Caution urged for proposed return of PPSMI

PETALING JAYA: While stakeholders generally welcome the proposed reintroduction of the Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) in schools, some remain cautious of the recent development.

Businessman Raymond Dairiam, 44, is concerned about whether teachers are ready.

“Do they (the Government) have the manpower and resources to execute the idea?

“Do teachers themselves understand what is taught, for them to educate the kids in turn?” said Dairiam in response to the Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s reply in Parliament that the National Education Advisory Council was currently deliberating the matter.

Dr Mahathir said this included a detailed study by the Education Ministry on how to reintroduce PPSMI through a new model using IT, which involves the use of recordings of various subjects being taught by the best teachers.

Dr Mahathir noted that those who failed to learn the language of knowledge, such as English, would be left behind.

Dairiam said the policy should begin in kindergartens and maintained until the very end of schooling.

“It’s very taxing for students, teachers and parents when they keep changing midway,” he said, adding that the policy should be maintained for at least 10 years to see results.

The father of two primary schoolchildren also wanted to know if the videos would be interactive as some children have short attention spans.

PPSMI was initiated by Dr Mahathir during his first tenure as prime minister, and was implemented in phases, beginning with Year One, Form One and Lower Six students, in 2003, but the policy was ditched in 2009.