The Ministry of Education is supposed to be making a decision on whether English will continue to be used to teach math and Science in our schools some time in July. But the public seems as divided as ever, if opinions expressed in the mainstream and alternative media are an indication.
Sometime in the 1970s, the federal government made a decision that all government schools should use Bahasa Malaysia as the sole language of instruction, in the hope of uniting the multiracial people of Malaysia with one tongue, and in fulfilment of the nationalist aspiration for the promotion of the national language as is narrated by UMNO.
Then, a few years ago, while Dr. M was still the prime minister, he made the decision that English should be used to teach math and science, to equip Malaysian students with this language skill for a competitive world. He did this without much consultation with experts and the stake-holders.
So now, educators and parents are up in arms again, torn in an emotional divisive debate that seems to go nowhere. Those who favour the use of
English give the usual argument about how a handle on the English language will improve the chance of children’s survival on the job market in future. Their opponents argue on nationalist sentiments.
The root-cause of disunity among Malaysians is not lack of one common language. Even without going to government schools, most non-Malays would speak some form of Pasar Malay anyway as a kind of national lingua franca.
The root cause of racial disunity in Malaysia is the politics of race practised by race-based political parties that articulate and implement race-based policies.
To a great extent, we can understand the aspirations of the Malay linguistic nationalists. If the Malay parents want their children to learn all subjects in BM, I think they deserve to be supported.
Likewise, if the Chinese and the Indian parents want their children to learn all their lessons in Tamil or Chinese respectively, they too deserve to be supported. I agree that the promotion and teaching of the mother tongue by any ethnic community is a matter of basic human right.
How about those who argue that school students must learn English through learning Math and Science in English, based on the utilitarian value of the English language? They too have a point. English is the nearest thing to a universal language in a rapidly globalised world. It is the language of international commerce, diplomacy, scholarship, and communication through the Internet.
The question here is this: if you want our school children to learn the English language, is teaching math and science in English the best step forward, especially when we consider that the level of English proficiency among math and science teachers may be suspect!
The best way of teaching and learning any language is by total immersion; daily teaching and usage is the most powerful means of learning a language not our mother tongue.
Failing that, the best way to learn English is to teach English as a separate subject, especially lessons on the parts of speech, all the quaint rules of grammar, and the all-important art of comprehension and composition.
Better still, complement this English subject with the study of English literature from a very young age. Nothing engenders the love of children for any language more than learning about the literature of that language, starting with fairy tales and nursery rhymes. The love of literature will nurture the love of reading, which of course is the best way of mastering the language.
All I know is that something is seriously wrong with our entire educational system. There is too much politics in the administration, the formulation of policies, and even the design of the curriculum. There is too much power concentrated in the bureaucratic centre, too much rigidity in the implementation of too many rules, too much instinct to produce the culturally homogenous student population, and too little consultation with parents, students, and the teachers.
It is for this reason that the monolithic structure of the Ministry of Education is now facing the Frankenstein of their own making: how to make our students literate in English without tramping on the nationalistic sentiments of all Malaysian educators and parents? It seems like mission impossible!
Could English be the third language in Malaysian schools for parents and students, after the national language and the mother tongue?? so we must think from now....
Thursday, October 8, 2009
TEACHING MATH AND SCIENCE
Educators need to support the abolition PPSMI - DPM
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin called citizen educators throughout the country wholeheartedly supports cancellation policy Learning and Teaching Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) by changes in national education system.
Deputy Prime Minister who is also Minister of Education, said the teachers need to understand and appreciate the policies of the new government to explain to parents and communities about the cancellation decision.
"Definitely not good if among educators have argued that there are pro and contra. When government makes a decision, it was there rational.
"Hence I hope 100 percent support among citizens and educators on the basis of changes that we do, let all their heart, if not later have to be split in two parts, "he said.
He said this while speaking at the ceremony along with senior educators at the rally Putrajaya International Convention Center (PICC) here today.
Muhyiddin also acknowledge the achievement of students in the city PPSMI quite good but very low numbers
Based on reality is of the view that if government policy PPSMI continued, the majority of students who master the medium and weak in English language will experience double jeorpady (double trouble).
''If continued, feared would be a deficit situation knowledge among students in which students who fail to master the basic concepts of science and math problems to master science and mathematics at a higher level, "he said.
Muhyiddin said, although there are voices that oppose the abolition PPSMI especially in newspapers and blogs, but the silent majority voice must be taken into account.
"80.000 may not agree (with the abolition of this) in the blog, but have close links two or three million more that support, "he said.
He added, five Teacher Education Institutions Malaysia (IPGM) English language college will be established to train teachers of English to teachers of English the best and the best teachers from abroad can be placed in rural areas.
This includes providing incentives to teachers of English are willing to serve in rural areas.
He said, six sub-committees have been formed to implement policies elevate Bahasa Malaysia (MBM) and Strengthening English (MBI).
''This committee is responsible for detailing the aspects of teacher training, curriculum, textbook provision, logistics, personnel and information to the good quality of national education, "he said.
by:
Emmy Satina binti Jusoh
A123306
MATHS AND SCIENCE IN MOTHER TOUNGE
The teaching and learning of science and mathematics in national schools will revert to the Malay language on 2012.Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the teaching and learning of the two subjects in Chinese and Tamil national-type schools would be carried out in their respective mother tongue.Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, said the cabinet today approved the suggestion by the ministry to empower the Malay language and strengthen the teaching and learning of the English language at all levels of schooling."This strategy was drawn up based on the study and monitoring carried out by the Education Ministry on the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English since the policy was implemented in 2003," he said when making the announcement at the Education Ministry, here on Wednesday.The first group of students who studied science and mathematics in the English language since Year One sat for their Ujian Penilian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) last year.Muhyiddin said the implementation of the policy of using the Malay language in the teaching of the two subjects would be carried out in stages in Year One and Year Four in the primary school and Form One and Form Four in the secondary school beginning in 2012.However, he said, the change would not involve students in Form Six and matriculation class.He said in order to ensure that the implementation of the new strategy did not affect the achievement of students who were taught the two subjects in English, the teaching of and examination for the two subjects would be conducted in both languages until the last batch of students who were taught in English completed in 2014.He said the government made the decision after scrutinising the outcome of studies and surveys carried out on the teaching and learning of the two subjects in English which showed that it could not be implemented as desired."What is implemented is the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English/Malay languages," he said.Muhyiddin said monitoring by the ministry last year found that only a small group of teachers were using English language fully in the teaching of science and mathematics."On the average, the percentage of English usage is between 53 and 58 per cent out of the total time allotted for science and mathematics," he said.In addition, he said, only a small group of mathematics and science teachers in secondary and primary schools who took the English language Proficiency Level Evaluation test last year achieved the proficiency level.He said the precentage of students who scored grades A, B, and C for the science subject in the UPSR last year had dropped from 85.1 per cent to 82.5 per cent for the urban schools and from 83.2 per cent to 79.7 per cent for rural schools."For mathematics, the achievement of urban schools dropped from 84.8 per cent to 80.9 per cent while the achievement of rural students dropped from 80.9 per cent to 77 per cent," he said.He said the gap in achievement between urban and rural schools in science and mathematics was becoming wider when the PPSMI (teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English) was implemented.Muhyiddin said the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study 2007 also stated that the position of Malaysian students in the science subject had deteriorated from the 20th spot in 2003 to the 21st spot in 2007."For mathematics, the position of our students deteriorated from the 10th spot in 2003 to 20th spot in 2007," he said.He said studies by local universities revealed that the level of improvement in the command of the English language by students was nominal, that is, not more than three per cent throughout the implementation of the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English."The command of the English language among students, particularly in the rural areas, was still low making it difficult for them to understand the teaching of mathematics and science in English," Muhyiddin said.Based on this observation, he said, the government was convinced that science and mathematics must be taught in the language that could be easily understood by the students, namely Bahasa Malaysia in the national schools, Chinese in the national-type Chinese schools and Tamil in the national-type Tamil schools.
BY SURINAH LI (A122685)
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Opinion about the existence of political interests in the policy of teaching and learning mathematics and science in English language
I agree that the government decided to implement teaching and learning mathematics and science in English as political impact. Government felt that English language is important in the development and able to compete with foreign countries. This case because the English language is international language and is able to compete international level. I do not agree with the government implementing the teaching and learning mathematics and science in English language as Malay language is used from time immemorial. Malay language also been synonymous with people's lives in Malaysia. I also do not agree because Malay language is symbol of the Malaysian nation in line with the concept that brought by the Prime Minister that our 'One Malaysia'. I also not deny that the English language is important to compete at the international level, but just enough to learn about language and about the communication in English only. It need not be taught in mathematics and science subjects as this will make the students do not understand about mathematics and science.
Emmy Satina binti Jusoh
(A123306)
