Zairil, who has spoken up on the issue before, said the explanation given by Deputy Education Minister Chong Sin Woon in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday made “no sense whatsoever” and contradicted the ministry’s earlier stand on the issue.

According to Zairil, Chong had said that the imported textbooks were only meant to be used alongside the local KSSR and KSSM textbooks, not as replacements for them.

However Zairil, who is DAP’s parliamentary spokesperson for education, science and technology, said this was an unjustifiable expenditure.

“If what the deputy minister is saying is true, then he has basically admitted that the education ministry spent RM41 million last year for English textbooks for just two cohorts – Year 1 and Form 1 students.

“This is an extravagant sum of money to spend on textbooks, especially when there is no justification as to why there is a need to have both local and imported ones,” he said in a statement.

Zairil was referring to the cost of local textbooks, said to be RM7.1 million, and the cost of imported textbooks which, according to a parliamentary reply, was RM34 million.

He said Chong’s answer also contradicted the education ministry’s circulars dated Aug 16, 2017 and Sept 12, 2017, which stated that the imported books should be used as the “main textbooks for students”.

The local KSSR and KSSM textbooks, meanwhile, could be used as “reference or supplementary books”.

The circulars also said the KSSR and KSSM textbooks would not be distributed to students.

“Clearly, according to the ministry’s own instructions, the imported textbooks are meant to be complete replacements and not supplementary material.

“In fact, if the circulars are to be followed, the local textbooks will not even be used by students. Unless of course the ministry has decided to make another U-turn,” Zairil added.

He said the education ministry appeared “beset by indecisiveness” as sudden policy changes with confusing and contradictory messages had become the norm in the education system.

“This is most unfortunate, as the inevitable victims of such unclear policymaking are none other than our students and teachers.”

Zairil had questioned the ministry’s introduction of imported English textbooks since last year, urging authorities to reconsider the move.

“Superminds 1”, published by Cambridge University Press for primary school pupils, and “Pulse 2” by Macmillan for secondary school students were selected by the ministry on the advice of “English language experts”, according to the ministry.

Zairil slams deputy ministers’ ‘excuses’ for ‘imported’ textbooks

Why the rush to use imported English textbooks, asks DAP MP