ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONTROVERSY IN MALAYSIA

Posted by: cheaman

The English language has generated a lot of interest recently. From using English as a medium of instruction for Maths and Science to a proposal to make it a compulsory subject at SPM level from the Education Minister himself, the avalanche of pro and con opinions from educators, politicians, NGOs, parents and students themselves has turned this lingua franca of the world into a controversial quagmire.

The liberal Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has invited further feedback from the public before a decision is made by the Cabinet. Being an educationist for over 40 years, permit me to give my two cents worth.

Perhaps a calm analysis of the entire issue and some basic understanding of education concepts on testing and evaluation, may put this ‘controversy’ into some perspective.

1. Language acquisition is a skill . It is not a talent which is inborn (e.g. an alto or soprano singer has an inborn ‘voice box’ which can reach higher levels of sound). If it is a skill, then it can be taught and learned. A child can learn any language if he is exposed to it.

2. English is the lingua franca of the world. It is the language of the internet and ICT. It is the language of mathematics, science, research and knowledge. I’m not saying that knowledge cannot be acquired from Russian or Chinese. But how many of us can understand Russian or Chinese? English is also the global language of communication and international trade. If we don’t use it and master it, we may lose out (in terms of knowledge, progress and economic development). Pragmatism is the better part of valour here.

3. Logic tells us that we should not retrogress. We have only eleven more years left to achieve industrialized nation status! It would bring shame and demoralize the nation when the people suddenly realized that Malaysia “Tak Boleh” comes 2020.

4. So, the most logical thing to do is to speed up the process of learning English! This can be achieved through creativity, innovation, technology and a sense of purpose. I propose the following:

a. Revamp the English syllabus. Place special emphasis on teaching basic grammar and sentence structure. Teach ‘survival English’ during the early stages (Primary level).

Include the proper teaching of ‘auxiliary verbs’ (there are only about 25 of them). Deterioration of the English language can be found even in MUET level students. I was shocked to find students attending my MUET classes uttering expressions like: “What does Minah wants to know?.... Why did Ali went there?.... Why must Lily says such things?... What have they doto the maid? … (sic)…”

b. Communication English should be properly taught together with relevant grammar and structure. No effective communication can take place if we use broken English. (E.g. Overheard advice from one student to another: “No one can force you do nothing you not want to.”). I am reminded of Confucius’ diction: “If language is not correct then what is said is not what is meant. If what is said is not what is meant, then what ought to be done, remains undone!”

c. Incidentally, communication has a purpose. For what purpose do you want to use English? Do you want to use English in the sales department or the tourism industry? Or maybe you just need to prepare a report for the department or produce a catchy phrase or jingle for advertising. English usage has multifaceted genres. Maybe the education ministry should consider introducing ESP (English for Special Purposes) in schools. This approach was used inSingapore some 25 years ago! Then maybe we will look at how English is used to teach Maths and Science in a different light. To appease vernacular language diehards the education ministry could always publish bilingual or trilingual Maths and Science textbooks (i.e. BahasaMalaysia or Chinese or Tamil and English) just like what was done before when the medium of instruction was switched from English to B.M. back in the mid-seventies.

d. Revamp the set of English vocabulary items and make it more relevant for Malaysian learners to learn at each stage. Perhaps in year one, 200 words. In year two another 200 words and so forth. I remember in the fifties and sixties we had class readers based on certain vocabulary range, and I enjoyed reading them. Children are put off when they read things they can’t understand. Do teachers still teach the usage of such words in the vocabulary lists? (When I was with the Examination Panel setting questions for the Local Examinations Syndicate, we always referred to such lists, less we be accused of setting questions “outside the syllabus”!).How many local textbook writers ever refer to such vocabulary lists? Most students will tell you that the vocabulary found in most of the reading passages in their school texts is beyond their comprehension. If students can’t even understand the ‘surface structures’ how can they delve below them? More professional writers (such as retired teachers) should be employed on full time basis to write more interesting and creative textbooks. Perhaps, something along the line of the ‘books for Dummies’ series. Interactive textbooks could also be produced on CDs.

e. After the pilot project of introducing computers as another teaching tool in school during the 1990s, most schools are equipped with computer labs by now. So introduce interactive English learning in schools. This may reduce the need to import native speakers of the language. Just train teachers on how to use the interactive teaching software. Teachers themselves can also relearn some proper grammar and structures from these professionally prepared programmes from native countries overseas. There are a lot of commercial software teaching packages out there which are capable of speeding up the process of learning. Interactive lessons include situational dialogues with clear explanations of relevant grammatical usage and sentence structures with correct pronunciations, intonation, rhythm and stress patterns (in native mode). Students can also record and playback their own voices and correct their mistakes, etc. The present generation of students are computer literate and they can adapt to the new learning environment in no time. Believe me, I have been involved in teaching and using such programmes for a number of years and I have found them to be quite effective.

f. Another alternative is to permit ‘vernacular’ English schools to be set up and allow parents to make their own choice as to where they want to send their children. If the 1Malaysia concept is really meant for all Malaysians, then it should also cater to those whose first language at home is English.

5. With regard to making English a compulsory subject to pass at SPM level, I am glad to find an Education Minister who is finally touch with reality. No student will ever take English seriously if he doesn’t have to pass it from year one until university! Even the MUET exam is not compulsory at the moment. (The ministry stipulation is that students must register and sit for the exam, but nothing is mentioned about passing it, to enter university).

And why are people so riled up about passing the English paper? In the old days, any good test is based on Bloom’s taxonomy where various aspects of the syllabus will be tested based on a ‘Test Blueprint’ which sets out the weighting and criteria for questioning techniques. After various sets of tests are completed, they are then sent for ‘tryouts’ in various schools all over the country, including urban, rural and ‘interior’ schools in Sarawak and Sabah. A thorough ‘item analysis’ will be carried out on the test results and a ‘discrimination index’ will be done on objective test items. ‘Cross validations’ will be made to see if the items are not urban or rural biased. The items are then carefully edited and reassembled into the final ‘paper’, usually two years in advance of the date for the actual public examination. All this is done to ensure the validity and reliability of the test construct so that all students will sit for a fair exam. The Malaysian Examinations Syndicate set stringent standard and control over local public examinations which are equivalent to the best in the world.

Even after the examination, the results will be tabulated in a ‘bell shaped’ graph. This is where the mean (national average score), the median (the most number of students falling into this category) and the standard deviations will be determined. There will usually be the 10% of high and low achievers at both ends of the bell curve in any subject. It is not always possible to get a perfectly symmetrical bell curve with the apex right at the middle of the 50 percentile score. In my numerous years as a Co-Chief Examiner with the Local Examinations Syndicate, where my group of team leaders was responsible for thousands of exam scripts, my bell curve for the English Paper (1119/1 & 2), always had an askew slightly to the left. The mean score ranged from 38 to 47, depending on the year. But this was only a segment of the population and not the national average.

So, why are politicians, parents and students worried about rural students not getting a fair deal in the English paper, or any other subjects, for that matter? It is an open secret in most schools that the passing mark for Additional Mathematics is only around 20%. Most students who consistently failed their Add. Maths, with scores of 30 and below in school, were found to pass their SPM actual paper. The students were taught by experienced teachers who were also examiners. Just go and sit the paper and stop worrying about the ‘compulsory’ stigma. The “passing mark” is based on the national average and it may just be around 20% !

6 I’m in full support for any move to make a pass in English compulsory. It is high time to place emphasis on English as an important global language for communication and knowledge assimilation and to make students study this language seriously for the good of their future as well as the survival of our nation. Survival too is a skill. All skills can be learnt. And if English is needed to survive in the modern global arena, just make a little extra effort and learn it!

The author is an English lecturer and Coodinator, currently attached to the Terengganu Language Centre at the Terengganu Public Library. He can be contacted at: cybercheam@yahoo.com or cheam@trglib.gov.my

Source: StarOnline