The use of English for extra classes in the Chinese independent schools has been in line with their open policy for students to master more than one language, Dong Zong or United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia stressed today.

Dong Zong deputy president Dr Yap Sin Thian said he could not understand why Deputy Education Minister Abdul Aziz Samsudin called that a "secret" in a news report in Malay newspaper Berita Minggu today.

"Maybe the minister has run out of ideas on what to say and simply made some remarks based on incomplete information that he had gathered," said Yap when contacted.

He said Abdul Aziz is more than welcomed to visit any of the 60 Chinese independent secondary schools in the country and understand more about the way they work.

Abdul Aziz was quoted in the news report as saying that some Chinese independent schools in Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur have been "secretly" teaching all subjects in English after school hours.

"This shows that the (Chinese education) groups only want their own race to progress but want to stop the other races from acquiring the language skill," he said.

Going overseas

However, Yap said since Chinese independent schools were established in the 1960s as a response to the government's conversion of secondary schools into national schools then, emphasis has been given to the learning of English and Bahasa Melayu among students.

"This was because students of many independent schools would have to sit for one examination in Chinese language and the government examinations in Bahasa Melayu, our official language.

"When the students finish their secondary education, many of them go overseas and that's why we want them to master English as well," he said.

All independent schools offer Unified Examination Certificate administered by Dong Zong and its affiliate Jiao Zong which comprises Chinese school teachers, while some schools also require their students to sit for the government examinations such as Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).

Yap said some independent schools may have decided to give extra classes to the students in English to improve their command of the language.

Accusation irresponsible

However, he stressed that the first six years of primary education should be taught in the mother-tongue to enable students to better grasp fundamental concepts and ideas in various subjects.

"Once the foundation is strong, they can proceed to learn in other languages. In fact, it is even better if they know more than three languages and speak foreign tongues such as French, Spanish, or Japanese," he said.

He added it would be irresponsible for Abdul Aziz to accuse the Chinese education groups of trying to block other races from making a progress in their language skills as such a statement could create uneasiness within the multi-ethnic Malaysian society.

"The minister wanted to make us look like hypocrites but this is not true. We have been doing what we are doing for almost half a century now. This is a democratic country and we cannot force the others to follow us.

"However, for the benefit of our younger generation, regardless of race, we are always open to discussions with other education groups and the ministry on how to improve the performance of students in all schools," Yap said.