SIBU, May 10 — The Sarawak dual-language programme (DLP) which uses English in teaching Mathematics and Science subjects will be extended to secondary schools across Sarawak with immediate effect, said Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee.
The state Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development pointed out that the move was in line with Sarawak government’s objective to use English as a medium of instruction in all schools across the state.
“The DLP programme, which is currently implemented to Primary 1 to 5 in Sarawak, will also be extended to secondary schools across the state with immediate effect.
“This is one of the several agreed-upon points by the federal government that Sarawak has presented,” Dr Annuar told The Borneo Post.
The Nangka assemblyman said with the implementation of DLP in secondary schools, STEM subjects, namely Additional Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, will be taught in English.
He added that this was the right step towards encouraging more students to be interested in STEM subjects.
Also, he said the state government has presented 15 very comprehensive points to the federal government as part of Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) negotiations for the devolution of power in education.
This was within the framework of the ambit of Paragraph 17 of the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report 1962, he said.
“We aim to translate these into a circular for smooth implementation.
“We are also exploring the possibility of incorporating these points into regulations or relevant statutes to ensure continuity regardless of changes in leadership or government,” he said in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
Dr Annuar was responding to a question posed by Datuk Ding Kuong Hiing (GPS-Meradong) regarding the status of the devolution of education autonomy to the Sarawak government. — The Borneo Post
