Parents pushing for choice in the medium of instruction for science and mathematics in schools have welcomed yesterday's government announcement on the matter.

Parent Action Group for Education (Page) chairperson Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, said she had been receiving congratulatory and "happy" text messages and phone calls from parents since last night.

"We thank the deputy prime minister for the decision, but we would would also like to look at the details," she said.

However, she said, parents who have contacted her had also urged for the option to be extended to pupils enrolling in Standard One.

"They wondered why the Standard One pupils are being discriminated, implying that they would like the choice to be extended," she said.

She added that the parents felt that the new policy (MBMMBI), which extends the number of hours allocated for the teaching of the English language, should be made complementary to the teaching of science and mathematics in English.

"PPSMI is a forward thinking, timeless and should be allowed to continue... but we don't want to be asking too much just yet," she said.

NONE Yesterday, deputy premier and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin ( on the right in photo ) said  students taught the two subjects in English would  be allowed the choice to continue studying in the language.

' Support those opting for English'

However, from next year, children enrolling in Standard One will be taught the two subjects only in the national language. This year's Standard One pupils learnt the subject in Bahasa Malaysia

This means that PPSMI, introduced by Muhyiddin's predecessor in 2003, will be completely phased out for primary schools in 2016, while the last batch of those learning the subjects in English will complete Form Five in 2021

Noor Azimah said she hopes that the students who choose to continue studying in English until 2021 will receive the right support from their teachers.

"When the minister of wducation was changed, teachers were complacent and did not use the supporting materials to teach in English and went back to the chalkboard as there were no more checks.

"I hope that the checks will be put in place and the teaching standard will be maintained now that there is political will," she said.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued  today, MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek said the ministry's announcement yesterday "paved the way for clear guidelines on the matter and put an end to any confusion".

"The government has listened to the voices of the rakyat in coming up with the win-win situation for all stakeholders concerned," he said.

In addition, Chua said, it was MCA's "fervent hope" that English is given greater importance as a "universal language" of the world, starting with making it a compulsory pass subject in SPM.

He also reiterated his party's call for English literature to be made compulsory in schools and for all Malaysians to be well-versed, not only in Bahasa Malaysia and English, but also in Mandarin.

MCA, Gerakan and MIC had backed the parents' call to allow the choice of language for instruction in the two subjects, along with Pakatan Rakyat's DAP.