I Was only 13 years old when the government decided to introduce the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) in primary and secondary schools in Malaysia.
At that time, I had completed Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and was enrolled in a new private secondary school.Unaware of the heated debate behind the policy, I was thrilled about the change.
I already loved reading English fiction and my family habitually spoke in English.Best of all,my new teachers were fluent in the language and superb at their jobs.
Fast forward to 16 years in the future and in an institution where I teach public speaking on weekends, my student is looking at me with a flash of panic after I asked for her opinion on a current issue.
I can see her mind working, eyes darting back and forth in thought and as she took a deep breath to speak, she suddenly changed her mind, shrugged her shoulders and abruptly sat down. Later,I found out that the student had opinions on the matter but didn’t know how to express them in words, and in particular, in English.
She told me that her thoughts were in Bahasa Malaysia, which meant she would have to go through a translation process in her head before speaking in my class.
This made it difficult for her to deliver speeches confidently and even when she didn’t understand some of the English words I was using, she confessed that she was usually too embarrassed to ask for clarification.
This troubled me because after graduating from high school and university with (relatively) good grades,I was a huge proponent of PPSMI.
Joining the ranks of students and teachers who were disappointed with the reversal of the PPSMI policy in 2012, I believed the policy had helped me tremendously as a science-stream student sitting the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia and subsequently gave me a competitive edge in university and in the workforce.
Now that the debate on the policy has started once again, I am not so certain. In hindsight, I realise that my circumstances put me in an advantageous situation in relation to studying Science and Maths in the English language.
I was fortunate to be fairly fluent in English and was enrolled in a private institution where the teachers were highly trained and effortlessly bilingual.
Others were not so fortunate.I suddenly recalled conversations with my cousins during Aidilfitri celebrations back in the kampung where they told me of their struggles with the switch in the medium of instruction and the difficulty they had in understanding new concepts.
Personal experiences aside, let’s look at some hard truths. In a context where the government had in the past flip-flopped on this issue to the detriment of all stakeholders,getting it done right is more important than getting it done quick.
With the bill to amend the Constitution to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 recently passed,education is of utmost importance to better empower our youth for the future.
Therefore, even though the PPSMI policy has been riddled with issues of politics, race, culture and nationality, it is now time to put such sentiments aside, capitalise on the spirit of bipartisan support and fight for a policy that is best for our future - our children.
But how do we bridge the gap between needing to increase Malaysia’s English proficiency levels to fuel economic growth and yet ensure students understand the concepts being taught in a foreign language?
Echoing the sentiment of the National Union of the Teaching Profession urging the government to learn from its past mistakes, a ‘bottom-up approach’ is needed to sustain the PPSMI policy.
I believe more should be done to improve teacher education.
Maths and Science teachers should be bilingual,to better understand and teach the subjects.
All schools, especially those in rural areas,need to retrain their teachers to adapt to the change.
Across the board, standards of English proficiency should also be improved by investing more in English education and information technology capabilities.
It is important to ensure that students not only understand English as a subject, but consequently, also comprehend English as a medium of instruction.Failure to do both would lead to students not learning English, and not learning anything at all.
I believe that everyone is eager to welcome back the policy.Parents are eager to better equip their children for the future.
The government is eager to reintroduce a sustainable version of the policy. I am eager for my students to speak confidently in English, empowered by better proficiency and understanding.
Nevertheless,we must ensure that Malaysia is not only eager and willing, but also able and ready for the change.
The writer is passionate about self-expression and teaches public speaking to youths on weekends