JOHOR BARU: Immediate action must be taken to address the lack of teachers for the Dual Language Programme (DLP), say parent groups and educationists.
Parent Action Group for Education chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said the Education Ministry must be held accountable and find a way to solve the problem.
“The ministry had in the past said it would not increase the number of DLP primary schools as it is focusing on ensuring that when the students go up to the secondary level, they will be guaranteed a place to learn Science and Mathematics in English.
“So, why are we now hearing that there are students who are unable to continue being in DLP in secondary school?
“Where is the accountability and planning?
“The ministry must be accountable, otherwise there will be an uproar from parents.
“They have to buck up and find the ways and means to make sure students are not affected,” she said in an interview.
Noor Azimah said it was not enough for students to rely only on English as a subject for them to master the language.
“The English language is the language of knowledge of information and communications technology, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the digital economy, which is seeing a growth rate of over 25% in Malaysia.
“Just learning one subject in English is not enough as it is only about 10% or 15% of the syllabus,” she added.
Johor English Language Teaching Association president Vincent D’Silva said English was not only important for students’ tertiary education but also for them to enter the working world.
“When students enter universities, most of the courses are in English and they will struggle if they are not proficient in the language from the secondary level.
“Not only that, they will also have problems once they join the workforce if they are unable to master the language,” he said.
Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education chairman Mak Chee Kin said education non-governmental groups had for years been urging the ministry to look into this issue, which he described as a ticking time bomb.
“This should not have happened in the first place.
“We had already foreseen this happening years ago and had been pushing the ministry to look into the matter seriously.
“The ‘lack of teachers’ excuse is totally unacceptable as state education departments should have had proper planning from the very beginning.
“Action must be taken to reprimand inefficient officers who failed to do the necessary.
“We hope that the new government will really look into this matter so that no one is left behind.
“It is unfair for children to have to bear the consequences,” he said, adding his hope that Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek will step in and look into the matter.
