KEPALA BATAS: The Penang State Education Department (JPN) received very good feedback in an engagement session with all parties involved regarding the issue of operating the Dual Language Programme (DLP) in some of the state’s schools.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the engagement session was aimed at understanding the needs of all parties to comply with the guidelines and reaffirming the policy of elevating the Malay language and strengthening the English language.
“We want to emphasise that the guidelines must be complied with, that’s why the engagement session is very important and following the issue, JPN (Penang) has once again come down and provided an explanation and the engagement session is also an ongoing process.
“Feedback from the engagement session conducted by the Penang JPN with the parties involved after the issue arose was very good, I think that’s why we had to engage with the people and it went well,“ she told reporters after opening the Penang Mutiara Media Club Family Day at a water theme park in Bertam, here today.
She said this while commenting on developments regarding the issue raised by School Board and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of 11 National Type Secondary Schools (SMJK) and Chinese Secondary Schools (SMC) in Penang asking the Ministry of Education to respect the wishes of parents and return to the original intention of DLP in Science and Mathematics.
DLP is a programme under the policy of Elevating Bahasa Malaysia and Strengthening English (MBMMBI) which gives schools the option to use English in PdP Science and Mathematics subjects.
In other developments, Fadhlina said JPN is conducting an investigation in accordance with the standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the Ministry of Education (MOE) against the school and teachers regarding the incident believed to be over punishing a student to stand under the hot sun for almost three hours.
“We (MOE) have submitted the matter to the authorities and the investigation was carried out by the police, as there is already a police report and we leave it to them to take further action,“ she said.
She commenting on a media report by Gerakan Guaman Rakyat (GEGAR) which urged the Hulu Langat District Education Office (PPD) to be firm and take immediate action against the school and teachers who are believed to be punishing students to stand in hot afternoon for almost three hours.
Local media reported that the mother of the student involved claimed that her son suffered from heat stroke and neurological problems and was given a referral letter to be assessed as a Disabled Person (OKU) due to the health problems he experienced as a result of the accident.
