RECENT discussions in the print media on the importance of English in our education system have veered into two directions.
At one end of the spectrum are those who claim that Bahasa Malaysia can be used as the sole medium of instruction including the teaching of science and mathematics.
To prove their claim they often cite such cases as Japan and South Korea which without an English base have developed into highly sophisticated nations in scientific discoveries and in technology. They are considered to be strong and viable.
Looking westwards such claimants also often quote the examples of France and Germany which are equally renowned for their scientific and technological achievements but just as Japan and South Korea without a powerful English language base.
They believe that similarly Bahasa Malaysia can also catapult our nation into the era of high-end achievements in science and technology.
What is more, these ardent advocates take the argument one step beyond and claim that Bahasa Malaysia even possesses the potential to unify our diverse races into a single nation and imbue its citizens with a lofty sense of patriotism a la Ola Bola, now breaking all the box-office records in the local cinemas claimed by critics to be an inspiring local production reprising a real football game in the Merdeka tournament in 1980.That was when we beat giant South Korea.
A former professor of Chemical Engineering in UKM has now come to say that he has taught the subject in Bahasa Malaysia to hundreds of students and supervised their M.Sc and PhD theses.
He says that they had used Bahasa Malaysia in the practice of world-class science in UKM's labs and in the reporting of the scientific results in their theses.
External examiners from other universities in Malaysia were, he asserts, amazed and surprised that world-class science could be done and reported in Bahasa Malaysia so very well.
He does not say anything about external examiners, if any, from countries where Bahasa Malaysia is not the benchmark language. Why didn't these "other universities" not experience similar spectacular successes in high-end research involving science and mathematics?
The professor cites examples to prove that many of these students who learnt and researched in Bahasa Malaysia have distinguished themselves in the private sector, in industries, multinational corporations and even in overseas countries.
They have, he emphasises, proved that Bahasa Malaysia can be used for research on what he terms "cutting edge technology".
The use of Bahasa Malaysia did not impair their ability to do world-class science at all: on the contrary, because they used their own language, it added extra quality to their work just as in the case of Einstein or Bohr who researched entirely in German.
In taking advocates of English and their demand to revamp the education system to task the professor says that the science and mathematics taught in schools are "established" scientific and mathematical knowledge that has been accepted by consensus all over the world. They are foundational in nature.
He warns that it should not be confused with cutting edge science and technology that he and his students deal with every day.
What he probably means is that these schools teach basic scientific and mathematical knowledge while his is elitist in content and nature. It requires brain power, skills and passion.
They lead to innovation, invention and discovery in the first instance and later through arduous, painstaking, experimentation for mass application.
While all these may present a rosy and a staggeringly optimistic picture emanating from a cloistered elitist source, the facts or what may be regarded as "ground realities" tell a different story. Educationists both retired and in active service have complained that an increasing number of students in schools are reluctant or even unwilling to take up science and mathematics.
There is a widespread perception among them that these are tough subjects.
Most parents rightly or wrongly believe that if English were used it would render the teaching of science and mathematics smoother and absorption of the principles involved by students much more effective.
This is because English has become a familiar conversation language. The cinema, TV, computers, computer games, the hand phone, and family lifestyles, are often cited as the main causes for this change.
This is the harsh reality despite more than 50 years of the teaching and use of Bahasa Malaysia in our schools.
Many parents claim that there are not enough books of quality in Bahasa Malaysia. They carry the argument even one step further and claim that most of the teachers who have been employed lack the ability to inspire their students to scale greater heights.
All are in a dilemma which continues to be caused in itself by the flip-flop manner in which education policy is framed and implemented. Changes as a rule need time to mature and bear fruit and time, unfortunately, is not in favour of the planners.
The craze for private tuition illustrates the agony which parents and students undergo. Established scientific and mathematical knowledge taught in our schools even in Bahasa Malaysia has been found by our students to be a great problem.
Many, if possible, do not want to go into it. In such circumstances how are they going to master cutting edge science and technology in which year in and year out the bulk of the new knowledge is in English?
Veloo Saminathan
Kuala Lumpur
At one end of the spectrum are those who claim that Bahasa Malaysia can be used as the sole medium of instruction including the teaching of science and mathematics.
To prove their claim they often cite such cases as Japan and South Korea which without an English base have developed into highly sophisticated nations in scientific discoveries and in technology. They are considered to be strong and viable.
Looking westwards such claimants also often quote the examples of France and Germany which are equally renowned for their scientific and technological achievements but just as Japan and South Korea without a powerful English language base.
They believe that similarly Bahasa Malaysia can also catapult our nation into the era of high-end achievements in science and technology.
What is more, these ardent advocates take the argument one step beyond and claim that Bahasa Malaysia even possesses the potential to unify our diverse races into a single nation and imbue its citizens with a lofty sense of patriotism a la Ola Bola, now breaking all the box-office records in the local cinemas claimed by critics to be an inspiring local production reprising a real football game in the Merdeka tournament in 1980.That was when we beat giant South Korea.
A former professor of Chemical Engineering in UKM has now come to say that he has taught the subject in Bahasa Malaysia to hundreds of students and supervised their M.Sc and PhD theses.
He says that they had used Bahasa Malaysia in the practice of world-class science in UKM's labs and in the reporting of the scientific results in their theses.
External examiners from other universities in Malaysia were, he asserts, amazed and surprised that world-class science could be done and reported in Bahasa Malaysia so very well.
He does not say anything about external examiners, if any, from countries where Bahasa Malaysia is not the benchmark language. Why didn't these "other universities" not experience similar spectacular successes in high-end research involving science and mathematics?
The professor cites examples to prove that many of these students who learnt and researched in Bahasa Malaysia have distinguished themselves in the private sector, in industries, multinational corporations and even in overseas countries.
They have, he emphasises, proved that Bahasa Malaysia can be used for research on what he terms "cutting edge technology".
The use of Bahasa Malaysia did not impair their ability to do world-class science at all: on the contrary, because they used their own language, it added extra quality to their work just as in the case of Einstein or Bohr who researched entirely in German.
In taking advocates of English and their demand to revamp the education system to task the professor says that the science and mathematics taught in schools are "established" scientific and mathematical knowledge that has been accepted by consensus all over the world. They are foundational in nature.
He warns that it should not be confused with cutting edge science and technology that he and his students deal with every day.
What he probably means is that these schools teach basic scientific and mathematical knowledge while his is elitist in content and nature. It requires brain power, skills and passion.
They lead to innovation, invention and discovery in the first instance and later through arduous, painstaking, experimentation for mass application.
While all these may present a rosy and a staggeringly optimistic picture emanating from a cloistered elitist source, the facts or what may be regarded as "ground realities" tell a different story. Educationists both retired and in active service have complained that an increasing number of students in schools are reluctant or even unwilling to take up science and mathematics.
There is a widespread perception among them that these are tough subjects.
Most parents rightly or wrongly believe that if English were used it would render the teaching of science and mathematics smoother and absorption of the principles involved by students much more effective.
This is because English has become a familiar conversation language. The cinema, TV, computers, computer games, the hand phone, and family lifestyles, are often cited as the main causes for this change.
This is the harsh reality despite more than 50 years of the teaching and use of Bahasa Malaysia in our schools.
Many parents claim that there are not enough books of quality in Bahasa Malaysia. They carry the argument even one step further and claim that most of the teachers who have been employed lack the ability to inspire their students to scale greater heights.
All are in a dilemma which continues to be caused in itself by the flip-flop manner in which education policy is framed and implemented. Changes as a rule need time to mature and bear fruit and time, unfortunately, is not in favour of the planners.
The craze for private tuition illustrates the agony which parents and students undergo. Established scientific and mathematical knowledge taught in our schools even in Bahasa Malaysia has been found by our students to be a great problem.
Many, if possible, do not want to go into it. In such circumstances how are they going to master cutting edge science and technology in which year in and year out the bulk of the new knowledge is in English?
Veloo Saminathan
Kuala Lumpur