DLP schools must ensure students’ Bahasa mastery, says minister

PETALING JAYA: Field visits by the Education Ministry have shown that students from Dual Language Programme (DLP) schools did not achieve a basic level of proficiency in Bahasa Melayu (BM) and their mother tongue.

Therefore, schools that have agreed to DLP implementation must ensure the fulfilment of all criteria including a mastery of BM, said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek (pic).

“Based on the ministry’s DLP implementation guidelines for 2021 dated Nov 26, 2020, schools that adopt DLP need to ensure that the introduction of this programme does not hinder other students' access to learning Science and Mathematics in the national language or mother tongue.

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“Maintaining mastery of the mother tongue is essential for ensuring its effective incorporation in vernacular schools.

“I affirm the ministry’s commitment to continue to strive to dignify the mastery of BM and improve the quality of English language teaching,” she said in a statement on Thursday (Dec 21).

Her comments came following a press conference on Tuesday (Dec 19) at which stakeholders demanded that the ministry justify the need for non-DLP classes.

Full-DLP school officials had been told to include a mandatory non-DLP class in the next academic year as part of the criteria.

The stakeholders said this was not listed in the original guidelines from the ministry’s Expert Circular Letter Number 3 of 2020: Improvement of the Education Ministry’s DLP Implementation Guidelines for 2021.

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At the press conference, Centre for Vernacular School Excellence director Arun Dorasamy had demanded that the ministry clarify the data showing that BM proficiency is low enough to justify this sudden move.

“It must also explain why DLP schools are being targeted, as in order to hold DLP classes, these schools must already meet the criteria of having their students’ BM average proficiency be above the national average,” he said.

In her statement, Fadhlina added that the management of DLP implementation is through the respective state Education Departments.

Schools are allowed to open more than one DLP class for Year One and Form One students based on each school's readiness and assessment by the district Education Office and state Education Department.

“The approval of DLP implementation is subject to the decision of the ministry based on a case-by-case basis.

“The Education Ministry takes a humane approach, that is, students from the existing cohort are still allowed to continue with DLP classes.

“However, schools need to comply with existing guidelines for the new cohort of Year One and Form One students in the 2024/25 session,” she said.

The respective state department, the statement added, is also responsible for mapping the acceptor secondary schools to ensure that each student cohort can continue learning in classes that implement DLP at the secondary level.

“The ministry will continue to monitor and provide explanations about the implementation of DLP to school administrators as needed,” she said.

The DLP, announced in Budget 2016, was introduced to improve the English proficiency of students through the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics, as well as to increase students’ employability and ability to compete globally.

It was one of the initiatives under the Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening the English Language (better known by its Malay abbreviation MBMMBI) policy.

Currently, in order to qualify for the DLP, schools must fulfil criteria set by the ministry, which include having enough resources, having a plan to ensure the programme is sustainable, parents’ consent, and meeting the minimum BM proficiency requirement.

There are currently 2,420 DLP schools – 1,613 primary and 807 secondary – in the country.