KOTA KINABALU: The chairman of the Association of Sabah National Type Chinese Schools, Datuk Wong Yit Ming, said that secondary schools especially government-aided or mission schools should be allowed to decide if they want to teach Mathematics and Science in English.
By allowing English to be the medium of language for Mathematics and Science will nurture more Malaysians to be multi-lingual and they would not only good in Bahasa Malaysia but also in English and Mandarin, he said.
Wong, in a statement yesterday disclosed that at the association’s annual general meeting last month, they passed a resolution to call the Ministry of Education to continue implementing the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English in government-aided secondary schools and mission schools in Sabah and Sarawak according to the wishes of the majority of the parents.
“The Malaysian Agreement of 1963 provided and allowed the use of English in the state assembly, courts, state cabinets in Sabah and Sarawak. Therefore, the Federal Government should give special permission to secondary schools in Sabah and Sarawak to teach Mathematics and Science in English.
“To teach Mathematics and Science in English in secondary schools will give more advantages to the students as more than 95 per cent of science and scientific articles on the internet webpages are written in English,” he pointed out.
The association urges the Federal Government to reconsider implementing the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English in secondary schools, especially for government-aided secondary and mission schools in Sabah and Sarawak.
“We also support MCA’s proposal to raise the issue in the coming Federal Cabinet and urge all Federal Ministers from Sabah and Sarawak to support the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English in secondary schools.”
Wong added that the association represents eight government-aided secondary schools board committees to voice out their request to have Mathematics and Science to be taught in English.
The eight secondary schools are KK High School, SM Chung Hwa Tenom, SM Ken Hwa Keningau, SMJK Chung Hwa Sandakan, SM Sung Siew Sandakan, SM Lok Yuk, Lok Yuk Secondary School Kudat, SM Shan Tao.