DPM: Education Blueprint has no hidden agenda
SERDANG: The National Education Blueprint 2013-2015 was launched with no ulterior motive or hidden agenda and not done to sideline other languages, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Describing the query raised by United Chinese Schools Committees Association of Malaysia, or Dong Zong, on the status of Chinese education as a “misunderstanding”, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed that the Government was fair to all schools.
“The blueprint, which was introduced to develop the country’s education, is being seen as something done at the expense of Chinese education. That’s not true at all.
“All schools, except Chinese private schools that want to be independent, will benefit from the plan as we want to upgrade all schools,” Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said after visiting the Malaysian International Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism (Maha) Exhibition here yesterday.
Dong Zong had staged a gathering in Petaling Jaya to protest against the blueprint, alleging that it would sideline vernacular schools and calling on the Government to act fairly.
There was no mention in the blueprint, said Muhyiddin, that Chinese or Tamil schools would be sidelined.
“It has, in fact, clearly stated that all national-type schools would be maintained,” he said.
Additional teaching time for Bahasa Malaysia in SJKCs and SJKTs would also be conducted via extra classes without affecting the period for the teaching of Chinese or Tamil, he said.
On the abolition of remove classes – which Dong Zong objected to – Muhyiddin said these would be unnecessary if the study of Bahasa Malaysia in SJKCs and SJKTs was on par with that in normal schools.
Muhyiddin said it was obvious that the protest was “politically motivated”, urging Dong Zong to stop accusing the Government.