MELAKA: The Education Ministry must provide a clear six-year plan showing how the 12 weekly Chinese-language teaching periods will be maintained in national-type Chinese primary schools (SJKCs), says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The MCA president said he had expected the ministry to make a U-turn and retain the 12 periods, prompting him to repeatedly call for a detailed breakdown of teaching allocations across all six years of primary education.
“I expected this would happen. That is why I have been emphasising the importance of this six-year plan, covering Years One to Six,” he said when contacted yesterday.
However, he said the ministry’s latest announcement lacked details on how the allocation would be implemented from Year One to Year Six.
Describing the ministry’s announcement as a “motherhood statement”, Dr Wee said there could be no assurance without details of the arrangements for each year.
“Without details, there is no assurance or confirmation. You cannot simply make assumptions based on that,” he said.
He said the ministry should explain how the curriculum would progress from Year One to Year Six, including the number of teaching periods allocated at each level and how subjects would be structured.
Dr Wee also called for details on the curriculum content, textbooks and syllabus, including what new elements would be introduced and which existing components would be removed.
He said the public needed to understand the full plan before commenting on the changes, adding that parents had the right to know what their children would be taught under School Curriculum 2027 (KP2027).
MCA secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon said the ministry’s U-turn reflected the power of public opinion and voters’ voices, after widespread concern over the proposed reduction in Chinese-language teaching periods.
In a Facebook post, Chong thanked the public for speaking up, describing the reversal as a victory for Chinese education.
He also thanked voters in Melaka for their support.
The issue arose after an implementation brief for KP2027 proposed reducing Chinese-language teaching periods at SJKCs from 12 to 10 a week for Years One and Two, 12 to nine for Year Three, 10 to nine for Year Four, and 10 to seven for Years Five and Six.
The proposed reductions drew objections from Chinese education groups Dong Zong and Jiao Zong, which called for 12 weekly periods to be formally guaranteed in the timetable.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh had previously said the proposed allocations were minimum requirements and headmasters could add periods, with the first two additional periods prioritised for Chinese-language lessons.
