09/11/2023 (Malaysia) - Malaysia's decision to eliminate English medium schools and promote Bahasa Melayu in education has come at a significant cost, according to Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, Chair of the Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE). She compared Malaysia's path to that of India, another former British colony, which retained English as its medium of instruction and excelled in mathematics and science. Azimah believed that Malaysia's decision to abandon English had a detrimental impact on the country's educational progress.
The demise of English medium schools began following the May 13 racial riots when the education minister decided, without Cabinet approval, to abolish all English medium schools on national television. This marked the start of Malay medium schools, while vernacular schools were strengthened, and English medium schools gradually disappeared.
In 2003, then-Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad introduced the teaching of science and mathematics in English (PPSMI), but nine years later, the decision was reversed. In 2016, a dual language program (DLP) was introduced, allowing parents to choose the language for science and mathematics instruction. However, Azimah noted that the uptake of DLP had been poor, with only around 1,000 schools participating nationwide. Currently, only Sarawak teaches mathematics and science entirely in English.
Azimah criticized the education ministry for imposing unnecessary conditions on schools before permitting the teaching of mathematics and science in English. Despite the challenges, she believed there was still an opportunity to move in the right direction, as public perception about the importance of the English language was shifting.
Azimah cautioned that some might realize the significance of English language skills too late when their children struggle to secure good job opportunities.