Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Let teaching of Maths and Science in English be a choice for parents and schools

Like many Malaysians I am heartened that there are more public moves within the Barisan Nasional establishment to support the maintenance of the teaching and study of Maths and Science in the English language.

Now we have PM Najib being quoted-

Najib had said that the Goverment would study the possibility of using two mediums of instructions in the teaching of Science and Mathematics in schools.

And, MCA Chairman Chua Soi Lek saying-

Parents should be given a choice to select the language for these subjects in schools where adequate qualified teachers are available.
“The teaching of the two subjects in English is a must if we are moving towards a developed nation status and want to compete on the global front,” he said yesterday.

My views on maintaining the teaching of Maths and Science in the English language is clear. Keep it.

But, I'm okay with where BN is taking this matter. Now they are framing it as a matter of choice. Parents and schools may be given the choice of whether to have Maths and Science taught in English or in Bahasa Malaysia.

This outcome will be sensible and, I dare say, it should be well-received by all sections of the Malaysian community.
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On the matter of choice, it is interesting to see the slightly more sophisticated positioning of the MCA in public issues of late.

On the matter of the lottery ban in Kelantan, the MCA said the choice should be given to non-Muslims whether or, not, to buy lottery tickets.

On this matter of the teaching of Maths and Science in the English language (or, alternatively, in Bahasa Malaysia), the MCA wants parents to have a choice.

MCA is clearly trying to become the political party "of choice", if you'll pardon the pun.

It's a good trend that the MCA should keep at. 


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Agreed that parents and children must be given the choice. I think we can play a fair game. Let see what is going to happen? True will prevails

walla said...

Based on the nursery rhyme, namely ding dong bell puss' in the well, it's both logical and illogical.

Logical because BN had suddenly awakened to the fact that the strength of this country is in its diversity whose notion then led to 1Malaysia which now seems to be leading to choice, one of which being the medium of instruction in schools.

Illogical because Najib is saying a study will be done to see if this dual medium of instruction idea can be done.

One would think such a study would already have been done BEFORE the MOE had adamantly decided to make the reversion.

Because the implication otherwise is that it was not thorough when it made the decision to switch back.

So if we want to believe that such a study would already have been done, why is Najib now saying it will be done, and why is Muhyiddin then echoing Najib when Muhyiddin was noted to be of a singularly immovable mind, read rock, in Parliament when the suggestion was made?

In other words, are our political leaders still playing pucks with the future of our young?

Is the MOE, mother of mindshaping the young in this country, a thorough, systematic and professionally run organization, or just a political animal in the mould of Perkasa and Utusan?

If the long-suffering rakyat were to ask where is the study report that would have already been done to exclude the possibility of dual medium of instruction that had shaped the decision to make the reversion, how will Muhyiddin, the MOE, Najib, the cabinet, reply?

That it was not done? That the present government was not thorough? That national education in this country is actually more political than sane because when the MOE gave in to the vernacular schools it had to be seen to also give in to its majority tribal jerk instinct in the national schools?

Why can't the issue be seen plain and simple as what will help the young get real education in the fastest and most expeditious manner that will equip them to face the real challenges of the world?

Why must tribal politics intrude in the decision-making of national matters of grave significance?

Because the education function remains run by little napoleons still fed on the fear-borne juice of monoracial supremacy?

Because it will be political suicide to say english is the lingua franca for knowledge and trade everywhere today?

Because it will be political brinkmanship to say that chinese will soon be the most important language in Asia because China is fast catching up on the US as the world's biggest economy let alone the nation with the second most number of academic publications, temporary present issues aside?

Because the real agenda for saying that we want to prosper our neighbour, namely the dot, was so that it will take away away the chinese scholars from our vernacular schools, thus making it easier to make more loaded distributions of national opportunities locally, despite the brain drain knocking the stuffing out of our national future in the process and leaving a complete mess in the way this country is being run, all the way to the ground?

Puss is in the well but it is drowning.

If we read Hard Truths, the central concern the man recurringly showed was the dot's insufficient number of talent. He realized they have no choice. They just don't have the scale and size to generate enough number of contextual leaders to helm growing concerns.

Over here, we are awash in talent. Yet our political leadership seems persistent in wanting to shoot everyone in the foot just because they think the race will disappear from the earth if they don't pursue their monolingual thrust.

But looking at how events and muck are unraveling in recent weeks, tough luck, it's going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy if they do.

So it's a real supply chain all right - puck to fcuk to muck.

Perhaps that would explain why real brains can only be hopeful and timid about possibilities and choices, leaving CSL the only one with balls.

Oops.