THE opinion expressed by educationist Goh Kean Seng that “if students cannot grasp the language, they cannot master the subject” is correct (”Do the math, keep it in English” — NST, Aug 3).

Language is the medium of human communication and the foundation of knowledge. Language helps us encode thought, ask questions and receive answers.

People who do not know the language are unable to think clearly and make hasty decisions.

Because of the vital role of language, a nation that wishes to be progressive, modern, united, strong, rich and happy will emphasise language learning.

I agree with Goh, in respect of the decision to teach Science and Mathematics in English, that: “If the policy is reversed, the government will be rectifying the mistake it made in 2003.”

Before the change, students were proficient in one language, Bahasa Malaysia.

But with the new policy, students only know some parts of two or three languages and are proficient in none.

It must be noted, however, the decision to have Science and Maths taught in English was probably unavoidable at that time because of the importance of English as an educational tool.

Malaysia is a multiracial and multilingual country. While strength may be drawn from being multiracial, being multilingual can in fact be a weakness.

This is especially true when the multilingual person has no strong foundation in any one language and he cannot identify his mother tongue.

We know that the young mind absorbs knowledge fast and for this reason many parents are adamant that their children learn more than one language.

But because language is complicated and takes years of practice to become fluent, and because the mind can concentrate on only one thing at one time, children should learn only one language while they are in school.

If a student has a strong foundation in one language, he will find it easier to learn a second or even a third language. When you are proficient, you can adapt to the structure of another by comparison and association.

If you know how language works, all you need to do is learn the vocabulary of the new language and fit it within the new grammatical structure of the different language you wish to learn.

Malaysian students, however, seldom know how language works. They cannot formulate complete and correct sentences to express their thoughts.

Malaysia subsidises education in five languages: Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese, Tamil, English and Arabic. This is wasteful, considering that, ultimately, students do not become proficient in any one language.

Many Chinese parents insist their children have a mother tongue education even though they will have no real use for the language later in life. The same goes for Tamil.

It should be noted that China emphasises learning English and India’s rapid economic growth is partly due to the English proficiency of its workforce.

Keeping all your options open is a feature of the Malaysian education system, yet it only achieves mediocrity. Besides the personal need for good communication, many political and economic problems also occur because of language deficiency.

Therefore, considering the importance of knowing the language, Malaysia’s education policy must be that only one language is formally taught in school. And the national language of Malaysia must be Bahasa Malaysia .

If all students are proficient in Bahasa Malaysia , it will not be difficult for them to learn English as a second language.

As for other languages, it should be up to and at the expense of each community to teach its offspring its mother tongue.

Such an approach would ensure all citizens understand each other and can communicate well in all circumstances, thus eliminating doubts, suspicions and lack of trust. Language proficiency will spur achievement in art, science, and technology.

It will also give Malaysia a unique identity.

M.B.A., Ipoh

Source: NST – August 7, 2008