On the ommission of teaching science and mathematics in English in the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025, Mahathir said he disagreed with the move.

"I still insist that it is a wrong decision," he said curtly.

On whether he agreed with the blueprint's state goal of making English a must-pass subject in two years, Mahathir replied: "Yes".

'UUCA helps keeps students in school'

The blueprint was revealed on Sept 6, aimed that improving access to education, raising standards, closing achievement gaps, fostering unity amongst students and maximising efficiency.

Asked if the Universities and University Colleges Act (AUKU) 1971 hindered the academic performance of university students, Mahathir did not provide a direct response but said the law kept students off the streets.

"AUKU is very good for student who spends other people money to demonstrate," said Mahathir, who as education minister amended the law in 1975 - the height of Malaysia's student activism movement - to prevent student participation in politics and trade unions.

Mahathir said that students who spent more time demonstrating than studying had contributed to a decline in academic performance.

"If they tell us they want to go to university to demonstrate, we won't give them the money.

"But the students said they want to study, but instead they stage demonstration and that cause the drop in their academic results."

Dr M: Vital to master English
The Star, Wednesday October 9, 2013

KANGAR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says the poor grasp of English among students will adversely affect their future.

The former prime minister said even graduates were not proficient in the language, resulting in them not getting jobs.

“Those who have mastered the language are easily accepted,” he said after delivering his keynote address at the 2013 Asian University Presidents Forum at Universiti Malaysia Perlis Pauh Putra campus, near here, yesterday.

Citing an example, he said 333 graduates were recently called for a job interview related to information technology.

“However, only seven were recruited as the rest did not know English,” said Dr Mahathir.

“Some of them even requested that the questions during the interview be translated into Bahasa Malaysia.”

Dr Mahathir said that he had been a fighter for Bahasa Malaysia since 1947, but was pragmatic enough to realise that English could not be sidelined.

He hoped English would be widely used in Science and Mathematics for the future of the students.

He said certain words and terms were difficult to translate, especially in Science.

In his address, he stressed the need to use English for Science and Mathe­matics in schools. — Bernama

Science, Maths subjects should be taught in English: Dr M
By Sharanpal Singh Randhawa & Ili Shazwani, New Straits Times, 07 October 2013

KANGAR: Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad suggested that Science and Mathematic subjects should be taught in English.

He believed this is vital in order to bring the nation further towards development.

Pointing out that the two disciplines play important roles in developing a nation, he said it is crucial for the students to master English language where most researches were carried out in.

"I agree that we should uphold our national language which is Malay language.

"I am a language nationalist myself but at the same time I am also a pragmatist.

"It is not a problem to have stagnant subjects such as geography being taught in national language but not for science and mathematic which are constantly changing," he said when delivering his keynote speech at the 12th Asian University Presidents today.

He also raised his concern on the lack of well-versed English teachers in the country during the official opening of the four-day forum held at Universiti Malaysia Perlis (Unimap) main campus here today.

Dr M's Statement On English Will Put To Rest Prejudice, Says Zam
Bernama, January 29, 2003

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- The statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad that there was no need to teach other subjects in English except Science and Mathematics will put to rest any prejudice on the policy of Bahasa Malaysia as the national and official language of the country, Deputy Information Minister Datuk Zainudin Maidin said Wednesday.

He said the move to teach the two subjects in English had been misconstrued by certain quarters to that of erasing the status of the national language.

Dr Mahathir made the statement in an interview in "The Asian Wall Street Journal" programme broadcast by the CNBC TV Tuesday night.

Zainudin said the interview clearly showed that the Barisan Nasional (BN) firmly held to the national language policy.

"It also showed that Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir had never lost his sense of direction as a Malaysian nationalist," he said.

Zainudin said the government's move to teach Science and Mathematics in English was because "we cannot catch up with the advancement of English in the two fields by merely depending on translated books and materials."

"In fact, in Malaysia, the institutions responsible for this are not proactive and are conservative and cannot produce translated books of global information, especially from western thinkers.

"If positive steps are not taken by the government in the teaching of Science and Mathematics, Malaysians will be left far behind, not only from the western world but also from Singapore, Japan and South Korea," he said.

He said comparing Japan and South Korea in the context of language development was illogical because the Malays have not attain the level of a technology inventor race like Japanese and South Koreans. -- BERNAMA