PPSMI

There was a demonstration in front of Sogo shopping complex yesterday. The demonstration was aiming to show rakyat’s protest against the implement of teaching Mathematics and Science in English. I was in Kuantan. If I were to in KL, I might consider joining the demo. I am one of many people who are against the idea of teaching Mathematics and Science in English.

For me, I can’t understand why Mathematics and Science should be taught in English. The government said that it is to improve English language among students. I believe that this is not the way. I was lucky that I was not involved in the PPSMI. In other words, during my school times I learned Mathematics and Science in Malay language. Though I was not taught in English, I can’t say my English is perfect as I still make mistakes here and there, but overall my English is not bad. The way I master my English is by talking in English, reading English newspapers, watching English movies, teaching English to others and my latest technique is writing my blog in English.

What the government should do to improve English language among students is by reviewing our syllabus. From what I can see is that our syllabus does not stress on grammar. From my experience, students are afraid to talk in English because they are afraid of doing grammar mistakes. They prevent themselves from talking in English. As a result, they are not able to improve their English. So, simple mathematics. We stress on grammar, students master it, have confidence to talk in English and hence improve their English.

I would like to end my posting with a quotation from one well known professor. He said in an interview published in a major newspaper:

“Ilmu itu adalah kunci kejayaan. Mengajar Matematik dan Sains dalam Bahasa Inggeris ibarat mengambil kunci tersebut”