The Education Ministry stated today that the teaching and learning of students' mother tongue in schools had never been stopped or abolished.

Its director-general Khair Mohamad Yusof said the Pupils' Own Language (POL) classes would continue for as long as there were applications from 15 parents or more, and the need for such classes in a national primary or secondary school.

“Like in previous years, the state education department will implement POL classes this year if there are requests to conduct the classes," he said in a statement today.

Khair said classes for the two mother tongues at the sekolah kebangsaan (national primary schools) were from Year Three and at the sekolah menengah kebangsaan (national secondary schools), from Remove Class.

- Bernama