PETALING JAYA: Schools are not required to assess students to determine if they are eligible for the Dual-Language Programme (DLP), says the Education Ministry.
“There is no provision within the DLP programme that requires schools to conduct assessments to determine if students qualify for DLP classes,” it told The Star in a statement yesterday.
The ministry was responding to concerns raised by Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim that school heads had been given verbal instructions about additional terms that contradict existing guidelines.
Among the “unwritten requirements” were six-year-olds having to complete a language assessment that would determine their placement in a DLP or non-DLP class.
It also includes the compulsory opening of a non-DLP class in full DLP schools starting in the 2024 academic session in March.
The ministry said approval to implement DLP is through the verification process and engagement sessions between the District Education Office, state Education Department and the school.
“The implementation of DLP in schools is based on the four criteria listed within the DLP guidelines. School principals and headmasters need to refer to the four criteria to decide on the number of students and classes involved in the DLP,” it said.
Currently, to qualify for the DLP, schools must fulfil criteria set by the ministry that include having enough resources, a plan to ensure the programme is sustainable, parents’ consent, and meeting the minimum Bahasa Melayu requirement.
Following the ministry’s response, Azimah said the Education Ministry needs to ensure strict adherence to the guidelines.
“Enough of adding new conditions to restrict the growth of DLP. Make it clear to parents.
“No more school heads acting upon verbal instructions.
“PAGE wishes to reiterate our requests made to the Cabinet ministers on Jan 11, which were to keep to the existing guidelines instead of forcing unwritten terms onto schools.
“Schools that are 100% DLP should not be forced to open up a non-DLP class when there is no demand for it,” she said when contacted yesterday.
Instead, she said the Education Ministry should have a plan to gradually increase the number of DLP schools nationwide, as originally intended in 2015 when the DLP was formulated.
On Jan 11, PAGE, with the support of 36 other groups, submitted a memorandum to 31 Cabinet ministers, appealing for their support for the continuation and expansion of DLP schools and classes that met the specified criteria.
The programme began in 2016 when some 300 schools joined the pilot project and were given the option to teach Science and Mathematics in English.
Parents were also free to decide whether to enrol their children in the programme.
Aimed at improving students’ employability and ability to compete globally, the programme is one of the initiatives under the Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening the English Language (better known by its Malay abbreviation MBMMBI) policy.
