PETALING JAYA: Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has made it clear that all government schools, including full boarding schools, are required to follow the recently introduced Dual Language Programme (DLP) guidelines without exception.
Clause 12.2.8 of the new guidelines mandates at least one class in Year One and Form One where mathematics and science are taught in Bahasa Melayu, even if it goes against parents’ wishes.
According to The Star, she was responding to claims by Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia chairman Noor Azimah Rahim that certain elite schools like Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) and Tunku Kurshiah College were exempt from the new rule.
Azimah had also stated that the guidelines explicitly exclude Sarawak, allowing its primary schools to conduct DLP fully in English from 2020.
Dismissing the claims, Fadhlina said all schools, including full boarding schools, are required to follow the guidelines without any exceptions for specific types of schools.
“We have asked all government schools to adhere to the guidelines, and there are no issues.
“For those with implementation challenges, we will seek them out and help the school in getting it done,“ she was quoted as saying.
These claims had prompted DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng to urge the ministry to provide clarification on the apparent exemptions for elite schools on June 10.
“What would raise eyebrows are Azimah’s revelations that two elite schools in Peninsular Malaysia producing the cream of the Malay government and corporate world intend to ignore the latest directive from the ministry.
“So far, the education ministry has neither confirmed nor denied what Azimah said about the elite schools,“ he said in a statement, questioning if schools in the peninsula could also apply to forgo the new DLP rule.
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