Middle-road approach to teaching science, maths

MANILA: Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Friday the Malaysian government has taken the middle-road approach to the teaching of science and mathematics in schools.

He said this allows schools to opt to teach the two subjects in English or Malay because some Malaysians support the use of English to teach the subjects while others are opposed to it.

“However, we will study how we can standardise this for all schools because we will be putting certain groups at a disadvantage when they can benefit from one language but are not given the right to learn from that language.

“Many feel that English will make an individual who passes more easily accepted in the market,” he told Malaysian journalists at the conclusion of his visit to the Philippines. Also present at the press conference were Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah and International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Darell Leiking.

On his visit to the Philippines, Dr Mahathir said he had a four-eyed meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and they discussed various issues of mutual interest to Malaysia and the Philippines.

There was disagreement on certain issues because of the different perception, he said, adding that the question of the Philippine claim to Sabah was “not a subject of very forceful discussion”.