Dr Mahathir calls for Science and Maths to be taught in English, again
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today repeated his call to Putrajaya to revert to teaching Science and Mathematics in English.
He argued that the spirit of nationalism will not diminish even if the subjects were taught in English as "knowledge is the key to the success of a race".
"We have to be realistic. Bahasa Malaysia is still not the official language for Science and Maths.
"I am a Malay and I love the Malay language. But I also want the Malays to be educated.
"I beg that the subjects be taught in English again," Mahathir said at the International Conference on Teacher Education in the Muslim World in Petaling Jaya today.
If Malaysians do not master the English language, the former premier pointed out, it would narrow down their job opportunities even if the individual was a good student.
"Without English, we won't have any advantage. Nationalism is not only speaking in Malay. That is wrong," added.
Both science and mathematics, he went on, were always changing with new discoveries every day.
"About 98% of the science and mathematics research reports are published in English. We cannot be translating every single one of them," he said.
"If we don't use English, we will be left behind in terms of knowledge. We won't be able to compete with the rest.”
Dr Mahathir had introduced the teaching of mathematics and science in English when he was prime minister but the scheme was discontinued in 2011.
Earlier, he said that people should also acquire technical knowledge instead of solely focusing on religious knowledge to prepare for the afterlife.
Giving an example, Dr Mahathir said that the decline of the Arab world showed that the people there were only interested in acquiring religious knowledge.
"The Muslims decided that acquiring knowledge is not something that will give them merit in the next world,” he said.
"They believe that only through learning about religion will you gain merit for the next world.”
He also called on the Education Ministry to revise the education curriculum in schools to inculcate life values.
"Moral education is not so important. Although we have religious studies in school, the emphasis on character building is not prioritised.
"Islam guides people with good values and to differentiate good from bad, but we focus on how to pray, recite the doa and ask things from God. Are we not teaching them how to be good people too?"
He had earlier said that there was growing character deterioration among the people as seen with the rampant corruption and significant increase in crimes rates.
“It would seem that the education system has not succeeded in producing the kind of law-abiding, upright citizens that we hoped for," he opined.
“Even if they don’t break the law, their attitude towards work and sense of responsibility leave much to be desired. They don’t seem to have good work ethics.” – November 12, 2013.
