Barking Up The Wrong Tree

What a busy week this has been! Apart from work-related stuff, I've been spending a bit of time on Rotary matters. Amongst others, President Warrence Chan, PP Patrick Chin and I visited Saint Francis Convent and Sabah College to deliver small donations, on behalf of our Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu, meant for needy students.

After we're done with the official handing over of the cheques, photo sessions and other formalities, we had the opportunities to chit-chat with the teachers and principals. We exchanged views on numerous matters relating to the education system in Malaysia, but eventually we came to the inevitable subject of the teaching of maths and science in English.

This thing about the teaching of maths and science in English is not a new debate in Malaysia, and I'd expect it to continue to be an ongoing debate for a long time to come. It's interesting to note that the generation just before mine went through an education system which adopted English as the medium of instruction. When it was my generation, we did it all in Bahasa Malaysia. Then some years ago, we had another modification in the education system where some sort of compromise was introduced—maths and science are now taught in English, whereas the other subjects continue to be taught in Bahasa Malaysia (except of course for the English language itself).

There are many, many arguments for and against the teaching of maths and science in English. One can find plenty of these arguments in recent news articles, blogs and other literatures. So I shall not bore my readers with those views in this post. However, from the many people I've spoken to about this subject, including people in the street, parents, teachers and principals, there is no doubt that the majority still prefer to maintain the medium of instruction for maths and science in English.

Some people have suggested that it's a torture for young children to learn maths and science in English, especially those who're not well versed in the language. I do not agree with this view. And even if it's indeed a torture, sometimes we must endure it for the benefits that we can reap in the future.

My daughter, JJ, has just started primary one in a Chinese school in January this year. Each day she struggles with the many Chinese characters. Both Mia and I can't handle Chinese characters, so JJ has to go for tuition to get extra help. The amount of effort required is amazing, but she copes reasonably well. It's not a stroll in the park, and at times her grades are just hanging by a thread. Yet one way or another she will have to endure it, at least up till primary six.

If we really want our kids to learn maths and science in English, I think they will be able to adjust and eventually adapt to the requirement. It may not be a pleasant ride, of course, but that's entirely a different matter. It is human nature to be doubtful when drifting into unchartered territories. We're more confortable to converse and learn in our own language(s).

Having said that, we've heard that a fair number of kids, especially those from the rural schools, can't cope with the English language, and immediately we ask ourselves—why? Is it right to say that those kids are not as bright when compared to those from the urban areas? As far as I am concerned, unless there is strong evidence to support this claim, I'm inclined to suggest that there is hardly any difference in the mental ability of these kids. Perhaps the kids from the urban areas are better exposed to knowledge—they are very much at home with the TVs, internet connectivity, cellphones etc. But still, as for the learning capacity, if there is any difference at all, then it must be very little.

That's why I think many people are barking up the wrong tree when they claim that rural kids can't cope with English. I suspect a more viable explanation is that the teachers themselves are not well-equipped to teach in English. Therefore, being a parent, one might have to tell his child that the word "leopard", for example, is pronounced lepəd, and not li׃eo pa׃d as what the teacher said how it's supposed to be pronounced.

I personally am in favour of the teaching of maths and science in English because I am convinced of the immense benefits for future applications of the knowledge. But if the Government is really serious about it, then I think they should look into bringing the teachers up to the standard to start with.