to political agendas, the NEM will just remain another ‘figment of its imagination’.
Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim
Chairperson PAGE
FOR OUR CHILDREN
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
A Matter of Fact - Revealed
Home » letters
Let the parents decide
NST 2010/03/29
I REFER to the government's contention that all parties were consulted and enough time was given before the decision to abolish the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) was made.
When the debate on PPSMI began in November 2007, the self-appointed National Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) was the main adviser to the Ministry of Education, representing the national schools. The national PTA, which does not represent any parent groups, PTA or any school, chose to favour the abolition of PPSMI.
The exco of the National Union of the Teaching Profession, which did not consult its members, comprising 40 per cent of teachers, also chose to favour the scrapping of PPSMI. Hence, the affected Science and Mathematics teachers were never consulted.
The Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) had suggested to the ministry then to seek a stand from the PTAs of each and every school. This did not materialise. This would have settled the matter at hand.
Only a handful of PTAs were invited to speak on behalf of their schools at the roundtables convened by the Ministry of Education.
The educationists, scientists, bankers, the private sector and PTAs that were in attendance were unanimously in favour of the PPSMI policy being maintained.
A roundtable discussion in October 2008 of Barisan Nasional political representatives from Sabah and Sarawak, except for the Chinese parties, were in favour of PPSMI being maintained. Even Umno Youth and Puteri Umno were in favour of PPSMI being maintained.
The desire for PPSMI to be maintained was intensely evident from the findings of the roundtables.
Soon enough, after failing in a civilised forum, the ultra-nationalists, linguists, political opportunists and so-called patriots and saviours of the nation took to the streets, severely damaging the image of the country internationally and holding the government to ransom.
The new education minister made the effort to meet Chinese associations together with Malay ultras, yet parents, the true and real stakeholders at national schools, were ignored.
Findings at the roundtables were blatantly ignored and a political decision to abolish PPSMI was made at the expense of the future of the children of Malaysia.
Subsequent to that decision, all surveys and polls conducted by private entities, as well as government agencies, showed that the majority of the people were not happy with the abolition of PPSMI.
We appeal to the minister of education to uphold the spirit of the prime minister's vision of 1Malaysia -- People First -- by giving back the decision-making to the parents. Only parents, who are without hidden political agendas, can decide and know what is best for the future of their children. Allow a win-win situation where PTAs can decide to choose or reject the PPSMI.
DATIN NOOR AZIMAH ABDUL RAHIM
Chairperson
Parent Action Group for Education (Page)
FOR OUR CHILDREN
Let the parents decide
NST 2010/03/29
I REFER to the government's contention that all parties were consulted and enough time was given before the decision to abolish the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) was made.
When the debate on PPSMI began in November 2007, the self-appointed National Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) was the main adviser to the Ministry of Education, representing the national schools. The national PTA, which does not represent any parent groups, PTA or any school, chose to favour the abolition of PPSMI.
The exco of the National Union of the Teaching Profession, which did not consult its members, comprising 40 per cent of teachers, also chose to favour the scrapping of PPSMI. Hence, the affected Science and Mathematics teachers were never consulted.
The Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) had suggested to the ministry then to seek a stand from the PTAs of each and every school. This did not materialise. This would have settled the matter at hand.
Only a handful of PTAs were invited to speak on behalf of their schools at the roundtables convened by the Ministry of Education.
The educationists, scientists, bankers, the private sector and PTAs that were in attendance were unanimously in favour of the PPSMI policy being maintained.
A roundtable discussion in October 2008 of Barisan Nasional political representatives from Sabah and Sarawak, except for the Chinese parties, were in favour of PPSMI being maintained. Even Umno Youth and Puteri Umno were in favour of PPSMI being maintained.
The desire for PPSMI to be maintained was intensely evident from the findings of the roundtables.
Soon enough, after failing in a civilised forum, the ultra-nationalists, linguists, political opportunists and so-called patriots and saviours of the nation took to the streets, severely damaging the image of the country internationally and holding the government to ransom.
The new education minister made the effort to meet Chinese associations together with Malay ultras, yet parents, the true and real stakeholders at national schools, were ignored.
Findings at the roundtables were blatantly ignored and a political decision to abolish PPSMI was made at the expense of the future of the children of Malaysia.
Subsequent to that decision, all surveys and polls conducted by private entities, as well as government agencies, showed that the majority of the people were not happy with the abolition of PPSMI.
We appeal to the minister of education to uphold the spirit of the prime minister's vision of 1Malaysia -- People First -- by giving back the decision-making to the parents. Only parents, who are without hidden political agendas, can decide and know what is best for the future of their children. Allow a win-win situation where PTAs can decide to choose or reject the PPSMI.
DATIN NOOR AZIMAH ABDUL RAHIM
Chairperson
Parent Action Group for Education (Page)
FOR OUR CHILDREN
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Parents wait for Education Minister’s decision to appreciate 1Malaysia, People First
We applaud the Deputy Minister of Education 1 for allowing parent-teacher associations (PTA) to discuss matters concerning the ministry’s policies.
It was never the intention of parents to oppose the decision to abolish the teaching and learning of science and math in English (PPSMI) as we believe that some schools may not have benefited from the policy as much as most schools have.
However, many students, teachers and schools have gained tremendously from PPSMI, the result of the strong determination and commitment of the respective science, math as well as English teachers along with the uncompromising and unfailing support of their school principals, who sincerely and truly believed that PPSMI is a good education policy.
Let us not deny this.
Parents are merely seeking the option of retaining the use of the English language in these two subjects where English is inarguably the lingua franca of science, commerce and ICT.
We sincerely thank our Prime Minister for respecting the spirit of the Education Act 1996 which calls for children to be educated according to the wishes of their parents.
We hope our Minister of Education is able to emulate our honourable Prime Minister in respecting and honouring the wishes of parents by giving our national schools the option to choose the new policy MBMMBI (Memartabatkan Bahasa Melayu, Memperkukuhkan Bahasa Inggeris) or maintain the present policy of PPSMI.
PAGE appeals to our Minister of Education to give national schools that option and let parents make known their wishes at the AGM of their PTAs. Then we, the “rakyat”, will truly appreciate our Prime Minister’s call for 1Malaysia, People First.
It was never the intention of parents to oppose the decision to abolish the teaching and learning of science and math in English (PPSMI) as we believe that some schools may not have benefited from the policy as much as most schools have.
However, many students, teachers and schools have gained tremendously from PPSMI, the result of the strong determination and commitment of the respective science, math as well as English teachers along with the uncompromising and unfailing support of their school principals, who sincerely and truly believed that PPSMI is a good education policy.
Let us not deny this.
Parents are merely seeking the option of retaining the use of the English language in these two subjects where English is inarguably the lingua franca of science, commerce and ICT.
We sincerely thank our Prime Minister for respecting the spirit of the Education Act 1996 which calls for children to be educated according to the wishes of their parents.
We hope our Minister of Education is able to emulate our honourable Prime Minister in respecting and honouring the wishes of parents by giving our national schools the option to choose the new policy MBMMBI (Memartabatkan Bahasa Melayu, Memperkukuhkan Bahasa Inggeris) or maintain the present policy of PPSMI.
PAGE appeals to our Minister of Education to give national schools that option and let parents make known their wishes at the AGM of their PTAs. Then we, the “rakyat”, will truly appreciate our Prime Minister’s call for 1Malaysia, People First.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
What You Can Do For Now..
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
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
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.
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