Published: Tuesday December 1, 2009 MYT 3:48:00 PM
Updated: Tuesday December 1, 2009 MYT 6:51:40 PM

Schools can set own exams for vernacular language at SPM level

By WANI MUTHIAH

KLANG: Schools can formulate their own vernacular language examination for students unable to take these subjects for SPM and issue them certificates.

Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom said the students only needed certificates ascertaining that they had passed these subjects at SPM level.

Alimuddin was responding to a question regarding the Federal Government’s ruling to limit students to only taking 10 subjects for SPM from next year.

Many quarters have voiced their concern that such a ruling would be detrimental to the future of Tamil and Chinese languages at the academic level.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Education Minister, had announced in June that Bahasa Malaysia, English, Islamic Education or Moral Studies, History, Mathematics and Science would be the six SPM compulsory subjects.

This raised concerns that science students would then be forced to choose non-literature subjects, such as biology, chemistry or physics, while those in the arts stream would have to settle for accounts, commerce, economics and geography, instead of Chinese or Tamil.

Alimuddin clarified that certain elective subjects could be dropped.

“For instance, if students are interested in pursuing medicine, they have to take mathematics, biology and chemistry but can drop physics.

“So, they can pick any other elective of their choice to replace physics,” he explained.

Earlier, Alimuddin had launched a national Parent-Teacher Association seminar on curbing disciplinary problems among students.

Meanwhile, in Kuala Lumpur, MIC vice-president Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said that 20 non-governmental groups have urged the Government to allow Indian students to take 12 subjects in the SPM next year.

He said representatives from the groups agreed that Indians had to be united to raise this issue with the Government.

“They realise that they cannot achieve much through emotionally-charged statements or divisiveness as this would only lead to bickering.

“As the sole Indian member in the Cabinet, I will raise the community’s concern during its meetings as well as with Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also the Education Minister,” he told reporters after a two-hour dialogue with the representatives, organised by the MIC education bureau here Tuesday.

In June, Muhyiddin had said students would be allowed to take a maximum of 10 subjects in the SPM from next year, with exception given to students in the joint science and religious stream.

Indian groups and the MIC had urged the ministry to reconsider the decision, as Indian students in the science stream would have to forgo either the Tamil language or Tamil literature paper as they already had nine compulsory subjects.

Various organisations had voiced their protest over the matter, with one PKR member even threatening to burn an effigy of Dr Subramaniam for failing to resolve it.

Dr Subramaniam, who is also the Human Resources Minister, said the groups felt that the 10-subject limit would cause the Indians to lose out in their language, culture and literature.

He said the party’s education bureau would have regular consultations with Indian NGOs and seek a meeting with Muhyiddin on the matter.

Dr Subramaniam said the MIC had been taking several measures to resolve the community’s problems.

“Our problem is that we cannot outline the measures we have taken. We can only come out and make an announcement after we have reached an amicable solution.

“This gives the impression that we are not taking any proactive action, which is not true,” he said.