This is an excerpt of a news story that appeared in The Sunday Times today (18 Nov 2007). Headlined English is a burden for rural kids, it read:
The use of English to teach Science and Mathematics at primary schools needs to be stopped. In making the call yesterday, Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon said many rural pupils were finding it hard to cope. He wanted the Education Ministry to revert to the use of Bahasa Malaysia or vernacular languages instead. Lee said he saw first-hand how students in a rural area in Sarawak struggled to learn the subjects in English. “I discovered that these pupils had to work twice as hard as they first had to understand the language before they could learn the subjects,” he said.
Personally, I find this kind of statement the most dangerous among those that play to the gallery. It is irresponsible without consideration of the development of the rural kids’ future.
We are living in a globalised world and by reverting to Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics at primary schools, it is a step backwards. Of course, this person was trying to score political points but as usual, this is a politician that shoots from the hips, not thinking with his brains.
We don’t need this type of politician around who takes the easy way around a problem instead of facing it as a challenge. Bah to him!