English for all Malaysians!

I was appalled reading an article from home that the English language is no longer a mandatory subject to pass the SPM (UK's equivalent of GCSE) . This means, 17 year olds are allowed to fail the subject and be awarded with an SPM qualification. If and when this happens, the quality of the SPM will go down the drain.

Already our country is faced with the poor quality of our English teachers and command of English among our young Malaysians. Making English a less important subject is not going to help. Yes, it will increase the number of SPM passes in the short term but it will make worse the quality of our graduates in the future.

We've been complaining that our graduates couldn't string a full sentence in English in job interviews. I wonder how producing more passes in SPM will improve the situation.

I feel very strongly of this issue and then wrote to the Ministry of Education today during lunch. I'd like to share this with you:

"Dear Minister,

I am a Malaysian who is very concerned that we are in a situation where the status of the English language in our education system is being questioned and reviewed.

We need not be reminded of the importance of the English language to the development of our country and to communicate with the rest of the world.

Malaysia has always come from a position of strength by the ability of its people to communicate in multiple languages. We have convinced investors from all the world and for half a century that we can provide the market for their products and services because we can communicate effectively across a diverse range of people and yet understand each other.

This confidence did not happen by accident. For this to come together, a common language, the English language was the glue that binded all of these attributes and presented us as the one-stop nation of trade and investment.

Therefore the importance of the English language to us can never be over-emphasised. This means English should neither be made a matter of choice nor a question of "if" when deciding a pass or fail in the SPM exam.

If the candidates are worried that the English language will affect their grades, then they must work hard to attain the required level of proficiency, as they would for other subjects. Doing away with the mandatory requirement will not help in any measure. It will only demonstrate that we are regressing in our efforts to improve the command of the language among Malaysians.

Reducing the exam criteria is a short-term solution to the problem but a long-term problem to the solution. There is a net outcome from this solution. At best we will have a few more youths getting into the job market with an SPM qualification and at worst Malaysia will lose out entirely in competitiveness to other countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

I hope I have convinced you with my thoughts and I am sure there will be many more who are concerned with the situation, will write after me or have already written.

It is better for the candidates to acknowledge their failure and take corrective measures now to correct and improve their proficiency than failing in other aspects of life post-SPM.

Thank you

Signed"