00:00 So today we are calling a press conference regarding the dual language programme issues
00:09 DLP which it was brought to our attention and also concern about the recent few issues
00:15 on the implementations of the DLP programme.
00:18 The parents of schools going children who are already and joining the DLP classes have
00:24 been told to switch to a non-DLP in January 2024 under the US.
00:30 The second issue is the schools have been forced to open a non-DLP class in a full DLP
00:37 school in the new academic years.
00:39 As it is, there are already a very few DLP schools that have met all the criteria now.
00:44 So this was a newly added criteria which wasn't being stated in the current guidelines issued
00:50 in 2016 which there was only four clear guidelines stated by then.
00:55 So the third is the principals are not objective in abiding by the DLP guidelines but instead
01:01 interpret them to suit their understandings of verbose instructions given to them by JPN
01:06 and MOE.
01:07 But now with the new implementation of guidelines, so the parental consent and choices was not
01:12 taking into consideration but then it was forced to the non-DLP class even the parents
01:17 choose to send their kids into a DLP class.
01:20 We urge the Ministry of Education to withdraw its directive that all schools including those
01:27 which have fully implemented the DLP for all its mathematics and science classes to mandatorily
01:33 commence at least one non-DLP class for the teachings of mathematics and science.
01:38 And instead, we urge the Ministry of Education to retain the current practice for DLP in
01:44 the existing guidelines.
01:45 Since its inception, schools must meet four criteria to enable the implementation of the
01:50 DLP which is the first is to have sufficient teaching resources, the second is appropriation
01:57 by the principals and teachers, the third is the parental requirements and consent and
02:02 last is the school performance in the Bahasa Melayu subject to meet the national adverse
02:06 standard.
02:07 So it's clearly in the guidelines that there is no such criteria where a non-DLP class
02:12 has to be a compulsory criteria in all the DLP schools.
02:16 So abruptly compels the opening of one non-DLP class would translate to the victimization
02:22 of the school going child.
02:23 The selection criteria to be placed at the BM class has not been made clear.
02:28 So what criteria would the school deploy to select which student will switch to learning
02:31 mathematics and science in BM?
02:33 The parents have reported that they were given a "take it or leave it" scenario which means
02:39 that if they insist their child continues the DLP in English, they have no option but
02:44 to transfer their child out of the school.
02:46 So at this juncture, we see there is no concrete need to impose a new additional guidelines
02:52 on the compulsory at least one non-DLP class in all current DLP schools.
02:58 Besides, there are no clear guidelines issued by the Ministry pertaining to this nor any
03:03 communication or telephone being carried out before listening to the parents and students'
03:07 opinions of implementation of these new guidelines.
03:10 Moreover, the Ministry of Education should not mix up the uphold BM policies with the
03:16 current DLP.
03:17 Students who appear to be weak in BM should be immersed in programs under the uphold BM
03:22 policies instead of making them study STEM subjects under BM.
03:27 Let those students whose parents have opted for them to do DLP continue pursue their education
03:32 in PIS.
03:33 So we can see that there is a very major flip-flop in just a few months' time.
03:38 So we didn't see what is the clear guidelines the Ministry is upholding now.
03:42 So there are issues.
03:43 Probably if you ask about is there a confusion, I think it's a yes.
03:46 Not just to us, to the parents, to the students, to the school, to the principals.
03:49 What are they going to do?
03:50 Are they going to face the same issues of the five schools?
03:53 That the books being called back in one day, overnight, they say "Okay, now today, we'll
03:57 go back tomorrow, go back BM."
04:00 We don't want this thing, right, because this is education and we don't expect, even adult
04:04 companies, I say "Tomorrow you just shift to a company, you're not going to do that."
04:07 But you're doing this to like 10-year-old kids.
04:09 Can you imagine that?
04:10 So we don't think this is what a Ministry of Education should handle issue professionally.
04:16 So that's why we call for a clear guideline.
04:18 [end]
04:19 Page 1 of 2
04:19 Page 2 of 3
04:20 Page 3 of 4
04:20 Page 5 of 6
04:25 [BLANK_AUDIO]
Comments