Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid regrets what he believes is a bid to politicise the Dual Language Programme (DLP), the programme to improve mastery of the English language in pilot stage.

“I regret that the DLP is politicised when the objective is to give access to quality education to Malaysian children so they can successfully face the challenges of the 21st century,” he said on Facebook .

He said the government is committed to the DLP and urges all with questions to refer to the ministry’s website on the programme.

This comes hours after the launch of a coalition made up of national laureates, politicians and civil society members against the DLP.

The launch in front of a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur was organised by Gerakan Mansuhkan PPSMI (GMP) which several years ago successfully lobbied against the teaching of science and mathematics in English (PPSMI).

The group considers DLP as a backdoor reintroduction of PPSMI.

The DLP is a programme which allows schools to teach mathematics, science, information and communication technology and design and technology in English, if they deem fit.

It is now in pilot stage for mathematics and science subjects for Standard One, Standard Four and Form One pupils in 300 schools nationwide.