Difficult only when we want it…
Thursday 2058
I was at the Education Office this afternoon when I chanced upon having conversation with some of the officers there. Coincidently, I was given a CD on something related to PPSMI, to which I expressed my disappointment over the just-announced decision on PPSMI to them. There were four of us. Three were not happy with the decision while one is rooting against PPSMI.
The one person said,
“I had this opportunity to be taught under one Mat Salleh teacher when I was in Form 4 & 5. He didn’t know a thing about BM so he had to teach us Maths in English. You know what happened? None of us passed the subject. Why? Because we could not understand a thing he was saying. Hence, we became uninterested towards the subject. This very same thing is happening to the kids now especially in the rural areas. Due to language barrier, they become less interested in the subjects and resulting in poor performance in both subjects.”
“The students are burdened with two things. The burden to learn the concept of Mathematics and Science and at the same time to learn it in English, a language that they are not comfortable with. These two things are totally different especially students whose mother tongue is not English. They already faced difficulties in understanding the concepts in Maths and Science subjects, and yet they have to be put into difficult situation to learn the concepts in language that is foreign to them as well.”
“This is too heavy for them to carry. Just how I felt when I was in my Mat Salleh teacher’s class.”
And I replied,
“This is my opinion as a teacher, and as a person who has the advantage of understanding the English language a little better than some people so that I can speak confidently to my students and other people. Language maybe a barrier to some but it is proven that it is not impossible. Students may have difficulty understanding the language but it is at this stage of their age that they absorb things, especially languages better than the adults. Therefore, it is the role of the educators and other significant people to lend all their efforts to ensure these kids are taught and motivated to learn new things.”
“However, what we are experiencing now is not that PPSMI is a failure. PPSMI has failed because those who are supposed to work it out have failed on it. Because they have set their mind to fail. For instance, the teachers who are not well proficient in English are forever claiming that they can’t speak the language even after being given million ringgit of high-tech aids. Add that with problem of students in rural areas who do not speak the language, it becomes a major problem that set the mind of these teachers to say no to PPSMI.”
“This maybe easy for me to say because I have the advantage on the English language itself. But, I believe changes can be made only if we want it to happen. To say that it is difficult task, I agree. But difficult is only difficult when we want it to stay difficult.”
That’s just part of our slight ‘argument’.
Personally, (I may get some eyes jerking at me for this) I think it’s not due to the statistic that shows big gap between rural and urban students. Nor the small percentage of teachers who are not proficient in the English language. My guess, ‘some people’ just resist changes and afraid of challenges. In order to cover these inadequacies, hence the statistics as well as bringing up the issue on the effects that PPSMI will impose on the status of the National Language.
I say, what nonsense!
Nadia said,
July 9, 2009 @ 11:38 pm
Agree with this - However, what we are experiencing now is not that PPSMI is a failure. PPSMI has failed because those who are supposed to work it out have failed on it. Because they have set their mind to fail.
Pls Read this - http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog/
ALTing said,
July 10, 2009 @ 12:08 am
statistics?? what statistics?? this ppsmi has only been implemented for less than 10 yrs… the batch of students today is the pioneering batch that have to swim through the adjustments in studies… the next batch and the batch after that is the true statistics to gauge the success or failure of ppsmi… stupid is as stupid does… this is what i believe, if things go the way it is now, our country will never - i repeat - NEVER be able to compete with the rest of the world.. only those fools in the Cabinet will insist it can be done but where are the tools, mind and will to strive for it?? policies in this country is all about ballots.. nothing else.. being a Cabinet member is a popularity contest, nothing more… woe be my beloved country..
Joan said,
July 10, 2009 @ 8:38 am
So true….haiya susah bah ni urang-urang yang mentality dia memang macam loser saja all the time
Just said,
July 10, 2009 @ 3:08 pm
My hubby kan mmg marah betul pasal ni… Dia mmg disagreed and frust la. To him, with PPSMI ni la budak2 kita buli maju. Even if diorang fail the subjects bcoz of the subjects’ concept or whatsoever, at least they still know how to speak or understand English.
Tp tu la… ntah la. Bengong jugak..
Amanda said,
July 10, 2009 @ 9:23 pm
i agree with you…baru 6 years the policy jalan, its still too young to see the difference…
papajoneh said,
July 11, 2009 @ 11:03 am
Rugi betul2 ni. Govt bukan mau maju ke depan, mcm pi belakang lagi.. apalahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…
lagi lah susah sia mau ajar anak sia ni. for now my Josh loves math and science and both he learned in English during his kindy. Now.. apa sudah jadi????
Bongo betul lah the decision..
kong said,
July 11, 2009 @ 1:17 pm
i cant agree more.
let just see and what happen.. but, the truth is.. the Cabinet has failed!
duh!
Mimi said,
July 11, 2009 @ 8:47 pm
I can’t agree more with you here, Carol. When it was implemented years ago, I was glad… and at the same time thought “Wow, wouldn’t it be nice if I were to still be in school? That would really interest me, learning Science & Math in English!” because when I was in College, I had to ‘re-adjust’ my understandings on some terms, the medium used in my college was English.
Too bad that the cabinet don’t see it that way. For them, I think it’s just pure laziness on their part… Too lazy to make things work.
Miss Mathew said,
July 11, 2009 @ 9:32 pm
I was away for a week, & came back wth the news on PPSMI-back to BM. At d 1st place, I cudnt understand Y it had been a big issue tht the teachng of M2 & Sc in English. It was THE right thng to be implemented. I was put in d same situation as Mimi. The ‘readjustment’ was a waste of my college years! Now, the new generation will face the same experience ;(
cicak said,
July 12, 2009 @ 2:46 pm
The government should do pioneering first before implementing such a thing, I agree, one of the big cause of PPSMI failure is the failure of the educators.
I’d seen enough to say that our teachers (especially those who teach maths and english) are really low in self-esteem when it comes to using the English language.
IMO, ‘converting’ these teachers to English speaking subjects is easier said than done. Just ask around, after more than 50 years of independence, most of our people, even the teachers are still not proficient in the English language and I agree, it is all about mindset.
Who’s the victim? The children. All this politic flip-flops are making the country go backwards. What do we think when the ‘upperside’ said “you must teach Maths & Science in English’ and at the same time say “You can answer in B.M”
Autny J said,
July 13, 2009 @ 9:51 am
I totally agree with you Carol…things will stay difficult only if we allowed it to be…to me as difficult as it can be nothing is impossible if we set our mind to make it happens. Furthermore, teachers bcoz of their profession and we as parents who actually put our hope and trust on them to teach our precious ones should be the first one to make sure they will try to equip and get themselve ready for any decision made by the government on education matter. If they don’t who else is gonna guide the children? … and like many of us agree…in the end or in the long term who will be the loosing end??? Definately it will be the children and Malaysia as a whole! We should be forward looking rather than backward looking…it is indeed so frustrating! I have expressed myself about this matter at http://jtuining.blogspot.com/2009/07/backward-step.html too…when oh when are we gonna learn????….double big SIGH!!
borneolad said,
July 23, 2009 @ 6:46 pm
Carol,
Personally, i feel that Maths & Science shud be taught in English. I guess its much better in dat way.
Those people who can speak English has “little” better than those who can’t SPEAK or UNDERSTAND English.
Even nowadays, its the job requirement to be able to converse in English very well. Not so well but at least Okay la kampung2 kan…
And as wat u sed b4, difficult is only difficult when we want it to stay difficult.
Think they shud open their eyes wide and leave their own comfort zone.