Muhyiddin: PPPM is an educational matter, not political

The decision to increase the duration for the teaching of Bahasa Malaysia (BM) from 180 minutes to 240 minutes per week in vernacular schools nationwide was made after a comprehensive and in-depth study had been carried out.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the ministry had also held discussions and received feedback from many stakeholders involved in the matter.

He said the decision was more an educational agenda drawn up by the experts responsible and had nothing to do with politics.

Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, said the move was made as the ministry did not want to see students in the vernacular schools following the BM subject at a much lower level compared to students in the other schools.

"The Ministry does not want to make any decision indiscriminately merely for the sake of enforcing it. This is an educational matter, not political. I am not an expert in teaching, not a minister who makes a conclusion on the most suitable duration for the session, but the teaching experts were the ones who came to this conclusion," he said at a media conference after attending a Merdeka Forum at a hotel, here Thursday.