The Education Ministry today rejected the suggestion by Chinese-based Barisan Nasional component parties that Science and Mathematics be taught in English for Chinese primary students after school hours.

Its director-general Abdul Rafie Mahat said the language switch must be incorporated into the formal learning hours for all schools.

"It is in the timetable, these (two subjects) are in the curriculum," he told reporters after an hour-long post-cabinet meeting at the ministry's headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

"From the angle of implementation, the two subjects are both formal curriculum subjects and they must be taught during the formal time schedule."

Yesterday, the Chinese-based component parties had proposed that classes be held after school hours or on Saturdays when the two subjects are taught in English.

This is in order to retain the current mother-tongue medium instruction for the subjects in Chinese primary schools.

The proposal was raised at the Barisan Nasional supreme council meeting yesterday, which was convened to discuss the issue.

Flexible system

Four Chinese-based parties MCA, Gerakan, Sarawak United People's Party and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) wanted the mother-tongue system to be retained. Another component member, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), supported the switch.

After the meeting, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the coalition reached a unanimous decision that the switch be implemented for Standard One, Form One and Lower Six students in all schools starting next year.

However, he added that the Chinese-based parties have been given one week to determine the model of implementation for Chinese primary schools.

Earlier today, MCA president Ling Liong Sik said leaders from the four parties will meet with education experts regarding the matter.

Meanwhile, Abdul Rafie said the new system will be flexible for students.

"Students will be provided with bilingual examination papers for Science and Mathematics and they are free to choose the language they prefer within the transition period, which is from year 2003 to 2007," he said.

The government had decided earlier that primary school students will sit for the two subjects in English for the UPSR examination in 2008, and secondary school students for the PMR and STPM exams in 2005 and 2004 respectively.

Well prepared

Reiterating that the ministry was well prepared to handle the switch, the director-general showed a copy of a Standard One worksheet for Science, compiled in English.

He said similar worksheets for the others were also ready and would be used when the new school year begins.

On the possibility of amending these worksheets since vernacular schools may have different teaching methods, Abdul Rafie said: "The completed worksheets are suitable for all schools and were prepared by educationists. We must prepare earlier and cannot keep on waiting."

The ministry is also confident that teachers will be well prepared to implement the new education policy since they will be trained on how to use new courseware starting next month.

Teachers will be aided by computers and LCD projectors, among others, to ensure that implementation proceeds smoothly.

"For those schools which lack these facilities or electricity, we will look for alternative ways to implement it. But the ministry intends to use it in all schools since the budget has been allocated for these facilities," he said.

In the 2003 Budget, the government allocated RM5 billion to be spent over a period seven years for the implementation of the new policy.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Musa Mohamed when met later at the same venue, said yesterday's decision by the BN supreme council must be respected by all, including the Chinese-based component parties.

The controversial switch was mooted by Mahathir early this year in an attempt to arrest the decline of English proficiency among students.

However, this met with strong protest from various quarters who said that teaching the two subjects in English would not help improve students' command of the language.