Thursday, December 18, 2008

Teach English as a language

The politicians in Malaysia have lost their sanity in the quest of positions and powers.They messed with the education system of the country in order to gain attention and supports. The argument whether English should be the medium for teaching science and mathematics subjects in schools still rages on.This really puzzles one,what is there to argue about? Use BM in Malay medium schools,use Tamil in Indian medium schools,use Mandarin in Chinese medium schools and use English in English medium schools(if there is still any left).Simple and straight forward. If you want to ungrade the standard of English language in schools,fine and you have my whole hearted support,but do it in a sensible and logical way. Increase the English language periods per week,send teachers for proper,specialised training.Do not ask teachers who are physics,maths or engineering majors and who received their degrees after attending courses conducted entirely in B.M. as a medium of instruction. The only purpose in attending a science or maths class is to learn the concept or principles of the subject,not the medium of instruction itself.Young children, especially those in primary schools,have problems in mastering their own mother tongue already, it is placing undue pressure on them asking them to master the subject matter in science or maths and a second language at the same time.Don't you agree? Do you realise that in order to phrase a question clearly the vocabulary,grammar and sentence structures used have to be at least of the level of a year 5 or 6.How do you expect a year 3 or 4 student to fully understand the question and answer it accordingly? "Use the correct tool for the correct job".This principle was drilled into my mind when I was a young engineer long time ago.In countries like Germany,if you are caught using a pen-knife screwdriver (flat slot) on a Phillip screw(cross slot),you will received a warning letter.If you repeat the same mistake you will be sacked.This emphasises the importance of doing the right thing the right way in a developed country,we should learn from them if we really want to achieve our "2020" vision. Sometimes you are thirsty but not hungry,while sometimes you will be hungry but not thirsty.You need not do both things always when you are in a coffee shop.You order the right thing for right need. When you are thirsty,drink water or other drinks,you don't order a "sup tulang".Similarly,when you are hungry,eat some thing solid,you don't try to fill you stomach with gallons of water. When you want to carry heavy goods, use a truck not a bus. When you want to carry passengers, use a bus not a truck. Do not try to carry both passengers and goods together with either a bus or a truck. It is an offence to do so, isn't it? So I beg everyone to put politics aside for a while and think clearly with logic this time. Teach language in a language class,teach maths or science subjects with the language which the students know best for the maximum academic benefits.