By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, May 8: Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) president Datuk Dr Sim Kian Hui is thankful to the state government, especially to Minister for Education, Science and Technological Research Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong, for allowing 222 Chinese schools in Sarawak to continue teaching science and mathematics in their mother tongue.
“We are very grateful to YB Dato Sri Michael Manyin that Chinese schools in Sarawak have the option to teach both mathematics and science in their mother tongue. As you know, both mathematics and science are technical subjects. If you want to learn a new subject, it would make it doubly hard for the students to learn,” Dr Sim told a news conference after tabling his winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) today.
He added that students in Chinese schools in the state had been able to achieve 90 per cent in these two subjects, which are taught in Mandarin.
“These two subjects are very technical, but they have been performing at more than 90 per cent (in these two subjects). And if they have to take these two subjects in English, then it would double their problems as English is also a technical subject,” said Dr Sim.
However, he welcomed the state government’s efforts to teach English in schools in Sarawak starting next year to improve the proficiency of English among students in Sarawak, as English has been used as the second official language of Sarawak.
“It’s the way forward to adopt English as our second official language. We are the only parliament in the country that uses English. We should be proud of it,” he reiterated.
Meanwhile, Manyin told reporters today that his ministry would allow Chinese schools in Sarawak to continue teaching mathematics and science in Mandarin.
“It’s up to them because they have pleaded for us to leave them alone to teach both subjects in their mother tongue,” he said. — DayakDaily
