G25 welcomes the statement from Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek in her reply in Parliament that the government is committed to implementing the Malaysia English Language Roadmap 2015-2025.
The ministry allows the teaching of English through the Dual Language Programme (DLP) in schools if there are enough parents who want it. In implementing the DLP, the ministry has also emphasised the training of teachers to teach the subjects in English.
We hope that as the DLP is getting more popular among parents, they will not be disappointed with the teaching standards.
Teachers must show confidence in using English to teach the maths and science subjects so the students can follow the lessons and develop an interest in these subjects.
There are complaints that as the teachers cannot express themselves clearly in English, the students tend to lose interest in the subjects. Students whose parents can afford to give them private tuition in maths and science will continue to take an interest.
Other students who come from poor families may lose interest in learning maths and science if the teachers in their classes are not up to par and teach poorly in the language.
It is an undisputed fact that English is the universal language in trade, commerce, finance, and banking. It is also the most common language used in research and scientific work at institutions of higher learning and at international organisations. It is the main language of diplomacy at the international level.
Malaysia, as an open economy with high exposure to international trade and investments, cannot afford to lose out as a favourite destination for foreign investment. It must continue to promote the wide use of English as one of Malaysia’s strengths in facing global competition for modern technologies to develop the economy and raise standards of living.
In recruiting their staff, private sector employers will give preference to job applicants who are easily trainable. School leavers and graduates competent in English will have an advantage as they can benefit from in-house training programmes and become more productive workers on the factory floor and in the corporate office.
There will be social and racial disparities if only a few among local job-seekers can meet the English requirement in job applications, while the shortage must be filled by importing foreign workers good in the international language.
G25 urges the Education Ministry to also consider other methods of obtaining a high level of proficiency in English besides the DLP. One method would be to employ the immersive approach in teaching English at selected centres of learning at the school and higher education levels, as suggested by some educational specialists.
We hope that with its resources, the ministry will continue to strive for the improvement of the use of the English language in our education system.
In addition, we would like to see the ministry table in Parliament a progress report on its implementation of the Malaysian Education Blueprint (2013-2025) developed by the Education Ministry with the assistance of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit, which was a part of the Prime Minister’s Office at the time, to provide recommendations for raising the quality of education in the country.
A few GLCs got together to set up a trust schools’ programme for them to become models for other schools to follow based on the recommendations in the blueprint.
The public will be interested to know how well the trust schools model is being replicated among all schools in the education system. – The Vibes, March 4, 2023
G25 is a group of prominent retired civil servants
