Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling
Jaya on Monday, 12th January 2009:
Hishammudin's most flippant and
irresponsible response to Malaysia's disastrous performance in 60-nation
maths and science TIMSS 2007
I am not the only one to be astounded by the
flippant and irresponsible response of the Education Minister, Datuk
Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to my statement asking him to break his
month-long silence and explain Malaysia’s disastrous showing in the
60-nation Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)
2007 for Year-8 secondary students.
Malaysia’s TIMSS 2007 performance was most dismal in the three
four-yearly TIMSS participated by our students since 1999, with the
lowest score for both mathematics and science, with 474 points for
mathematics and 471 for science (500 is the TIMSS scale average), when
Malaysia scored mostly above average in the previous TIMSS.
Malaysia’s comparative performance in the 1999, 2003 and 2007 TIMSS are:
Mathematics 1999 2003 2007
16 10 20
519 508 474
Science 1999 2003 2007
Ranking 22 20
Score 492 510 471
Since the international release of the
TIMSS 2007 on
December 9, 2008, there had been intense public debate involving the
educational authorities, educational NGOs and concerned parents in all
the participating countries on the results of TIMSS 2007 and their
impact on their respective education policy and in particular how to
improve the teaching and learning in mathematics and science for their
pupils – except for Malaysia.
If Hishammuddin could announce Malaysia’s TIMSS 2003 performance within
24 hours of the international release of the results in December 2004,
why is the reason for Hishammuddin thunderous silence for over a month
about the TIMSS 2007 results?
Is this just because Malaysia had plunged from No. 10th placing for
maths and 20th placing for science in TIMSS 2003 to 20th placing for
maths and 21st placing for science inTIMSS 2007?
There can be no justification for keeping the Malaysian public in the
dark about the findings of Malaysia’s performance in TIMSS 2007 and I
had asked Hishammuddin to explain the reason for this month-long
“conspiracy of silence”.
All Hishammuddin could say was his
tongue-in-cheek response that I was just creating the issue for the
Kuala Terengganu by-election.
This is the height of irresponsibility and arrogance.
Is Hishammuddin delaying a full ministerial
accounting for Malaysia’s disastrous showing in the TIMSS 2007 for
another three months, expecting a Cabinet reshuffle after the ascension
of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as Prime Minister and his moving up the
Cabinet ladder – which will leave the responsibility for explaining
Malaysia’s dismal results in TIMSS 2007 to the new Education Minister?
This is too transparent a ploy and a most
Hishammuddin should stop evading and avoiding
the issue. Stand up like a responsible Education Minister and answer the
many questions about Malaysia’s disastrous performance in TIMSS 2007 and
the month-long “conspiracy of silence”!
Kit Siang, DAP
Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor