DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang today described the Education Ministry's reasons to use English to teach Mathematics and Science revealed during yesterday's parliamentary session as "the most outrageous and scandalous answer in the history of Parliament".

He said Education Minister Musa Mohamad not only failed to answer the question raised by DAP MP Kerk Kim Hock (Kota Melaka) but also made the false assumption that the only way to excel in Mathematics and Science was to learn the two subjects in English from Standard One.

Lim also questioned Musa's remark, supposedly based on a study by the American Association for the Advancement of Science 1990, that it was necessary to switch to English since most reference materials for the subjects are in that language and so as not to "deprive (students) of a basic education and handicap them for life".

"Is Musa suggesting that under all the previous education ministers, Malaysians had been 'deprived of a basic education' and 'handicapped for life' because of the neglect of Mathematics and Science in schools?" he said in a press statement.

Totally unrelated

Lim also criticised Musa for his reference to four studies to justify the change to English in the teaching of Science and Mathematics. In his written reply, the minister quoted four studies that touched on bilingual education.

"It is most shocking that Musa can use these four studies to justify the new policy as they are totally unrelated to the specific issue of using English to teach the two subjects in the first year of primary schools," he said.

The minister also claimed that the studies indicated that students who were exposed to a "bilingual education system" were found to have significantly better academic achievement, especially in subjects such as Mathematics and Science.

Lim said it was "astounding"that the minister had used these studies which were based on the effect of bilingual education on "language minority students" like the Greek and Mexicans in the United States, an English-speaking country.

He pointed out that the US bilingual programmes could have different linguistic objectives such as to serve as a transitional programme to eradicate mother tongue usage; a maintenance programme to add a second language; or an enrichment programme, to build upon students' existing language skills.

"The situation of national primary schools is completely different as Bahasa Malaysia is the mainstream medium of instruction and the four studies quoted by Musa are completely inappropriate," he stressed.

Relevant studies

In comparison, Lim referred to another study said to be the largest, most comprehensive, reliable and important international study of educational outcomes, TIMSS-R (Third International Mathematics and Science Study - Repeat) 1999.

The study showed that countries which consistently excel in international Mathematics and Science quizzes such as China, Russia, Vietnam, South Korea and Taiwan do not use English to teach the subjects.

Lim also offered to share with Musa the findings of several other studies which opposed the introduction of a second language in schools to teach key subjects.

"In a classic study on immigrant Finnish children in Sweden, the prevailing belief that the younger children were when they begin school in a new language, the better they would do in terms of second language acquisition and overall academic achievement was proven wrong.

"The study found that the children who adapted and performed best were those who began education through the second language between the ages of 10 to 12," Lim said.

The reference made by Lim echoed the views of Barisan Nasional component party Gerakan when it opposed the introduction of English language instruction for Maths and Science in primary schools.

Gerakan had said that based on several reports that it commissioned on the issue from academicians and analysis centres, other countries seeking to introduce bilingual education had found that the switch had most effect for students over the age of 10 years.

Note: The four studies referred to by education ministry:

  • A National Study of School Effectiveness for Language Minority Students' Long-Term Academic Achievement by Thomas and Collier, 2002

  • Effects of Bilingual/ESL Instruction on the Academic Achievement of Eight-Grade Mexican-American Students by Gomez, 1997;

  • The Impact of Greek Bilingual Programs on the Academic Performance Language Preservation and Ethnicity of Greek-American Students: A Case Study in Chicago by Xidis, 1993

  • A Meta-Analysis of Selected Studies on the Effectiveness of Bilingual Education by Willig, 1985.