Dr Mahathir unhappy with decision
(Malaysian Mirror) – Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad regrets that his views had not been taken into account when the Cabinet decided on the issue of teaching science and mathematics in schools.
The government announced today that the two subjects would be taught in Malay effective 2012.
Writing in his blog, chedet.co.cc/chedetblog Dr Mahathir said Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and officials from the Education Ministry had met him to brief on what the government had already decided to do.
“Although my views were sought, they are not reflected in the decision,” he said, adding that his views to the issue are written in his blog.
Wrong perception
Dr Mahathir said he was not pleased with reports that some Malay literary figures had opposed the policy of teaching science and mathematics in English.
“It is as if the policy would displace the Malay language as the language for knowledge and reduces its development as the national language.
“We must remember that education is not just a matter of advancing or developing a certain language. Education is about acquiring knowledge, all kinds of knowledge.
“The thing that can upgrade the position and advancement of language is the subject of the language itself and, at a higher level, the subject of literature.”
Dr Mahathir said science and mathematics, on their own, cannot help to develop any language, particularly the Malay language.
This is because the terms in science and mathematics were not originally Malay, he said, adding that a large portion of the words were Latin and later Anglicised.
“While we can (create words), there are not one or two but hundreds (of words) to think about. And some words are often the root words for others,” he said, giving ‘oxygen’ as an example.
“From the word ‘oxygen’, you get the derivatives like ‘oxygenation’, ‘oxidation’, ‘oxide’, ‘oxidants’ and others, among some 120 elements.’
Dr Mahathir said if all words were to be given Malay spellings, the Malay language would change to English. The spellings are different but they sound the same. Eventually, the Malay language would be no more.
He said science and mathematics are not static. They evolve continuously through research, discoveries, inventions and expansion through hundreds of working papers.
“Almost all of that is written in English. To translate them, we need people who are well-versed in Malay, English and the subject to be translated,” he said, adding that there were only a handful of people in just two or three areas of interest who have such capability at the moment.
Don't gamble on chidren's future
Dr Mahathir said it was unlikely that a person could acquire a PhD in science and mathematics by just studying in Malay and without an understanding of English.
He asked: “How many specialists are there in medical services who only learned in Malay, without any reference book in English?
“Is is true that students living in the rural areas cannot be proficient in English?”
He added that those who oppose the teaching of science and mathematics in English were also from the rural areas and often spoke in English.
In other fields, such as in the diplomatic corps and in the civil service, it is pertinent to be well-versed in English as they are expected to speak at international forums.
“It is important to acquire knowledge for the sake of advancing in the future. Let us not gamble on the future of our children just to show we are a nationalist and so protective of our language.
“The love for the language should not surpass the love for one’s nation,” said Dr Mahathir, adding that speaking in one’s own language does not necessarily makes one’s nation well-respected and admired by others.
