Education Ministry reverses decision – Retains language teaching hours in Vernacular schools!
KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Education has officially withdrawn its proposal to reduce mother-tongue teaching hours in primary schools following widespread pushback from community leaders and educational organisations.
Under the initial plan for the upcoming 2027 school curriculum restructuring, the ministry proposed reducing weekly instruction periods for Malay in national schools, Mandarin in Chinese primary schools, and Tamil in Tamil primary schools from the current 12 periods to 10 per week.
The announcement triggered intense criticism across the nation. Notably, MIC Deputy President and Tapah Member of Parliament, Datuk Seri M. Saravanan, voiced strong objections and formally submitted a letter of protest to Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, with a copy forwarded to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
In response to the strong opposition and public outcry, the Ministry of Education has reversed its stance. The ministry confirmed that it will maintain the existing allocation of 12 teaching periods per week for native language instruction across all national and vernacular primary schools, as per current practice.
