IT is terribly disheartening to think that we might revert to teaching Science and Mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia. The step taken to teach both subjects in English was progressive.

For at least three generations of Malaysians, the struggle to compete globally was made more difficult because we were handicapped by the language or rather the lack of it.

I remember my late mother telling me that when she was asked to teach both subjects in Bahasa Malaysia, teachers were not given an option as to whether they wanted to or were able to teach in Bahasa Malaysia. Hence, they had to take the bull by the horns and learn to teach in Bahasa Malaysia.

Mind you, these teachers had been educated under the British system, so the challenges faced by them were no easy matter.

Today, the teachers are, in fact, given incentives to teach in English and yet, the irony is, they are not willing to meet the challenge. Do not expect to see overnight results and call the entire exercise a failure when the Education Ministry has not given it time to succeed.

The teachers who are now struggling to teach the subjects in English learnt them in Bahasa Malaysia. It is only natural that some of them would find it frustrating to master the skill to teach these subjects in English.

Please be positive in your approach. Don’t give up so easily. Give our children the head start and opportunity to be able to compete globally.

R. SATHYA, Kuala Lumpur

Source: NST – May 23, 2008