In fairness to the NUTP, there is an NST Online report on Sept 4, 2008 that states the NUTP position on using English as a medium of instruction. I extract here the pertinent passages:
The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) also argued for young pupils to be taught the basics of English before it was used as the medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics."Pupils in Year 1 to 3 should be given thorough grounding in English before they are exposed to the concepts and terms in the two subjects (Science and Mathematics)," said NUTP secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng.
"Under stage two (of NUTP's proposal to improve the standard of English), pupils from Year 4 to 6 should gradually be introduced to the terms.
"At our delegates' conference in Penang from Aug 24 to 27, we resolved that Science and Mathematics should not be taught directly at stage one (Year 1 to 3).
"We are suggesting that more English periods be added to build up the pupils' foundation in English. They should be taught grammar," she said. At the moment, there are only eight English periods per week.
Only after they have achieved a strong foundation should they be taught the two subjects in English, Lok added.
Read the article here.
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There are clear and disturbing indications that Science and Mathematics will be taught in Bahasa Malaysia again. Zainul Arifin wrote in his NST column that, BY the end of the year, there is a strong likelihood that the government will decide to ditch English as the language of instruction for Mathematics and Science, and revert to having them taught in Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin or Tamil again.
Anyone keeping track of the many arguments in favour or against the policy would have sensed a growing tide to reverse the 2003 policy.
The most telling development is that I have yet to hear any major current politicians, from either side of the aisle, speak publicly in favour of the policy.
He continues with the rhetorical question, Is it not ironic that many of our prominent politicians would likely send their children to private or international schools, where English reigns supreme?
Guess who's the culprit that wants Bahasa Malaysia to be used for Maths and Science? Zainul wrote that it is the national teachers' union (NUTP) that wants it. He added, Well, I am the last to argue on research, but I tend to believe that our children's fate is not determined by how they do in the first handful of school-going years, or how they do in their primary school examinations.
The fate of our children is determined by how they conduct themselves later in their lives, and that includes mastering the most popular and widely used of all languages.
Nevertheless, I do not remember school kids having a choice many years ago when the subjects were taught in English. Kids, I have always believed, were better adapters and adopters than adults.
I also am concerned that the government would arrive at the correct decision, using flawed conclusions.
Call for a referendum
Zainul makes a sensible suggestion, I say let us have a referendum of sorts over this issue. Let the parents of each school decide. If say, more than 70 per cent of parents in a school favour English as the medium of instruction for the subjects, then it stays. Anything less, then the school reverts to Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin or Tamil.
Let there be choices. I know it is a poor solution, but we have seen what many "perfect solutions" have given us.
Let parents have a say and not just leave it to politicians.
That way, each of our schools can keep their identities, while our children's future is not subjected to political opportunism and narrow chauvinism.
Read Zainul's thoughtful piece here.
To say that I am severely disappointed would be an understatement. As a parent, I would have been appalled that there is even a consideration of reverting to Bahasa Malaysia. But this is worse. There is actually a concerted process for abandoning English in favour of Bahasa Malaysia in the 2 key technical subjects of Science and Mathematics.
Mastery of English is a key competitive skill for the individual Malaysian worker and, for Malaysia as a country that desperately needs Foreign Direct Investments (FDI). Even the lowly worker at the production line in Protion or Dell or any manufacturing plant, needs knowledge of English.
This is not about nationalism or ethnicity. This is about whether Malaysians will have the skill sets to attract FDIs and, project Malaysian goods and services internationally against very intense competition. If English is discarded in favour of Bahasa Malaysia as the medium for teaching Science and Mathematics, it will be a catastrophe. Unfortunately, the people who decide on this policy would have either retired or died by the time these poor Malaysian students get into the workforce to discover to their everlasting horror, that they cannot understand the training programmes necessary to land them a job at the manufacturing plant.
The existing middle-class won't be affected. We will get tuition for our kids. But the people in the heartland and, the blue-collar families will be worse off. Just mark my words. To the policy-makers at the Ministry of Education; carry this on your conscience, not that you care the least bit.
Guess who's the culprit that wants Bahasa Malaysia to be used for Maths and Science? Zainul wrote that it is the national teachers' union (NUTP) that wants it. He added, Well, I am the last to argue on research, but I tend to believe that our children's fate is not determined by how they do in the first handful of school-going years, or how they do in their primary school examinations.
The fate of our children is determined by how they conduct themselves later in their lives, and that includes mastering the most popular and widely used of all languages.
Nevertheless, I do not remember school kids having a choice many years ago when the subjects were taught in English. Kids, I have always believed, were better adapters and adopters than adults.
I also am concerned that the government would arrive at the correct decision, using flawed conclusions.
Call for a referendum
Zainul makes a sensible suggestion, I say let us have a referendum of sorts over this issue. Let the parents of each school decide. If say, more than 70 per cent of parents in a school favour English as the medium of instruction for the subjects, then it stays. Anything less, then the school reverts to Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin or Tamil.
Let there be choices. I know it is a poor solution, but we have seen what many "perfect solutions" have given us.
Let parents have a say and not just leave it to politicians.
That way, each of our schools can keep their identities, while our children's future is not subjected to political opportunism and narrow chauvinism.
Read Zainul's thoughtful piece here.
To say that I am severely disappointed would be an understatement. As a parent, I would have been appalled that there is even a consideration of reverting to Bahasa Malaysia. But this is worse. There is actually a concerted process for abandoning English in favour of Bahasa Malaysia in the 2 key technical subjects of Science and Mathematics.
Mastery of English is a key competitive skill for the individual Malaysian worker and, for Malaysia as a country that desperately needs Foreign Direct Investments (FDI). Even the lowly worker at the production line in Protion or Dell or any manufacturing plant, needs knowledge of English.
This is not about nationalism or ethnicity. This is about whether Malaysians will have the skill sets to attract FDIs and, project Malaysian goods and services internationally against very intense competition. If English is discarded in favour of Bahasa Malaysia as the medium for teaching Science and Mathematics, it will be a catastrophe. Unfortunately, the people who decide on this policy would have either retired or died by the time these poor Malaysian students get into the workforce to discover to their everlasting horror, that they cannot understand the training programmes necessary to land them a job at the manufacturing plant.
The existing middle-class won't be affected. We will get tuition for our kids. But the people in the heartland and, the blue-collar families will be worse off. Just mark my words. To the policy-makers at the Ministry of Education; carry this on your conscience, not that you care the least bit.
2 comments:
It is the teachers who decide to dump English? If this were the private sector, the teachers would have been sacked for not upgrading their skills and for being unprogressive. Therefore because of the workers (teachers), the beneficiaries must suffer handicaps (again).
One must ask why the rich and famous, the politicians and Datuks, Tuns, are sending their children to private schools with English medium? Because they know that English is the minimum requirement to business communication. Today many are studying more than 2 foreign languages.
I say if the teachers are outdated, then please step aside, time to hire from foreign English speaking teachers, to teach Math and Science. The govt has no problems losing RM480 mil in the Maybank-BII deal, what is hiring a few hundred foreign teachers?
Well, as for my children, we are adopting the home schooling program from USA and getting private tutors to teach from primary till college entry, for many US, Europe and Australian programs are CONSISTENT and designed by professional educators.
By the time Malaysia figure out our education system, one generation or two may have graduated, and based on the current supply of local graduates, the local universities should be shut down.
Your sentiments are shared by many Malaysians. Judging by their sending their own children to private schools in Malaysia and overseas, many (though not all) of those in power have no confidence in the national schools. It makes a mockery of Malaysians when these self-same leaders assume the authority to determine the country's education policies. And when they do, the decisions are purely to gain short-term political mileage.
So, when these leaders speak of building "knowledge capital" I don't know whether to laugh or, to cry.
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