Fadhlina denies some schools exempt from new DLP ruling

Source: Daily Express Sabah

NIBONG TEBAL: Education minister Fadhlina Sidek today denied claims that certain schools are exempt from the new Dual Language Programme (DLP) ruling.

The new DLP guidelines require at least one class in Year One and Form One where mathematics and science are taught in Bahasa Melayu, even if it is against parents' wishes.

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"We have asked all (government schools) to adhere to the guidelines, and there are no issues.

"For those with issues on implementation, we will seek them out and help the school in getting it done," Fadhlina told reporters at SK Sungai Bakap.

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Educationist Noor Azimah Rahim recently claimed that elite schools such as the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) and Tunku Kurshiah College were exempt from the new DLP rule.

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Azimah also said that the new guidelines explicitly exclude Sarawak, allowing all primary schools to conduct DLP in full since 2020.

This means that the medium of instruction for all science and mathematics classes is English.

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DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng recently urged the education ministry to explain why MCKK and Tunku Kurshiah College had been granted leeway to "ignore" the new DLP ruling.

Lim asked if schools in the peninsula could also apply to the ministry to forgo the new DLP rule. "Fair play and a level playing field can only lead to a rational and logical conclusion," he said.

Fadhlina had earlier launched the "Sekolah Pengajar dan Sahabat Bahasa" programme to improve students' proficiency in Bahasa Melayu and English.

The programme, jointly developed with the Teachers Training Institute, will see experts from the institute roped into select schools to improve teaching methods in these languages.

Fadhlina said the programme forms part of the Elevating Bahasa Malaysia and Strengthening English policy, which was launched in 2011.

Activities under the programme include critical reading sessions, classroom magazines, language-themed events, and cultural activities.

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