English: No need to be baffled Minister
Rasa Writes
The Education Minister appears to be baffled by the fact that Malaysians, especially students, have a poor grasp of the English language.
If Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin were to stop anyone on the streets of Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya or Johor Baharu or George Town, they would be able to tell him why.
Muhyiddin said on Dec 9, “I am baffled as to why our children after completing pre-school, primary school, secondary school and tertiary education still cannot converse in English.”
He went on to say that he did not think the hours were insufficient as students had 18 to 19 years to learn the language.
“Something is not right,” he said. How true.
We should all be glad that he knows something is not right.
Employers have been saying over the past two decades that one of the main reasons our graduates have difficulty finding jobs is their poor command of English. Why is English important? It is the language of international business and it is also the language of science and technology.
It is not that Muhyiddin does not know the reasons, as at the same function – a dialogue session on the Education Blueprint – he said it could be due to several reasons such as teachers and students being uninterested, and the use of Bahasa Melayu for all other subjects.
He did not admit, however, that he shares the blame for the slide in English language proficiency by doing away with the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English. This programme was introduced by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2003 as he wanted to stop the decline in English proficiency while preparing young Malaysians to grasp science and technology better by knowing the language in which it is communicated.
However, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Muhyiddin announced a stop to the programme in 2009. Many say the government simply gave in to some strident voices rather than make a strong stand on this issue.
The government knows Malaysians will lose out if the slide continues and that is why it has decided that beginning in 2016, it will be mandatory for Fifth-Formers to pass the English language paper in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination. It has also brought in foreign teachers to teach English in our schools.
Most of these poor students are likely to fail if the education ministry does not improve the content and style of English language teaching. You cannot expect students to become proficient just by learning English as a single subject, unless of course they or their parents are very motivated.
