All the Heat on PPSMI

The ways to overcome mistakes are first, to recognize one, secondly, to admit it is a mistake, third, make a correction and apologize where necessary and finally do not repeat it. This article is not written by a well known scholar yet I consider this a humble analysis from a person who has had the experience of teaching English, Bahasa Melayu as well as Science and Mathematics.
It takes more than just the delivery language to excel in a subject. It needs passion, both, from the teacher first and consequently the students. My Bahasa Melayu was worse than my English when I was in primary school but I had good teachers throughout my schooling years. Teachers who never gave up on me, teachers who were patient and passionate in teaching. Now I am sought for to do free lance editing for Bahasa Melayu.
I have friends who hated certain subjects because they dislike their teachers. Some teachers made a subject seem tougher than it really is. Some taught with no hearts that a subject felt flat and boring to death. Some just let their students drift (and drown) on their own. These types of teachers, sorry to say, are responsible in heartlessly slaughtering and murdering a student’s interest in a subject.
I had the experience of teaching tutorial for university students on Calculus and Statistics. Many of my students had problems not with Mathematics but English. When they told me they cannot solve a problem, I did not give them the answers but asked did they understand the question in the first place. The reply always came in a shy smile and a slow shaking of their heads. When I explain the question in Malay, they straight away know which Mathematics’ formula they need to use to solve it. This happened not only to my Malay students but the Chinese and Indians alike.
Other friends of mine who are teaching in schools claim the same thing. They even had to battle with time as they struggle to finish a syllabus because they had to reduce the quality teaching time since they had to waste it to translate back into Malay. Thus instead of a two period learning session, they probably cover only a one period’s topic.
Thus it is far from appropriate to tackle lack of English proficiency problem by implementing English teaching for other subjects. This will not only intimidate the students but I am afraid it will slowly kill their passion for Science and Mathematics not because of the subjects per se but simply because of the language in which it is being delivered. This will be a shameful waste of brilliant minds.
We do not need English to get better understanding of Science and Mathematics. Japanese don’t need it, the Germans don’t need it, the French don’t need it, why Malaysians?
When there was a mass demonstration and procession to the Palace, the feed backs from both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education were shortcoming. Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he is aware that more and more citizens are voicing out their disagreement on PPSMI but he seems fail to look further as to why are they against it? And why are they fighting so hard against it for so long and in so many ways? They want to be heard, the need to be heard. And when their voices are shun and ignored, they need to scream thus a demonstration play that role, as the amplifier of their voice. Dato’ Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein on the other hand took it in a way far too different. He warned Malaysians the negative impact it would bring when certain groups are tying every issues to races and religions. That it would neglect us from the more important things. What is this important thing? I ask. He had failed to look at it beyond the political frame.
Our leaders need to grow up and be more responsible on each decision they are making. The people’s interest must be first in their hearts. Don’t just look at who is saying it but listen if it is of the truth. If truth is what we stand for, it doesn’t matter if it comes from one’s side or the other. If our objective is merely to win over, hence we can’t hear the truth let alone see it because all we think about is rebut.
I certainly hope that the PPSMI issue is given a fair judgment and stopped so that students can gain back their passion and enthusiasm in learning Science and Mathematics. Who knows? A Malaysian learning Science and Mathematics in Malay can be a Nobel Prize winner one day. It is possible.