KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 (Bernama) -- The MIC supports a proposal to make the teaching of Tamil and Mandarin compulsory in schools.
Party vice-president Datuk S. K. Devamany said, in a multi-racial country like Malaysia, it was important that multi-lingualism formed the backbone of the nations's education system to maintain racial harmony.
"Mandarin and Tamil should no longer be left as elective subjects. Therefore, teaching of Pupils' Own Language must be implemented fully. Learning the mother tongue is the basic right of every citizen," he said in a statement Sunday.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today the government would consider a proposal to make the teaching of Tamil and Mandarin compulsory at all schools.
Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said the teaching of both mother tongues was contained in the ministry's policy but had yet to be fully implemented.
