Dr M: Don’t forsake English and ruin children’s future

(The Star) – Parents should think about the future of their children when deciding whether to agree or to oppose the Government’s proposal to make a pass in English compulsory for a student to pass the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, said former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said, English was a necessary component for students to get good jobs once they leave school or for them to go overseas for further education nowadays.

Honoured: Dr Mahathir receiving the honorary Doctorate of Humanity from Lim at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Cyberjaya yesterday. Seated on the left is Dr Mahathir’s wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.

He said that when commenting on Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s statement that the ministry was mulling the possibility of making English a compulsory subject for passing SPM.

He said if parents continued to reject the importance of the English language in their children’s education, then the future of the country would be at stake.

He also slammed those who oppose the move saying that these people were less concerned about education than politics.

“It is more like politics than education. They are not interested in education or acquiring knowledge. All they want to see is how many votes they can win. So I am afraid the country will go to the dogs,” he told reporters after being conferred a honorary Doctorate of Humanity by the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology yesterday.

Asked about the possibility that the policy on the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English would be scrapped Dr Mahathir said: “I feel very sorry. In future, all Malays and Malaysians will be stupid.”

Earlier, he received the honorary doctorate from university president Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing.