Irene Chang
SIBU: Bukit Assek assemblywoman Irene Chang is disappointed with the Ministry of Education for suggesting that using English as a medium of instruction in schools, including schools in Sarawak, would violate the Federal Constitution, the National Language Act 1963/67 and the Education Act 1996.
In a press statement yesterday, she said the ministry should know that in its manifesto for the 14th general election, Pakatan Harapan (PH) had promised that parents in Sarawak shall be given the free choice to have their children choose Bahasa Melayu, English or Chinese as the medium of instruction.
She added the ministry should now not go back on their word, but find ways to deliver PH’s promises during the election.
She said: “In the consideration of ways on how to carry out the promise, the ministry ought to realise that when the Sarawak manifesto was drafted, all component parties of PH in Sarawak had realised the strong local sentiment to bring English back as a medium of instruction in Sarawak.
“This, in part, is due to the recognition that under our Malaysia Agreement 1963, English should be the official language for all purposes, state or federal, without limitation of time.”
She said this was encapsulated in the Federal Constitution whereby Article 161 provides for the continued use of English in the State Legislative Assembly and the courts of law in Sarawak.
“In the past, various attempts, including making English the medium of instruction in Mathematics and Science, have failed to overcome this issue among our students.
“As a result, we have so many unemployed graduates who find difficulty in stringing proper sentences in English.”
She said it was therefore time for the ministry to be more wholesome and holistic in its approach, especially in Sarawak where proficiency in English is still required in courts of law and the State Legislative Assembly.
“Offering it as a second option of medium of instruction would surely go a long way to overcome this issue and would help to arrest the decline and to allow the younger generation to compete in the global working market.”
She said Malaysians, especially those from Sarawak, were losing out internationally due to their low English proficiency in the real working environment.
She said this fact had been recognised and acknowledged, even by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir when he recently directed that top government officials would need to take English competency tests to ensure that top civil servants were able to communicate and negotiate effectively with foreign parties when necessary.
“Following the directive, even the Police have taken the initiative to start intensive courses to polish up their written and spoken English.
“It is therefore an open acknowledgement of the dismal situation which, if we do not want it to continue, we should address the issue head on.”
She said a way to overcome this is to start offering the language as a medium of instruction at primary school level.
In this way, she added, these younger generation would be more equipped when they are ready to enter the workforce as they would be forced to absorb the language six to seven hours daily.
She said teachers, likewise, would be forced to improve themselves in the language.
“Of course, this should not be done at the expense of our national language, i.e. Bahasa Malaysia, which should still be a compulsory pass in all exams.”
She said: “English is the language of knowledge linking us to the rest of the world and to make ourselves relevant globally.
“Hence, trying to overcome the lack of proficiency among our people should not be seen as a move to reject Bahasa Malaysia or, in any way, to undermine the preservation of the supremacy of our constitution and our relevant law.
“And if there is really a will to really deliver the promises made in the manifesto, then the constitution and the relevant laws may be amended to cater for the need.”
Chang urged the Education Ministry to reconsider and not to backtrack on the promises made to the people of Sarawak.