July 10, 2009 19:23 PM

80% Of Poll Respondents Oppose PPSMI Abolishment - Mahathir

KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 (Bernama) -- About 80 per cent of 26,000 poll respondents of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed blog do not support the teaching of Science and Mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia.

The former prime minister said he conducted the poll to gauge the people's sentiment on the abolishment the Teaching of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI), reverting it to Bahasa Malaysia and vernacular languages in phases starting 2012.

"If there is no other way to publish the poll results, at least through my blog, hopefully government officials would read it," he told reporters after delivering a keynote address at the Royal Institution and the Malays in the Federal Constitution from the 1Malaysia Perspective Discourse here Friday.

Asked what was wrong with abolishing the PPSMI, he said it was introduced to enable students to acquire knowledge as most of it was churned out in English.

"It is not about trying to learn English or Malay... it is simply an acknowledgement that today knowledge comes to us in English language.

"Today the knowledge is with the people who write in English and for that reason we want to learn English to acquire knowledge, not to learn English as Science has got a special English language for itself.

"That is why it is important that we use English in order to study Science and Mathematics," he added.

On his meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Dr Mahathir said he appreciated it as the later briefed him on the PPSMI issue although he was not inform of the decision.

Dr Mahathir said he did not expect the government to consult him whenever it want to change any policies adopted by his administration.

Meanwhile, the Federal Territories Council of Former Elected Representatives (Mubarak) hoped the controversy surrounding the PPSMI would end with the government's decision.

Its secretary, Datuk Abdul Rahman Sulaiman said FT Mubarak supported the government's decision and welcome a plan to enhance English learning by increasing the duration of English lessons for all levels of schooling and upgrade English teachers competency.

-- BERNAMA

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