While the decision maybe appalling to a lot of parties, it is not surprising. Why? Because all these while, only about half of the teachers in school actually fully teach those subjects in English. 53 to 58% according to The Star newspaper report.
They key reason for the low percentage? Its the teachers themselves who are not equipped with the language skills to teach the subject in English. The teachers themselves are products of our very own archaic education system which had taught them in BM in the first place. So how can we expect them to teach in English when they themselves learnt it in BM? This will be a slow and long road if we were to get this English policy to be implemented successfully. The 1st generation of teachers who would be capable to teach the subjects in English are those who actually graduated in Science. And the reason for them not wanting to become teachers? The low wage.
The only other way for teachers to be naturally proficient in English would be if they continued this policy and the students who finished school learning these subjects in English would then be able to teach the students more effectively. But that would mean we would have to wait for at least 5-10 years before our teachers become naturally fluent in English.
But then again, all is not lost. If we look at other countries like France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and China; these countries have their Science and Math subjects taught in their own language. And these countries have not been handicapped at all. They are some of the most technologically advanced countries on the planet. So as you can see learning Science and Maths in BM or whatever the language isn't the problem.
I think the problem here lies more with the syllabus as well as the ability to adapt from 1 language to another i.e. English.
We don't want our English to be like the above, do we?
The 1st problem, to me, is the biggest problem. I felt that my Science subjects were rather dull (I studied Pure Science in Form 4 and 5). Maybe it was my teacher, but I dont wish to blame her for that. I think the syllabus doesnt make the science experiments interesting enough. It doesnt make me want to discover or find out more. In fact, I actually lost my passion for Science during those 2 years. Maybe we shouldnt be too exam based. But I know that in the new SPM format, there is a pratical exam but I think the practical xam is just once off and it could be stressful for the students. Points for Lab sessions should be given based on the year's work, and should include some short research, maybe on the net or something, just to stimulate the student's interest.
The 2nd problem, adaptability to English is a serious problem for all students of our National schooling syllabus. The generation of our parents, although half of them didnt really complete school, were able to carry a decent conversation in English and BM. But today, even local university graduates can't speak proper English. Our proficiency of English has actually gone down the drain over the years. IF we actually have a good command of English, we can easily switch between English terms and BM terms, regardless of the subjects.
Now the million dollar question is how do we bring our English back to the levels of yesteryear?
My 1st suggestion would be to Make English a compulsory pass for SPM. This way, that would make English just as important as BM. IF you dont pass both, you fail SPM. Then, how do we get more people to pass English? Have at least extra 2 hours on English lessons a week. At primary and Secondary school level. How do you get extra 2 hours in a 2 session school? Scrap useless subjects like Moral and then we have our problem solved. Moral should be taught in primary school only. Our young mind can be shaped then, but not in secondary school anymore.
Maybe 1 more tactic that should work. Introduce Sex Education, maybe an hour a week maybe in Form 3 onwards. Not a subject for PMR and SPM. But how to improve English? Teach it in English lor... Simple right? Then definitely most of our students can speak better English, I can guarantee you! Hehehe...
Well, anyways those are my 2 cents after reading the headlines today.
Boodyboy, out!!
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