THERE will be increased focus on the teaching of science and mathematics in English, said Dr Mahathir Mohamad when outlining his policy direction in a briefing to Education Ministry top officers.

“Science and mathematics are not indigenous fields of knowledge,” the acting education minister yesterday told his first meeting with ministry officials since assuming the post earlier this month.

“They come from abroad, and most of it comes to us in English. Therefore, we are going to use English in the teaching of science and mathematics.”

A segment of the meeting is shared on Dr Mahathir’s Facebook page.

He did not indicate whether PPSMI – the controversial, now-defunct policy of teaching the two subjects in English – will be revived.

At present, students in some schools learn science and mathematics in English under the voluntary Dual-Language Programme.

PPSMI was introduced in 2002 during Dr Mahathir’s first term as prime minister. It was pushed through despite protests from vernacular school supporters, educators and parents.

The policy was intended to arrest the declining English proficiency among students, particularly Malays. It was abolished in 2009, when Najib Razak took over as prime minister.

In the video recording of the meeting, Dr Mahathir, who spoke mostly in English, said students who learnt science in Malay are later unable to find work in companies where English proficiency is required.

“Therefore, we are going to use English in the teaching of science and maths, (so that) we don’t confuse people. We find that those who studied science in Malay later on can’t work where English (proficiency) is required.

“We want to promote the use of English and mastery of the language in our education system. This is very important. We must give time for learning English, in particular, in the learning of science and mathematics.”

Dr Mahathir, who held the education portfolio in the 1970s, admitted that his policies can be controversial.

“My views are not always popular or always acceptable to many people. But I feel that I need to push certain things to make sure that our children grow up and find themselves able to tackle the problems of adult life. That is the purpose of education.”

He said education is critical to the country’s development.

“In fact, much of the development of this country is based on the good working relations between the different races.

“If the country is not stable, if we are at war, we can forget about development. Everything will be concentrated on how to kill each other more efficiently, and the killers will be the winners.” – January 31, 2020.