Malaysian schools have become a 'socio-political' battleground over English
The government’s 10-year plan to boost English proficiency has come in for major criticism, especially in relation to science and mathematics. Dual language teaching programmes have also been targeted. A module promoted by Prime Minister Ibrahim mixes religion with education.
Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) – The 2015-2025 Roadmap for English Language Education, an important component of the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, is turning into a failure.
With less than two years to go, the plan laid down by the Ministry of Education is far from meeting its main goal, namely raising students’ English proficiency to make them globally competitive. And its shortcomings are rooted in ethnonationalism.
The latest shot comes from former Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad who slammed the government’s recent move to teach science and mathematics in the local language rather than English.
The former colonial language was first introduced in 2003, proving controversial from the start, with supporters arguing that it would guarantee greater opportunities to Malaysian students to enrol in the most prestigious international schools and compete globally with their English-speaking peers.
Repealed in 2013, the policy was reintroduced by Mahathir himself in 2020 when he was acting Education Minister, since, as he put it, most scientific and mathematical knowledge is in English.
Some parent and teacher groups have opposed plans to abolish dual language programmes (DLPs), which allows students to take some subjects in English in authorised schools.
The issue remains highly contentious, as evinced by an editorial published in The Star last March, which noted that the while the roadmap calls for DLPs, many parents have complained that improved English teaching has not resulted in better results.
In recent months, the press has in fact acted as a relay for complaints and doubts about the country’s education system, with the debate over English becoming a socio-political hot potato rather than an educational issue.
Last April Free Malaysia Today slammed political meddling in education, especially when politicians use the language card to win support among nationalist and Islamist voting blocs.
The paper stressed instead the importance of quality English-language education to make the country globally competitive.
Similarly, Malaysiakini published an editorial on 30 August arguing that “education should be free from political interference and should provide the best knowledge there is.” It blamed incumbent Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for dragging Malaysia's school system away from English during the 1970s.
The editorial goes one step further, condemning Anwar’s Al Nawawi 40 Hadith module meant for Muslim teachers and students for mixing religion with education.
The controversy highlights how the use of English is more than ever a political issue, linked to ethnicity and nationalism.
An employee with a Protestant NGO, on condition of anonymity, reported coming under pressure by an ethnic Malay to use the Malay language (Bahasa Malaysia) in science and mathematics for patriotic reasons.
Another concern revolves around education certificate (SPM) scores, including in English. This year, in fact, many students did not take the exam since most pass it but with uneven results.
The problem of SPM scores is worse in rural areas than in cities, noted an official with the Education Ministry who deals with English teacher training.
This stems from the fact that in the countryside, “English is fast becoming a foreign language due to more [ethnically homogenous] enrollment.” When both teachers and students are ethnically the same, they tend to use their mother tongue in lieu of English.
.png)
23/05/2019 13:37
