By V Chandrasekaran
The poor state of English competency among students, especially tertiary students, is a matter of concern. Only the right political will and a revamp in the education system can help overturn this unsettling malaise.
Mariam Mokhtar, in her column yesterday, rightly commented that politicians were to be blamed for this unending English language issue. She has a point when she said politicians used language as a tool for their continued political support.
This mindset should not be allowed to continue, especially under the charge of the newly appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who places great importance on education.
It is ludicrous to see undergraduates make blatant (English) language errors when they are supposed to have mastered the required level of proficiency. Can one blame them for the declining command in the language?
The politicians are to be squarely blamed for this state of affairs. They interfere in education policies and constantly disrupt the system.
The country’s education system needs to be revamped. The right importance must be given to the teaching and learning of the English language, beginning from primary school.
No one questions the need to uphold the country’s national language. By all means, the country must enforce the need for everyone to be well versed in Bahasa Malaysia.
But this does not mean that English should be ignored or given less importance. If we want to stay relevant and be globally competitive, the younger generation must be well-equipped in English.
To start the ball rolling, the education ministry should make it compulsory for students to obtain a reasonable grade in the English language in all public examinations. Only strict enforcement can help bring about improvement in language competency.
No other appeals will work. The educators must be aptly trained and the ministry must ensure that only those with good language competency be allowed to guide students.
It is pointless to blame the teachers, parents or students for the poor command of English. The country needs to revamp the education system and provide the required focus on the teaching and learning of English, as well as allocate funds to train qualified educators.
We can go on debating this issue forever and we will not see any solution. We first need to stop the politicians from dabbling in this issue.
Language experts and academics should be given the leeway to provide their expert ideas in reshaping the English language curriculum. The government must treat this as a priority and not delay in taking remedial action. It is pointless to hurl blame but not do anything to address the problem.
V Chandrasekaran is a senior lecturer at Xiamen University Malaysia and an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.