DARI STAR ONLINE
4.4.2011
WE refer to “Performance gap narrowed” (Sunday Star, March 27) and applaud students, principals and teachers, as well as the Education Ministry and its respective education departments, for achieving success, as “rural students performed better than their urban counterparts in several subjects such as Bahasa Melayu and Science”.
Let the statistics speak for themselves. The achievements of the rural students this time around are very impressive.
Marked improvements of 3.1%, 4.0% and 1.4% were shown in the numbers who passed English, Mathematics and Science, respectively, outperforming urban students who had made only modest gains compared with the year before.
Incidentally, every percentage point that is gained translates to an improvement of 3,685 students.
One can deduce that the improvement in English may have been the residual effect of the policy of teaching and learning Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI). It had provided the context in which students were compelled to apply and use the language.
As for Mathematics, although rural students have yet to match the levels set by that of urban students, it appears that the rural students have grasped the terminologies of the subject and continued to advance.
By far, the one that deserves the coveted bragging trophy is the rural students’ passing percentage in Science. At 92.3% it is the best performing subject in the SPM, in which the rural schools reign supreme, surpassing their urban counterparts.
It must also be made known that the rural schools scored better in Bahasa Melayu this year, coupled with their remarkable performance in Science. This shows that the policy of teaching and learning Science and Mathematics in English had not jeopardised their level of Bahasa Melayu whatsoever.
Therefore, the PPSMI policy has worked perfectly to “uphold the Malay language and strengthen the English language” which, incidentally, is the desired result of MBMMBI, the policy that was devised to replace PPSMI.
If PPSMI is working as proven by the SPM results, why should it be scrapped?
Overall, it appears that teachers are more experienced and adept in teaching Science and Mathematics in English. All they needed was sufficient time to adapt to the change and subsequently move forward to meet the challenges.
One of the main reasons for the abolishment of the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English was the supposed widening of the performance gap between urban and rural students.
However, the opposite is now true, in that subsequent performance gaps have been narrowing albeit in small, but sure, numbers. Hence the decision to abolish this very important policy should be highly re-considered.
Rural schools are the ones which would lose out should this good policy be taken away from them. Allow the English option alongside Bahasa Melayu in national primary and secondary schools. The benefits are evident in the statistics.
Let the statistics speak for themselves. The achievements of the rural students this time around are very impressive.
Marked improvements of 3.1%, 4.0% and 1.4% were shown in the numbers who passed English, Mathematics and Science, respectively, outperforming urban students who had made only modest gains compared with the year before.
Incidentally, every percentage point that is gained translates to an improvement of 3,685 students.
One can deduce that the improvement in English may have been the residual effect of the policy of teaching and learning Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI). It had provided the context in which students were compelled to apply and use the language.
As for Mathematics, although rural students have yet to match the levels set by that of urban students, it appears that the rural students have grasped the terminologies of the subject and continued to advance.
By far, the one that deserves the coveted bragging trophy is the rural students’ passing percentage in Science. At 92.3% it is the best performing subject in the SPM, in which the rural schools reign supreme, surpassing their urban counterparts.
It must also be made known that the rural schools scored better in Bahasa Melayu this year, coupled with their remarkable performance in Science. This shows that the policy of teaching and learning Science and Mathematics in English had not jeopardised their level of Bahasa Melayu whatsoever.
Therefore, the PPSMI policy has worked perfectly to “uphold the Malay language and strengthen the English language” which, incidentally, is the desired result of MBMMBI, the policy that was devised to replace PPSMI.
If PPSMI is working as proven by the SPM results, why should it be scrapped?
Overall, it appears that teachers are more experienced and adept in teaching Science and Mathematics in English. All they needed was sufficient time to adapt to the change and subsequently move forward to meet the challenges.
One of the main reasons for the abolishment of the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English was the supposed widening of the performance gap between urban and rural students.
However, the opposite is now true, in that subsequent performance gaps have been narrowing albeit in small, but sure, numbers. Hence the decision to abolish this very important policy should be highly re-considered.
Rural schools are the ones which would lose out should this good policy be taken away from them. Allow the English option alongside Bahasa Melayu in national primary and secondary schools. The benefits are evident in the statistics.
DATIN NOOR AZIMAH ABDUL RAHIM,
Chairperson, PAGE.
KOMEN : BILA AGAKNYA KERAJAAN AKAN MULA MENDENGAR PANDANGAN DAN CADANGAN DARI IBUBAPA MURID BERKENAAN PPSMI.
No comments:
Post a Comment