Form Six Science, Maths will still be in English

PRESS

DEPUTY Education Minister Chong Sin Woon said Science and Mathematics will continue to be taught in English in Form Six, although the two subjects will be taught in Bahasa Malaysia (BM) in government secondary schools following the phasing out of PPSMI (the Malay abbreviation for the Teaching of Science and Mathematics in English).

He said the ministry is not worried about the possibility that students who were taught Science and Mathematics in BM up to Form Five could not cope with these subjects in English when in Form Six, as this was the learning process before the implementation of PPSMI, China Press reported yesterday.

PPSMI, which was introduced in 2003, will be phased out by end of this year for primary schools and 2021 for secondary schools.

He said following the scrapping of PPSMI, the two subjects will be taught in pupils’ own language in vernacular primary schools and BM in national schools.

The “2-4-3 formula” of teaching English in Chinese primary schools will also be scrapped, he said.

He said when primary pupils enter government secondary schools, they will learn the two subjects in BM.

“I don’t understand why there was such a strong negative public reaction when the government decided to revert to teaching of Science and Mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia in secondary school, as Bahasa Malaysia was the medium of instruction (for the two subjects) before the PPSMI policy was implemented.

“When the students enter Form Six (or foundation), I believe they would have mastered English (to be ready for the switch to English for Science and Mathematics,” he said.

B