Somewhere in early June this year, the Education Minister came up with an idea to limit the number of subjects a students can take for SPM examinations in 2010. The reasons given:

– help to reduce teacher shortage

– 90% of students take 10 subjects

– many students take elective subjects not offered in schools, just to score more As. [Note: Tamil and Tamil Literature usually not offered in secondary schools]

– ease burden on students to excel

– reduce parents’ cost for tuition

– students will be able to focus on other activities

– easier to select students for scholarships

– to create a level playing field: students in fully residential schools were only allowed to take a maximum of nine subjects and those in rural areas too had to take fewer subjects due to a lack of facilities.

The Education Ministry then set up a communication channel to gather public feedback (I gave mine too) within a week, but not sure about the results of the feedback.

Interested parties can send their views on the Education Ministry’s plan to cap the number of subjects taken in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) by the end of this week.

Education director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom urged them to send by e-mail or facsimile their views to him.

“The views will be taken into consideration when I prepare a paper for the minister,” he told reporters after opening the Government Integrated Telecommunications Network Learning in Schools Programme schools’ convention.

Alimuddin can be reached at alimuddin.dom@moe.gov.my or fax: 03-8889 4548.

He was asked about complaints from students who were already studying for more than 10 subjects in Form Four this year.

Alimuddin said he would prepare the paper by next week, adding that the limit on the number of subjects for the SPM examination had not been finalised yet.

“We want to hear feedback from various organisations including teachers. I will also meet with ministry-level professionals.”

He said he would then discuss the matter with the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate before Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin makes a final decision.

The abrupt proposal caused parents and students to fume since students in Form 4 have already started classes for their subjects. However, DPM Muhyiddin said he was open for suggestions and clarified that any decision would not affect the students:

“Whatever decision made will not affect the people negatively.”

I’m not sure which professionals were consulted, but the decision (proposal) remained and the DPM said this:

“There are many who agree and they come from the education system.”

It seems that the core subjects may be reduced in order to allow more elective subjects. Currently, the core subjects are BM, English, Maths, History. Islam/Moral, and Science (for Arts stream students). However, DPM Muhyiddin mentioned recently that the core subjects will remain, so its back to square one in terms of solving the problem.

Note that it was a cabinet decision, so MIC representative Dr Subra have no choice but to support the decision, even though MIC is protesting the move (even made a resolution during the AGM).

You may want to read what two parents had to say on this limitation here to get some insight as well.

Back in June, this is what MIC rep Dr Subra said:

The MIC has asked the Education Ministry to allow Indian students to take 11 SPM subjects, including Tamil language and Tamil literature.

Party deputy president Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said he had submitted the request to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin before the Government’s recent proposal to limit the number of subjects to 10 from next year.

“If they are not allowed 11 subjects, some (those in the Science stream) will have to miss the Tamil language or Tamil literature subjects. With the 10-subject limit, they have to choose either one, as they already have nine compulsory subjects,” he told reporters in Pagoh yesterday.

Dr Subramaniam said that if Indian students were not allowed to take Tamil language and Tamil literature, some parties might exploit the issue.

He said for those in the Art stream, the new ruling would not pose a problem as they could take both the subjects and two others besides the six core subjects.

And this is what I heard him say last Sunday on TV2 in the interview show by Pandithurai:

MIC is still holding discussions with the ministry. For science stream students, they have to decide which two science subjects they want to take (meaning student already have an ambition or career in mind) if they want to take both Tamil subjects. For Arts stream students, he said not a problem, as there’s four elective places, meaning there two left after taking Tamil subjects.

Clearly, the stakeholders not very happy at the progress being made by MIC, until some guy from PKR wanted to burn an effigy of Dr Subra. There’s also a big protest planned on the 12th December at Wisma Peladang, Old Klang Road by various NGO groups:

More than 20 national Indian NGOs will stage a protest on Dec 12 at the Wisma Peladang in Petaling Jaya against a perceived grand plan to purge the Tamil language from the education system through the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).

The protest is over the government’s elimination of Tamil language and Tamil literature under the 10-subject SPM package system from next year.

The joint NGO group organizing chairman A. Thiruvenggadam (left) said because of the restrictive ruling, Indian students whose mother tongue is Tamil would not be able to sit for subjects in their language and this is not what 1 Malaysia is all about.

“The problem has arisen because the package is restricted to only 10 subjects. If an Indian student sits for nine subjects, he has only one more subject which can be used up for Tamil language, and will not be able to sit for Tamil Literature.

“And if the Indian student takes all 10 subjects there is no option at all for both the subjects,” he said in an interview with Malaysiakini.

The system of the 10 SPM Subject System, he said was a grand plan to eliminate Tamil as a vernacular language in Malaysia and this is not keeping with the 1Malaysia concept the government is propagating.

“It is totally unfair and an abuse of the education system to discard Tamil as a language spoken by a major component race of Malaysia. This is a ruling that will mark the progressive closure of Tamil schools in the country.

“Eventually, Tamil students will not be able to take Tamil as a language in STPM and university. This is another plan to eliminate Tamil totally out of the system,” he said on behalf of Indian NGOs.

Some of the NGOs jointly participating in the protest are the Malaysian Hindu Sangam, Malaysian Tamil Literature Association, Malaysian Dravidian Association, Hindu Dharma Maha Madhuram and several other Indian NGOs.

Most of the these NGOs constitution provides for the protection and propagation of the Tamil language and Tamil Literature in the community.

“When students are unable to take Tamil language there will not be enough Tamil teachers to teach Tamil in schools in future,” he added.

While it may not be just to eliminate Tamil language (I wondered if it got anything to do with BM borrowing heavily from Tamil and Sanskrit), I think the state has a responsibility to provide education of vernacular language to its citizen. We can’t be only interested on promoting multi-cultural aspect of our country, but not willing to invest on building those multi-cultural identities.

What I feel is also not right is this:

The only exceptions would be students in the joint science and religious stream who will be allowed to take 11 subjects next year until the curriculum is streamlined by 2011, after which they too will be able to take a maximum of 10 subjects.

Such leeway should be given to other students tamil vernacular language as well, while a proper solution is devised.

I’m also unhappy with these two fellows: Dr Ramasamy and MP Kapar Manikavasagam because was quiet all this while. Now, there’s a posting on MP Kapar’s blog and also Malaysiakini article featuring Dr Ramasamy. Where was the noise before this? Looks like cheap publicity for me.

Dr Subra claims that such protests and actions may jeopardise the effort of MIC, but I beg to differ. The NGOs and public should also voice out their unhappiness in some way, which will help MIC to promote its cause. And, the reality is, people not really trusting MIC now. Perhaps MIC could have started a poll or survey or mobilized its various branches to gauge feedback from parents. But no, its still in processing of changing, so no proactive effort there.

Even in Minnal FM program call-in session recently, parents and teachers also opposed the move, saying it will deter students from taking Tamil subjects.

As for current status, Dr Subra says this:

Dr Subramaniam said he had on Monday met officers from the Education Ministry, including its director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom, on the matter.

“We proposed that the Indian students be allowed to take 11 subjects, which would include Tamil and also Tamil Literature.

“However, the officials counter-proposed that the students wanting to sit these two papers could drop a subject, such as moral education or one of the four science subjects. We are not agreeable to this and this is why we are still in talks with the authorities.

I’m all for dropping Moral. Its a pathetic excuse for a subject!  Just take out Moral, and make it 4 core subjects (5 for Arts students). Or increase the subjects limit to 11 or 12. Is it so difficult? Another options is to allow student take language subjects separately (without SPM grading). A simple pass should be enough to provide the prerequisite for entering language related courses in IPTA or maktab, a workaround if you may. Something like MUET.

I have to repeat here: The state has a responsibility to ensure the multi-cultural heritage of the country is nurtured. One of the core elements is language. Instead of promoting growth of language, its seems to be the opposite. Its myopic to view language subjects as purely for examinations. In fact, why not make vernacular language as compulsory subject as well?

I hope Tamil proponents, ex-Tamil school students, NGOs, MIC’s 530,00 members, PKR’s members, DAP’s members, etc. all will turn up at Old Klang Road next weekend in a show of  force as voters of next general elections. That will be better than any discussion MIC can initiate.