Only one Sabah school affected
Published on: Thursday, January 04, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: The expansion of the Dual Language Programme (DLP) which allows students to study Science and Mathematics in either Bahasa Malaysia or English has been postponed nationwide.However, the decision would not affect the 63 Sabah schools that have already started introducing it since 2016 as part of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's plan to reverse the decline in English proficiency among Malaysian students that is having serious implications on their employment prospects locally and abroad.Only one school in Sabah has applied for implementation of the DLP for the current year (2018).
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State Education Director Datuk Hjh Maimunah Hj Suhaibul (pic), when contacted, said she received a letter to this effect although the department had yet to receive the circular."There will be no perluasan (expansion) of the DLP which has been tangguh (postponed). It is not known for how long the programme will be postponed."Which means for Sabah, there will be no additional school implementing the programme this year.
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However, schools that have conducted the programme since 2016 will maintain the status quo," she said.According to Maimunah, Sabah has to date 63 schools (39 secondary and 24 primary) operating under the DLP since 2016.
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In 2016, 19 schools in Sabah (12 secondary and seven primary) were selected for the programme's pilot implementation, among 300 schools nationwide. By the end of that year, 14 more schools were approved for the DLP."A total of 23 schools are in the process of appealing and another 20 schools were proposed for the second round of implementation of the programme," the Director was quoted as saying, adding that the numbers could change depending on whether the schools fulfilled the requirements such as availability of teachers trained in teaching Science and Mathematics in English.A report in the Star said a statement on the postponement of the DLP purportedly from a state Education Department had been posted on a blog run by a "Cikgu Nurul".The blogger claimed that the "sudden postponement" of the programme had raised concerns in schools that have implemented the DLP.According to the statement on the blog, there will be a deferment in the opening of new DLP classes for Years One and Four, as well as Form One.The proposed introduction of DLP in 88 additional schools nationwide will also be postponed until circulars and guidelines are issued, the statement reads.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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