Is he dumb? He is just DEFENDING his RIGHTS!For one who is able to read and write in English moderately, I fail to fathom why many have failed (or they deliberately fail) to see the roots and the background of why PPSMI is being heavily criticised including those experts who are well versed in English. Most of them like the former DBP DG himself, are fluent in English. But why do they vehemently oppose such policy? Are they jealous of those green kids who are now 'learning' the language through Maths and Science? Take note that I deliberately write learning the language through Maths and Science and not the way around as mistakenly believed by many.
Certainly the answer is in the NEGATIVE! We need to remind and educate ourselves that the policy has its roots from the fear that many graduates today have failed to secure employment because of their poor communicate skills. Communication thus needs verbal language and therefore Malay and English (at least) should come into consideration). Being in a borderless world, communication is the key to almost everything as without communication then everyone will face the awkward situation where none is able to understand the who, what, when, where, which, why, whose and others essential to gather information.
Malaysian graduates have since decline in the priority of the job market. It is not because they do not know how to do solve mathematical questions or any scientific based problems. They have the essence, they have the knowledge and they are no lesser than those English native speakers out there. Adi Putra is an excellent example where a Malaysian is acknowledge as a Mathematics genius. The only and I repeat THE ONLY problem is their inability to explain or elaborate the whole process in a language understood by others, in many cases it is English!
We lost our competitive edge not because of our lack of knowledge in certain discipline but it is because we fail to master the language in which it is being taught or spread. Today, almost all discipline are taught in English. Therefore, it is confusing why people especially those 'elders' fail to see the veracity of the current situation. Again, the blogger submits that he is not detached from the current predicament since he is directly involved in the teaching and once have to shoulder the heavy responsibility of teaching Science though he is not trained in such discipline. The reason? Lack of qualified teachers and his ability to teach and communicate in English! (Such statement is just for emphasis purpose and not to boast).
There may be little or no problem for those well-to-do students in the urban areas but sadly it is not so for the rural folks. They have to endure and suffer tremendously just to survive in the three subjects. Once in the Parliament, the vociferous Bung Mokhtar in his endervour to uphold PPSMI unconsciously support 'our' stand that it is not because of Mathematics and Science per se but rather English as to why many have failed to master both subjects when he said, PPSMI has helped students in his constituency as there is no single tuition centre there!
Being educated, our elders like the venerated TDM should have known and not being hard headed and stubborn in continuing such destructive policy. To answer TDM's feeble arguments on PPSMI, we have only one choice - rejuvenate the teaching and learning of English. Well, it may sound simplistic and not even a very innovative idea since we have been doing that for years but should we just abandoned it for the sake a perceived novel idea but a destructive one? Today, we have EST or English for Science and Technology in secondary schools or English for specific purpose in institutions of higher learning. Maybe what we need instead and immediately is a rejuvenating the English syllabus. Enough said, I rest my case dear readers!
Just because something does not work, it does not warrant a replacement!
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