KUCHING: The use of English as a general medium of instruction and to teach Mathematics and Science subjects in primary schools in Sarawak has received great support from Sarawakians, according to an online survey.
Based on the outcome of the survey, conducted by Sarawak Patriots Association (SPA for the past 60 hours 93.5% of the 5,753 respondents supported the use of English as a general medium of instruction in Sarawak schools.
As for the use of English to teach Mathematics and Science subjects, 94.5% responded in the affirmative.
SPA had sent invitations to about 4,000 respondents selected by systematic random sampling from its master list of 20,000 WhatsApp users in Sarawak plus 2,000 members from non-governmental organisations.
The WhatsApp users are in urban and rural areas, and above 18 years old.
Out of the 6,000 invitations, 5,753 responded as at noon yesterday, said SPA chairman Datuk Lau Pang Heng.
He said the response rate was recorded at 95.9%, 15.9% more than SPA’s expectation of 80%.
Lau said the outcome also showed that 70.3% of the respondents believed the Education Ministry had the capacity to implement the teaching of Maths and Science in English.
“Another 19.7% of the respondents felt that the Ministry of Education might not have the capacity while 10% has no comment,” he said.
Lau said SPA supported the initiative by the Education Ministry but cautioned that there must be enough competent teachers for its full implementation.
The implementation of the usage of English to teach Maths and English in secondary schools was in 2003. The question is, has the relevant authorities conducted a detailed study on its effectiveness and success?
“If this has been done, SPA requests that the authorities make public its findings as the public has a right to know,” Lau said.
The government of Malaysia implemented usage of Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction in national schools in 1974 but the teaching of Maths and Science changed from Bahasa Malaysia to English in 2003.
In recent months, newspapers reported on the erosion of English standard in our country.
Given the scenario, SPA congratulated the government for implementing English as a medium of instruction for Maths and Science in Sarawak primary schools.
SPA also congratulated those institutions of higher learning for using English as a medium of instruction.
SPA has learned that UiTM is using English as their medium of instruction. While in other universities, there is a mixture of using English and Bahasa Malaysia, he added.
Lau said SPA would like to ask the Education Ministry if they have any plans to implement English as a medium of instruction in public colleges and public universities.
He said that in private colleges and universities, English is the medium of instruction.
SPA stressed on the importance of education as it would groom and equip the leaders of tomorrow in any country.
Lau said changing policies for the good of our future generation is applauded but to change from one education system to another needed resources to train the teachers, print the necessary textbooks and teaching materials.
