This post is specially composed for Malaysian readers. Others are welcomed to read but it is more likely that you wont comprehend the content as good as Malaysian because it is about an issue we are facing.
Now, lets get to the point. A week of newspapers reading is good for us, in any ways that you can think of. You will get to plan your future, your expenditures, and so on. Yet, there was one article in The Star that has made me sad until the time I posted this offensive article.
Okay, I guess you've already know what the article was about - Ministry of Education to revert teaching method of Science and Mathematics into Bahasa Malaysia. If you are a mind-fucked person, please hit that top right-cornered button on your browser window. If you think wisely of your future, your countrymen future, and your nation's future, please, continue reading and do not forget to give some thoughts after that.
I was born in 1989, which means I was not one of those students who are the first batch to undergo Mathematics and Science in English. I have only learned in that way when I was in Matriculation College but it was not a big deal for me. WHY? Because learning is unique. You can even understand it even if you are not too familiar with the medium language. To add another point, I think I should say, that I am not very good in English because my MUET test, which I would conclude easy, is band 3. And that band is halfway of an excellent English user.
To think of, there are so much reasons for us to be good in English. Crucial element during interviews. We could say, these days, there are very few of interviews conducted in Bahasa, Tamil, or even Chinese. English shows our competency and our capability to go through stumbling blocks in our life - which most likely is sought after by employers. Now, what is so good about answering interviews in your respective languages? You are already good at it and it not likely you will use them in work reports, far enough than being used in professional business and international functions.
I have recently read about some geezers saying that Bahasa Malaysia (BM) should have never been forgotten by its men. Furthermore, it was also said that conversion of Maths and Science in English has never been approved for. It brings more disadvantages, and shits. Sorry for the language but if any English were to read this, they will be laughing their ass off. My opinion on this? Oh my god, they have a very passe mind. They are old, already have a promising job, 2 of them have already got titles, and most probably will be dead any time soon. So, what are they going to say at the moment when our graduates are unemployed because their of their laxity in English proficiency and stuff, worse than it has already been now? For sure, they will be blase in their coffins, frozen, and incapable of doing nothing.
They say, it would be crucial for Malaysians to master their own language at any cost, better than any other languages they are learning. And that, to my point, is completely an ass. Hoi! You are not in our shoes, you have overlooked, and you have been misunderstood. Before that, for sure, the objective of the reversion is not meant for adults - they are meant for us, students. Teachers, and people who have made that foolish decision do NOT know that the point stated earlier in this paragraph, does not apply to children of this era. Do the ministry have MYSPACE? FRIENDSTER? or even TWITTER account? They should see how their lovely BM-practiced students use the so-called mastered language. With random arrangement of capital and small letters, and stupid spellings - this is what you call mastered BM? For example look at this..
aku = akuwh
menarik = menawek
In addition, surprisingly, last years' UPSR result has recorded a boom of improvement in Science and Mathematics even though they were conveyed in English, even better than the record when they were conducted in BM. So, things like English had digressed students' performance is practically nonsense.
To help rural students to achieve greater and outstanding result in public examinations? That is why we are called JAGUH KAMPUNG! My lecturer once told me that in order to be kind, we got to be cruel. And that means, in order for our youngsters to be successful, we would be better have them work really hard in mastering English. It comes to my mind that reversion of our teaching method to its earlier form will only set them to a dark future.
This is a very long post and yet, I do NOT think all my points have been jotted down. I still have some thoughts that I would rather let them rotten in my mind. I am just a small fish in the vast ocean, controlled by gigantic whale-sized, self-centered idiots who are fighting for illnesses that they want to preserve. I have no such power to change the current situation but this is the least I can do for the sake of our future. English for me, and for you.
Note: Reversion will take action in 2012.
