All smiles: Fadhlina (centre) taking a wefie with some BM teachers at the closing ceremony. – KAMARUL ARiFFIN /The Star
BAHASA Malaysia (BM) is a language that unifies people from different backgrounds, races and religions, says Fadhlina Sidek.
The Education Minister said the language ensures that everyone who is living and sharing a same space enjoys and benefits from the same opportunities.
“We must believe that BM is our strength and our children’s,” she said during the closing ceremony of the Strengthening Malay Language Programme for Chinese Schools and Tamil Schools in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
Fadhlina added that such programmes need to be conducted for both teachers and students.
“The ministry will support any programme meant to strengthen the use of BM as the mastery of the language is in line with the development of children,” she said during the event in Kuala Lumpur on June 20.
During the closing ceremony, Malaysia Chinese Language Council president Datuk Eddie Heng said the programme was held for BM teachers of vernacular schools.
Exposure to information and increased professionalism of teachers, he said, can improve teaching and learning – especially of BM – in classrooms.
On a separate matter, Fadhlina said allegations that the passing mark for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2022 exams had been lowered were untrue.
The ministry, she said, had set standards that must always be maintained and followed when grading the exam papers.
On the the recent incident involving a private school teacher who had posted a clip of her conducting a spot check on a student’s bag, Fadhlina assured parents that the ministry would act if an official complaint, especially one that involves the integrity and ethos of teachers, is received.
The video, which went viral on social media, was recently deleted and the teacher had issued an apology on her channel.
