ISKANDAR PUTERI: A Johor assemblyman has called on the state government to introduce a third language in schools.
Puteri Wangsa assemblyman Amira Aisya Abd Aziz said only Bahasa Malaysia and English are compulsory language subjects in schools nationwide.
“At certain fully residential schools (sekolah berasrama penuh), it is compulsory for the students to learn a third language such as Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish or Arabic.
“I suggest that the Johor government consider introducing a third language initiative, either after school hours, weekends or weekend camps,” she said when delivering her debate speech at the state assembly at Kota Iskandar here on Monday (May 13).
“I believe it is the government's responsibility to give them the platform to learn,” she said, adding that the state government could fund the initiative.
Amira Aisya also suggested that Johor be given guided autonomy following Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim’s call for a national education reform by making changes to the syllabi of subjects that are no longer relevant.
“According to reports related to education autonomy, countries that gave schools autonomy to determine their syllabi and examination policies had higher literacy rates.
“We do not need to ask for full autonomy like other countries. Perhaps in the initial stages, guided autonomy could be allowed to make the necessary changes based on the state’s demography and potential,” she said.
She added, “If Johor were serious about guided autonomy, it would be leading a revolution in education.”
On May 9, Tunku Ismail said the Federal Government should take more proactive measures to improve the quality, system and facilities of education to ensure that the next generation will remain competitive.
