Should pass English but please plan ahead

On Monday (June 8), Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was surprised to learn that English was not a compulsory subject for students to pass their Form 5 SPM and wanted public feedback on the matter.
This is my take: a sudden new policy blast is certainly not my policy. I am not in favour of a sudden policy that compels students to pass English in SPM. There should be long term planning because it is unfair for students weak in the language to catch up at such a short time.
However, ultimately the language should be made compulsory for students to pass. This will push them towards attaining a basic but strong command of the language. Acquiring the language skill will give our nation the extra competitive edge while it functions as a useful language to have when we travel or live and work in other countries where English is widely spoken.
More English learning facilities need to be channelled to rural folks who do not have the opportunities and exposures to the language that city folks have. Informal and fun way of learning English should also be broadcast in the evenings when people are home. The Government cannot just make a policy and not provide the necessary tools for improvements.

Note: Those who want to give feedback on whether to make English pass compulsory in SPM should call the Education Ministry's customer service line at 03 - 7723 7070 or e-mail in their views to mailto:tokpkpm@moe.gov.my.

Below is my brother KK's view about English and education in Malaysia written as it is.


MUCH ADO ABOUT ENGLISH

The issue isn’t Eng as medium of instruction in Math/Science but rather the standard of local education, be it Eng, Sci or Math. Teaching Sci/Math in Eng doesn’t mean that the standard of Sci/Math or even Eng will improve. It’s the standard that we set that determines that. If I am not mistaken, Singapore ‘A’ level students do not get as many ‘As’ as our students (to the point that its ridiculous, like a bunch of ‘buah rambai’, 20 As???) – which means the passing level there is very much higher.
Even if Eng is maintained as medium of instruction in Sci/Math or even if Eng is set as a compulsory passing subject, the passing mark can be lowered and the problem remains.
The Germans n the Japanese (fr ashes of losing WW2) use their mother tongue as medium of instruction in sch n yet they are now leaders in commerce, technology n governance.
WHY???
Simple reason; they do not compromise on high standards n they are extremely discipline in achieving their targets. Setting high targets will mean less of a ‘feel good factor’ ie getting a string of As and by setting high standards, perception will slowly change towards appreciating excellence, in that to ace SPM/STPM is not easy and that a few As is a very high achievement.
This reasoning is relevant to our standing in the academic world (local university standing which hs fallen). The Philippines have many local universities but which are hardly recognized internationally to the point that their graduates work as maids. Why cant these graduates get decent jobs in the US (since the Philippines have close ties with them)? Could it be that the standards of universities in Philippines have been compromised n are considered low?
We must ask ourselves that very same question……have we compromised our standard of education (and in general, level of excellence)?
We must also be truthful to ourselves in answering that question no matter how painful it can be. Only then can we proceed onto the road to recovery.
Once I had a conversation with a Malay man. He mentioned that Malaysia has progress much and that the government has done a great job. He reasoned that Malaysia just needed a bigger population so that with an increased workforce, productivity will in turn increase.
I reasoned with him that that perception is disastrously flawed.
1. A car that has been moving at 100 kph now accelerates to 120 kph does not mean that it is going faster if other cars are accelerating even more, say to 150 kph.
Progress is relative and by that analogy, we may be losing ground – similar to our standard in football in which poor nations like Myanmar, Cambodia can thrash us.
2. Malaysia is blessed in that it has many natural resources – and a relatively small population base. Her bountiful riches can be easily shared around compared to our neighbor Indonesia, who is also very rich in natural resources but is burdened by a huge population base.
So to be more productive, we must not just increase our workforce per say but to improve the quality of our workforce – through education.
In my opinion, to achieve Vision 2020, we need a fundamental, systemic change.
1. to reintroduce the importance of Eng as a core passing subject in sch as it is required in accessing the world.
2. or even to maintain Eng as the medium of instruction for Sci/Math.
3. to improve the standards of our teaching profession as the copies can only be as good as the mould.
4. most importantly to re-set our standards and our perception to excellence.
There will certainly be much resistance towards this as there will be transitional pain esp in the rural communities.
This matter will also provide ample fodder for political sharks to capitalize on.
But march on we must – or be left behind.
The biggest obstacle to progress is the resistance to change as it often entails much work and heartache.
To conclude, we must set high standards in school to produce good quality students n thereon a good quality work force and towards being a developed nation.