What is PPSMI

PPSMI is an acronym for Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam
Bahasa Inggeris or the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English. It is an
education policy that aimed in improving the command of the English language among students
at primary and secondary schools in Malaysia. According to this policy, the Science and
Mathematics subjects are taught in the English medium as opposed to the Malay medium used
before. This policy was introduced in 2003 by the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr.
Mahathir bin Mohamad.

History of PPSMI

PPSMI has been enshrined as the Malaysian education policy decision of Cabinet special
meeting on 19th July 2002 under fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin
Mohamad. According to the Ministry of Education Malaysia, it was implemented in phases,
beginning in the 2003 school year with the pioneers were all Standard 1 pupils in Primary School
and Form 1 and Lower 6 students for Secondary Schools. It was fully implemented in 2007 for
Secondary Schools and Primary Schools were in 2008.

Objectives of PPSMI
According to the statement regarding PPSMI in the Ministry of Education's website the
objective for the decision is to change the medium of instruction from the Malay Language to
English for the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics subjects. It was made based on
the governments concern on the nation human capital development towards achieving the
standard of a developed country, as well as an early preparation to compete in the Vision 2020.
It is widely known that the field of science and mathematics form the basis and have a
crucial role in the progress and development of a country. Various innovations and discoveries in
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these two fields happen rapidly and information access is mostly in the English language.
English language is also the language spoken internationally and mastery in this language would
allow easy access to information in these fields.
In conclusion, the policy decision to implement PPSMI was made to ensure students
mastery in science and mathematics in view of the fact that most of the sources are available in
the English language. Indirectly, it is also hoped that the implementation of PPSMI would
contribute to the enhancing of students command of the language.
When proposing the policy, Tun Dr. Mahathir was in the opinion that Malaysia's progress
is declining in the age of globalization, and he had hoped that this policy gives a competitive
edge to the nation, following the footsteps of Singapore and India which are moving forward
because of their utilization of the English language.

Implementation of PPSMI
PPSMI was implemented for the 2003 school session students enrolling in Standard 1 and
Form 1 in Primary and Secondary Schools. Students of other grades are not affected, and
continued to study Mathematics and Science in the mother tongue. PPSMI learning materials
were offered in the form of packages consisting of these components:

Textbooks: Given to students as the basic source for learning on concepts and skills in
Science and Mathematics.

Activity Books: Given as supplementary material for students to practice their

understanding of the concepts learned from textbooks. These "Buku Latihan dan Aktiviti"
or "BLA" were provided for students of Standard 1 only.

Teacher's Guide: Material prepared for teachers as reference and guide to plan and
implement effective teaching of the Science and Mathematics.

My CD or "Pupil's CD-ROM": "BLA" in the form of multimedia presentations recorded

in compacts discs and included with every Activity Book. The contents consist of an
interactive games and simulators as well as electronic tests.

Teacher's CD-ROM: This material was meant to help teachers to plan and implement
effective teaching of the Science and Mathematics. Among the contents are questions
banks, additional activities as well as URLs to websites with relevance to the subject.
These CDs are included in the Teacher's Guide.

Science Practical Book: Published to ensure that Science is taught not only in theory but
also in practice.

Glossary Book: A reference guide containing definition to terms pervasive in Science

and Mathematics.

The abolishment of PPSMI

On 4th November 2011 after a condemnation of political parties, parents, scholars,
linguists and writers in Malaysia PPSMI will be fully abolished in 2016 for Primary School and
2021 for Secondary Schools. This announcement has been made by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin,
Deputy Prime Minister and also Minister of Education. However, English continues to be a
language at the university level, matriculation and Form 6. Accordingly, MBMMBI Policy (To
Uphold Bahasa Melayu and To Strengthen English Language) has been introduced to replace
PPSMI. Under MBMMBI Policy, the ministry is implementing various new initiatives to
improve English proficiency among students. Among the initiatives is the addition of period in
the teaching and learning (P&P) the English language, English language curriculum
improvement in the implementation of the Primary School Curriculum Standard (KSSR), the
provision of skilled teachers and the provision of quality support materials.

Why PPSMI should be abolished?

PPSMI was an education policy that was formulated in a rush order without a preliminary
study. Since proposed by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad in May 2002 many parties argued the
policy. There were some argued about the consequences of PPSMI on the position of Malay
Language as the national language of Malaysia. Besides, PPSMI were unfair to students in rural
schools, and violates the Federal Constitution Article 152.

PPSMI against the Federal Constitution Article 152

According to Prof Dr Aziz Bari, Malaysian Constitution expertise and also senior lecturer
of UIAM, the position of Malay as the national language is very clear in Article 152. In this
Article 152, all the official business both at the federal and state shall be conducted in the
national language. Although there are exceptions to the use of Malay by the Yang di-Pertuan
Agong, PPSMI cannot be argued as an additional permitted because this policy is not carried
through the parliament but this PPSMI were approve by the executive without the process of
negotiation and public debate. This policy has already been challenged in 2002 by four Perak
Malay students in 2002 for violating Article 152. Therefore, Johor UMNO Convention 2006
were against PPSMI in school because the policy only cause students loss their identity of the
Malay race. Furthermore, Collaborative Malay Congress (CMC) also urged the government to
bring back PPSMI in Malay as medium. The members of CMC were include fighters language,
culture and Malay Literary with highest respected.

Malay language is not a medium for most of the local universities and College

PPSMI give double impact on the use and development of Malay Language. Malay was
inhibited and removed in all the lectures in many universities and colleges except for some
Malay Language and literature classes. In universities, only Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
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use the Malay Language as medium. Public universities especially in the IPTS were eliminating
the teaching of Malay language. Means that, the status of Malay will not becoming the national
language in higher learning education.
Dean of Arts and Social Sciences Faculty of Universiti Malaya (UM), Professor Dr.
Zainal Kling (Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba Chair) hoped the abolition of PPSMI would contribute the
success of 1Malaysia concept by returning to uphold the Malay language as the national
language. PPSMI must be abolished and returned to the original in any teaching at all levels is in
Malay as medium. This will built people confidence in the government's determination to uphold
The Malay language and build the nation through the use of a single national language.

Creating gaps between urban and rural schools

The implementation of PPSMI will make English as a medium language in Science and
Mathematics subject at school. Children who their mother-tongue was not English especially
those who live in rural primary school will be left behind. There were many researches in
education field shows about the students difficulties of PPSMI. Student proficient with English
as medium usually lives in urban area and those students were from the educated family
background. Students who live in rural area still use their mother-tongue. Usually, children at the
7 years old in rural primary school need to learn the basics of Science and Mathematics. These
students need to understand what is their teacher explain about the subject while using English
Language as medium instruction in class. Children in rural school were not understand and
proficient in English language. They will be able to learn and understand more about the subject
content if the teacher uses their mother-tongue as medium of instruction.
In 2008, the first cohort groups of PPSMI which include 518,616 students were sitting in
their UPSR Assessment Test for Primary School. The students are given the option to answer the
questions of science and mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese or Tamil, or more
than one language. On 13th November 2008, the official report the results posted in terms of the
use of English in Science and Mathematics. Director General of Education Datuk Mohd Dom
Alimuddin reported as saying, 159,234 pupils (31% of all students) answered the Science paper
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in English, while for Mathematics, the number is 238.153 people (46%).However, and this
decision was disputed by some quarters. According to the President of the Teachers' Union of
Peninsular Malaysia, Mohd Sabri Mohd Arshad, of 31.1 percent of students who master the
learning of mathematics or science subjects in particular are among those living in urban and
from educated family background. Those who live in rural school still use their mother-tongue
and it affects the major gap between them. A combination of the Head of the National Writers'
Association of Malaysia (Gapena), Assoc. Emeritus Tan Sri Dr. Ismail Hussein said that PPSMI
if continued will cause problems for scholars. PPSMI only provide comfort to the urban group
and rural students will be under pressure and create imbalance of the Malay race.

Teachers Proficiency Factors

PPSMI were opposed by Malaysian people because of many reasons. Teachers who teach
the PPSMI students were not proficient with the English as medium and lack of training given to
them for upgrade their professionalism by using English as medium in teaching and learning
process. A study of 10,000 schools across the country were conduct by the researcher especially
in rural areas where English on them as a second language and known as foreign language.
Only 8% of teachers are confident to teach Science and Mathematics in English. Schools
face shortage of teachers that have skills and fluent in English to teach the two subjects.
Only 58% of the time allocated for PPSMI has been used by teachers in science and
mathematics. This is because teachers remaining fixed and forced to use the Malay language.
Teachers need to explain in Malay-language because the students are still difficult to understand
the term in English and no longer interested with the subject content because lack of
accommodation. Furthermore, teachers themselves are not fluent in English to explain. Computer
and the LCD are difficult and not actually facilitate the teaching and learning (P & P).

International Research
Collaborative study of the National Scientific Bodies (PEMBINA) has conducted a
research about The level of competency in PPSMI Teachers and Implications for Human Capital
Development Students. This research was involving 15,089 people from different type of school
and flow of various places throughout the country. There are 553 teachers, including principals,
teachers and school senior assistants were selected as samples for the analysis carried out for
seven months. Furthermore, Collaborative study by the National Ilmuah Body used 53 specialist
expertises in language and includes seven public universities that were made in June to
December 2008 such as University Putra Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Sultan Idris
University of Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Mara.
This research found that the policy of teaching and learning Science and Mathematics
in English (PPSMI) were retarded intelligence level of students and reduce future generations
interest to learn Science and Mathematics. This study found that PPSMI only show a minimal
increase to the English language by four per cent. The implementation of PPSMI policy was
create a double loss to the students, especially the 75 percent of students who fall into categories
medium and weak achievement in these three subjects English, Science and Mathematics. The
study concluded that PPSMI should be terminated and government must restore back the
teaching system before the policy was introduced in 2003 which Malay were use as medium in
Science and Mathematics. On 18 March 2009, Executive report of this study was first distributed
to the public at the Second Malay Cultural Congress organized by the National Writers
Associations (Gapena), Historical Society of Malaysia and Department of National Culture and
Arts Publishing House (DBP) in Kuala Lumpur.
The ineffectiveness of PPSMI policy in Malaysia have been proof from Trends in
International Research about Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2007) made by the Lynch
School of Education, Boston College, Massachusetts, USA. This research involves 59 countries
including Malaysia in 2007. Among the 59 countries that participated in TIMSS 2007 study,
carried out in Lynch School of Education, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United
States, some countries achieving an average score of students increased slightly or decreased
slightly. The decline in average student achievement score of 34 points for Malaysia and 40
points for Mathematical Sciences is significant, according to the report and the largest among the
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59 countries. The level of education in Malaysia ranked 20 compare to 10 before the teaching of
Mathematics in English and ranked 21 compared to 20 in Science.
Based on comparison with other countries, the percentage of Malaysian students in the
three categories of mathematics also declined. In the category of TIMSS Advanced Mathematics
Benchmark 2007, only two per cent of Malaysian students in this category compared with
Taiwan (45 percent), Korea (40 percent), Singapore (40 percent), Japan (26 percent), Hungary
(10 percent), England and Russia (8 percent), United States (6 percent) and Serbia (5 percent).
Based on various considerations, the repeal was decided by the Cabinet of Malaysia. Prior to
that, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin also seeks the views of the pioneer policy in Malaysia, Tun Dr
Mahathir Mohammad. Furthermore, he also discovered the UNESCO in Paris to seek views from
various parties. This research shows that the mastery of student in PPSMI Science and
Mathematics use English as medium were not effective and decrease the achievement among
students in Malaysia.
TIMSS reports on factors that associated with achievement in mathematics and science at
many countries found that students learn best by using their home language. Means that, students
who use their home mother-tongue achieve higher average than students who study both of these
subjects in more than a language. Therefore, TIMSS findings indicate a close relationship exists
between learning mathematics and science in a foreign language other than their mother-tongue.
Research shows that all countries in the TIMSS 2007 which use their family language such as
Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, England and Romania achieve a high score in Science
and Mathematics at school.
Therefore, PPSMI were not effective to implement in Malaysia because many people un
agree with this policy as this policy were violates the Federal Constitution, Malay as national
language use as medium. Based on the records of the Ministry of Education Malaysia, 89 per
cent of Form One students that will start their school on January 3, 2011 choose to continue
learning for science and mathematics in Malay either use fully the Malay language and bilingual
language as a medium. While only 11 percent of students choose to study science and
mathematics in English. Based on these percentages, the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri
Muhyiddin Yassin said this showed the government's decision of implementing MBMMBI (To
Uphold Bahasa Melayu and To Strengthen English Language) to replace the PPSMI.
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Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, said the decision made according to different ability levels of
students who will attend the Teaching and Learning (P & P) for Science and Mathematics. The
Special Committee concluded 164,324 MBMMBI students fully agree to use the Malay language
to learn science and 161,123 in Math, compared to 56,025 students intend to use English to learn
science and mathematics.

CONCLUSION
PPSMI policy was not accepted by most Malaysians. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has
acknowledged PPSMI carried out in Malaysia, was doomed to failure and do not achieve the aim
and policy of the government in using the Science and Mathematics in English. Instead he is
seen to be more principled in upholding the policy of dignifying the Malay language and
Strengthening English (MBMMBI). Mathematics and Science subjects will be taught in Bahasa
Malaysia in national schools and mother tongue in vernacular schools (SJK) Chinese and Tamil
from 2012. Means that, teaching and learning the two subjects in Bahasa Malaysia will be held in
stages in Year One and Year Four in primary school and Form One and Form Four in secondary
schools beginning in 2012. Government will apply new strategies to uphold Bahasa Malaysia
(MBM) and to strengthen the English language (MBI) at all levels of schooling. For example,
Form Six and Matriculation remain in English and provide bilingual system for students who are
still learning PPSMI until the last batch expired in 2014. Furthermore, there will be additional
time in the English language and the introduction of English literature at school.

References

PPSMI. 2011. Ministry of Education Malaysia. http://www.moe.gov.my/?id=130&lang=en

MBMMBI Mampu melahirkan generasi fasih Melayu, Inggeris. Berita Harian 6th January 2011

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