Education: Give them the option to study in English Read more: Education: Give them the option to study in English

2011/04/06

DATIN NOOR AZIMAH ABDUL RAHIM, Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) Kuala Lumpur
letters@nst.com.my

WE refer to the report "Local education system ranked 8th in the world" (NST, Feb 15).

In August last year, Newsweek conducted a survey called "The world's best countries", ranking 100 countries in terms of health, education, quality of life, economic dynamism and political environment.

It ranked Malaysia at 36th place in education with a literacy rate of 88.8 per cent and a score of 86.43.

Malaysia is ranked 8th in education only if compared with countries within the upper middle-income category, falling behind Kazakhstan, Poland, Cuba, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Belarus. The top 10 best countries for education are Finland, South Korea, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Switzerland, Estonia, United Kingdom, Ireland and Netherlands, all of which happen to be high-income nations.

Interestingly, Newsweek goes on to say that, "it's not hard to see why rich countries excel in education or why educated countries prosper but this second-tier category caught our eye. It includes a striking number of former Soviet-bloc states that have historically put high priority on science and math. Even in nations that have fallen on hard times, the fruits of this emphasis are still paying off in high test scores."

Nonetheless, it is encouraging that the government's efforts to improve students' performance towards transforming the country is a step forward in the right direction.

We strongly believe that students and parents in Malaysia should be given the option to choose English as the preferred language for learning science and math as it is the lingua franca of these two core subjects.

Studying Science and Maths in English should not be limited to the privileged few who can afford private education. Having the option would certainly fast-track Malaysia into achieving a high-income nation status.

New Straits Times, Letters To The Editor, 6th April 2011

Globalisation is another way of the colonizers of the yesteryears trying to colonize other countries.

This new modern way via the education and economy of anyone who is capable or in other words the person who has the knowledge and can compete on the global scale can work anywhere in the world.

If it were up to me, I will continue the teaching of Mathematics and Science In English and to hell with all the detractors who only wants to see the students to be stupid cows and only listen to their petty opinions.

Those who wants this policy to be reversed have their own agenda because they are mostly writers of the books in the Malay language and will get the royalty from their books if this policy is reversed.

If they are so talented, why don't they take to the task of translating the numerous Mathematic and Science books that keeps sprouting out which shows the accelerated pace of the research on both subjects are by researches that are doing serious work and have no time to dilly-dally like those who opposes PPSMI.

One more thing. If they uphold the Malay language so much, how come they went to study Shakespeare in Britain?

They are the example of people who do not want to see others do better than them when they can go to study overseas.