55% OF 15,000 PEOPLE PREFER MATHEMATICS & SCIENCE TO BE TAUGHT IN ENGLISH IN SCHOOLS

Rural folk see brighter future using English

JMM president Azwanddin Hamzah says rural parents want their children to be globally competitive

KUALA LUMPUR 2011/08/18: Fifty-five per cent of 15,000 people prefer Mathematics and Science to be taught in English in schools, according to a study conducted by non-governmental organisation Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM).

JMM president Azwanddin Hamzah said it carried out the four month survey, called “Dreams and Hope”, based on feedback from parents.

“Fifty-five per cent of 14,982 parents agreed that they wanted their children to learn Mathematics and Science in English,” he said yesterday.

He said only 32.15 per cent wanted their children to revert to the teaching of Mathematics and Science in Bahasa Malaysia.

JMM distributed the survey forms to 33 schools.

Azwanddin said the findings proved that 66 per cent of parents from rural areas agreed that teaching Mathematics and Science in English would allow their children to build a brighter future.

“English is the main language in international conferences and events.

“Rural parents want their children to be globally competitive.” He said English was the lingua franca of international business, science and technology “The teaching of the two subjects in English is necessary if we are to move towards a developed-nation status and want to compete globally.” He said parents felt that the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English should be continued, or given the option to continue, as they saw it as a way for their children to be fluent in both languages.

Azwanddin said: “We will present the findings to the Education Ministry.

“We hope the ministry will consider whether students should be taught Mathematics and Science in English or Bahasa Malaysia.”

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