Friday, March 06, 2009

I Am All For The Use Of English For Maths And Science

How can I oppose the use of English in (the teaching) of Maths and Science in our schools?

It doesn't make sense (to oppose). English is the language most used in maths and science so we have to be practical.

It is for our children's future.

I don't think I am trivializing the importance of our national language by promoting the use of English in maths and science.

I cannot go the same road as our sastrawan and Malay literary figures on this. I do not agree with them.
I appeal to them to not be swayed by emotions.

We all benefited from learning English. So many rural Malays benefited from having a good command of English.

Surely, being proficient in English to master maths and science will not threaten the status of Bahasa Malaysia?

We will not lose our national language. I know we won't.

Just read THIS and THIS.

125 comments:

  1. Puan Norina,

    What you said is very true,but you are looking from a stand point of someone who comes from a middle class family where the father and mother speaks the language.

    Just think of thousands of family where no one in the family speak English. Learning maths and science is already an uphill task for this children without learnining it in English.

    I am for all children to be tought English in school but as a subject as it was in the 60s and 70s of which I am the product. Our English may not be perfect grammatically, but we get by.

    Last but not least, thank you for your blog. I always enjoy your writing.

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  2. Anonymous7:46 PM

    The use of English for Maths and Science will never improve your English. Its the wrong subject.
    Were you a Science student or an Arts stream student?
    1 campur 1, 1 plus 1, what can you benefit from that and how can you improve your English.
    Science and maths need total understanding so the best way to teach these two subjects is still in tne mother tongue.
    You want to improve English, pick up English literature, debate and many other subjects where you require extensive reading and its usage and to be spoken as much as you can.
    So be there tomorrow sis, jadi lah pejuang bahasa!!!!

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  3. I agree with you.

    In the age of the Internet and given that English is the lingua fraca of the World, we must continue with the teaching of Maths and Science in English.

    WE all know of the appalling standard of English language teachers and students especially in Govt Schools. With this Maths & Science policy, at least this gives our children a fighting chance to compete in a Global Economy.

    In any event, I have yet to meet a non-Malay who thinks that Bahasa Malaysia should not be our National Language and main medium of instruction in Schools.

    If at all the Govt wants to change this policy, then we must first revert to the system before 1975, when English Language was taught in depth (including grammar, sentence construction, essay writing etc) from Std 1 and English Literature was a compulsory part of the school syllabus in Forms 4 & 5.

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  4. Anonymous8:39 PM

    aina dear, I do agree with u , BUT :

    " 5-3=2, five push three is two !"
    " CO2 = car burns die outsida !"
    " cikgu go sain-lap, u all come cepat cepat !"
    " mon is isnin, tue is selasa, wed is
    rabu, thur is khamis, fri is jumaat, sat is sabtu, sun is ahad ....!"
    " 1/2 + 2/3 = 3/5, tree top five !"


    Are the present guru2 competent !?

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  5. Mam,

    Not being leaving comments for awhile though came here quite often...but like you am all for the use of English for Maths and Science...just say for PMR, most students take 8 subjects and 5 other subjects are in Malay and i dont think Bahasa Malaysia will die because of the 3 subjects are in English....

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  6. Anonymous9:12 PM

    dear nuraina

    have you ever heard a proverb bahasa jiwa bangsa. i am an anti proponent of using english for teaching math and science. you know why...lot research done shows that malay students, especially in rural areas will not benefited from this ridiculous policy. i am a teacher and i know what happening in reality..shame on you.

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  7. Anonymous10:00 PM

    UMNO has never explained HOW PPSMI makes the command of English among Malaysian students better. Usually UMNO will just bring out the same rubbish about how English is a tool of knowledge and so on. However, what is the mechanism that makes PPSMI a better way to teach English. Say for example PPSMI can increase the usage of English outside school hours by promoting the use of English at home. Therefore the mechanism at work here is the participation of parents in the use of the English language which promotes the use of English outside school. Does PPSMI bring parents directly into the teaching of English in schools. NO. What then is or are trhe mechanisms?

    Let me tell you what the majority of Malaysians think of PPSMI. A policy such as the PPSMI would have been killed off by UMNO before it even gets to the planning stage. BM is part and parcel of UMNO's 'Ketuanan Melayu' shit. Why then would UMNO want to subvert its own ideology? The answer lies in the constant need to keep UMNO warlords happy. We see PPSMI as no more than a way for UMNO leaders to buy over the UMNO divisional warlords. The suppliers of computers, projectors and educational material will forever want UMNO to be in power for they benefit directly from PPSMI. The rest is for you to figure out.

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  8. Anonymous10:25 PM

    aunty ena,

    I agree with you..

    It's not the end of the world.. if you don't know english. But it will certainly make life less difficult if you know it.

    tak gitew?

    sick and tired

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  9. Anonymous10:39 PM

    Apakah sdri pandai berbahasa Inggeris kerana belajarnya melalui pelajaran sains dan matematik?.Nampaknya sdri pun belum faham apa yg sedang di perjuangkan oleh pejuang bahasa, atau saja buat tak faham kerana sudah terlalu mahir berbahasa Inggeris.

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  10. Anonymous10:42 PM

    It makes sense to learn mathematics in mother-tongue language. Counting, just like learning language is natural to all cultures in childhood stages. Hence, it is effective at this period. However, as a child develops his/her power to do abstract reasoning as in secondary schools, then English which has a rich repertoire of mathematical and scientific terms and concepts becomes important. The relevant question is at what stage of child development we are talking about.

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  11. Dear lady, try telling that to the thousands of teachers and hundreds of thousands of suffering children. Some kids might be priviliged, but think of the 90%++. I'm an English teacher, devoted to undo 11 years of English teaching on kids from backwater areas... you have to know the REAL situation... and for the sake of my poor, suffering students,I am for the abolition of ETeMS!

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  12. Anonymous11:24 PM

    math and science is crutial

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  13. Sorry I beg to differ. The most effective way to learn a language is by "Reading more" , "Talking more", "Writing more", "Thinking more" & "Seeing more - movies" of that Language.

    Using Maths & Science as a medium to improve Engilsh only has minimal help. But by doing so in the Malay schools, Tamil schools & Chinese schools, it KILLs the Maths & Science standards of the students.

    The French here are desperate too to improve their Engilsh standard by introducing more English hours and also special classes during the term holidays. They never think of messing about Maths & Science to be taught in English.

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  14. Anonymous11:36 PM

    A group tried to oppose it. See whether they are sincere or not. Hope they will oppose also the Bible Knowledge paper which is now the only exam in the SPM which is still in English. Once they are successful, then christians can freely import malay Bibles from Indonesia and use the word Allah.

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  15. Anonymous11:42 PM

    You are so right, Nur.
    I wish all those supposedly fighting for their "race" could have just a smidgen of your good sense.

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  16. Anonymous12:16 AM

    Well said, I fully agree. I don't even know why there was an argument in the first place.

    Imagine those kids going into tertiary education and having to struggle to learn basic terms when others are far ahead.

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  17. ok, in this fight, i am with you.. though I am a chinese and brought up in chinese school.

    Change need courage. But i guess we malaysian have no ball. We have too many assumption, be it for the chinese like me, or malay, we scared. I am not sure what the hell the worry about.

    That way, it's hardly for us to move forward.

    We keep saying we need to change, umno need to change, but I guess, the people will be the last one who refuse to change.

    the saying is right, everyone trying to change the world, and expect others to change, but they themself cannot change.

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  18. Anonymous6:49 AM

    I agree with the blogger but I think many people on both sides who are passionate about this issue are missing a larger question. The larger question, in my opinion, is: "Are we we doing this in the best interest of our children or are we doing this in best interest of our language?" These two interests do not neccesarily agree. I love Bahasa Melayu but, given the choice, I believe our children should come first. We must prepare them for the global marketplace.

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  19. Salam,
    Yup, we won't lose our national language just because PPMSI.

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  20. Anonymous7:56 AM

    Dear Nuraina,
    Just look around our neighboring countries. They use their mother-tongue to teach these subjects. Aren't they prosper? English is important and no one denies it but using it to teach Mathematics and Science is the problem. Teaching these subjects in English is not going to improve our students proficiency in that language. What more? These subjects use only small amount of English Language. If we want to make our students competent in English, tackle the core issue of teaching English Language in schools. The methodology, teachers and techniques should be improved and upgraded. As you are aware that practice makes perfect and you know the opportunities given to students to interact in this language outside the school are limited. As such we must create opportunities by way of creating language based activities outside the school curricula for promoting this language rather than blaming our students inability to be proficient in English. Why encroach into Malay language? The sickness is with the English Language and proper prescription must be given to treat this sickness. We have left the sick but attending and treating a normal person! What's happening now is a gross betrayal to the sanctity of our beloved Malay Language.

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  21. Anonymous9:18 AM

    Kak,
    I'm with you but only for Science subject. Basically, don't think Maths in English have any significant. I'm Chinese ed, personally feel Maths in Chinese equally efficient if not better than taught in english. But not sure about Bahasa or Tamil, can't comment.

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  22. Anonymous9:28 AM

    Salam...

    I couldn’t stop myself from shrugging off all your statement in the post of yours. I’m really surprise that you couldn’t make any sense of why people oppose PPSMI. Personally I thought of that is just plain ignorance. Please, may I suggest a little soul searching is in order or perhaps an identity searching is needed?

    Please open your eye and see that this is exactly what happens to Tulisan Jawi in the early phase. Lowering its values in the market then lowering its relevance in life and then slowly but surely Malay language will be lost like Tulisan Jawi nowdays.

    The reason that they oppose PPSMI is not just about the survival of Malays Language but also about settings the limits. If we don’t give them the clear message now!! What will happen to Malay Language in the future?

    Sure today they said that only math and science will be teach in English, but what about in the future?? What guarantee do we have that one day because of its just convenience or just easy, they decide to teach all subject in school in English?? What will happen then?? So it’s imperative that we state our limits now before it’s too late.

    You decide to finish your post with a sentence that states that “We will not lose our national language. I know we won't”. Forgive me but I just had to ask. How in the hell do you know???? Maybe you are just plain optimistic but to me that is just damn foolish.

    (I prefer to write this comment in Malays so that it will be softer to the ears. But as you state earlier, that you are all for English rite??)

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  23. The problem is the enforcement ,get the best teachers and pay them well
    Most of our teachers cannot communicate in decent english language
    Why do not consider 2 type of national school melayu and english like in the '70.

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  24. yes:

    i am not pushing for English to be used as the medium of instruction.
    To start debating on the teaching of english in schools will invairably compel to debate on our enture system of teaching in schools. i won't go there.

    i think we underestimate our children. english is being taught as a subject in schools. BM is the medium of instruction.

    teaching maths and science in english, i believe will benefit our kids in the long run.

    thank you

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  25. anon@7:46PM,

    learning maths and science in english is not about improving your english. it is about improving your maths and science. i agreee, if you want to improve your english, read more english books. if you want to be good in maths and science, do it in english.

    i always think it is a lame excuse to say that rural children will suffer because they do not know english.

    rural kids will benefit in 1. learning english and 2. improvement of maths and science..

    it is about the future.

    if i could have my way, i'd make it compulsory for our students to be proficient in BM (of course, that's our national language), english and another language of their choice.

    thank you

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  26. donplaypuks,

    of course i stand accused of being a traitor to my race and my mother tongue in promoting that maths and science be taught in english.

    i think i know where i stand on BM. No question that BM is the "supreme" language of our country. I will defend its "sovereignty" with my life.

    But if I want my race to succeed and be respected and regarded by the rest of this global world (in the fields of sciences), then i have to be practical.

    I see so many rural kids succeed by being able to read books, many of which are in english).

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  27. Zai,

    waah...been a long time. Hope you're well.

    the trouble is that people get emotional whenever we appear to be "promoting" english -- the language of our erstwhile colonialists.

    i'd sooner learn the language of colonialists anyway in order to overcome them.

    so, i will not waver in my stand that malaysian children be taught maths and science in english. what have we got to lose? our national language? i dont think so. our policy and our national sentiments on our national language is too strong to let anything undermine it. i am not so insecure as to think that learning MATHS AND SCIENCE in english will kill us all.
    in fact, this will probably spur our educationists to take seriously the teching of english in our schools.

    maybe so many people are shortsighted, worrying that teaching of maths and science in english and improving the teaching fo english in schools will take us back in our fight to protect the soverignty of our national language.

    i am thinking of the future of our children. of our nationa.

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  28. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  29. anon@9:12PM,

    i'm sorry you feel that way.

    Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa. I live through an era where the pejuang bahasa fought for the sovereignty of bahasa melayu and bahasa malaysia. i laud their struggle and we are what we are today because of our pejuang bahasa, many of whom have passed on.

    THEIR legacy will not die.

    our problem is that we are a defeatist lot.
    our problem is that we have not been takingn the teaching of english seriously.
    our problem is that we think this problem will all go away by not thinking.

    you are a typical example of a teacher who does not think beyond your limited scope of knowledge.

    I have admiration and the highest regard for my teachers and educators.
    people used to say "those who can, do: those who cant't, teach." i think that demeans the teaching profession. but then i am judging from where i came from where teachers were dedicated and devoted.
    but i will not go into the problems of our education system.
    as i have said...many rural kids benefited from learning english.
    you cannot forever be a katak di dawah tempurung.

    bahasa jiwa bangsa -- magical words. inspirational.

    but that should not be an obstacle for you to want to seek knowledge from the best.

    blind faith will be your obstacle.

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  30. vinnan,

    you are as bad as the people you are criticising.

    stop politicising this.

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  31. seman,

    meggalakkan anak2 kita belar matematik an sains dalam bahasa inggeris bukan bererti yang kita membelakangkan bahasa ibunda kita.

    jangan lah kelabukan isu ini.

    pada saya, orang-orang yang menghalang anak-anak kita dari mempelajari matamatik dan sains dalam bahasa inggeris, adalah petualang-petualang dan penderhaka bangsa mereka sendiri kerana tidak ingin menolong bangsa sendiri maju supaya, dalam jangka panjang mampu bangun mempertahankan bangsa dan negara.

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  32. gadfly,

    at what stage and whatever should surely be what our educationists discuss at length.

    this is just our opinion -- that english will help our kids master maths and science.

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  33. maria,

    i am sorry that you have to shoulder such a mammoth mistake -- undoing all that problem.

    i am not going to start criticising the setbacks of our teaching system, in particular of english. that is the sad state of affairs and i believe that the ministry should have already been aware of that problem and should have already begun addressing it.

    but we cannot be left behind.
    i have also met many many rural kids who have succeeded in the sciences because they took the trouble to widen their horizon by reading books. the reality is that most of these books are in english. so they prepard themselves from the start, spurred on by their parents and dedicated teachers to improve their english.

    i don't think we should have this perception that our rural kids are a beaten lot.

    many of our Malay leaders and the captains of the civil service and our industries, were from the rural areas.

    I don't have to name them.

    my own friends and distant relatives succeeded because they widened their horizons, their knowledge.

    i see beyond what things are today. I strongly believe in the protection and sanctity of our national language. i think every malaysian should.

    but i also think we, as a race, should do what we can to advance and be respected and regarded by the international community.

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  34. cp waterman,

    the french are already that far ahead in maths and science. as are the japanese and the chinese.

    we are not leaders in the field. not yet. unless and until we are, then we have to learn from the best.

    the arabs were the leaders during golden and glorious age of Islam. they no longer are. if they were. i'd fight for us all to learn Arabic.

    some of our students go to France to further their studies. and they have to learn french.
    i have met some of our best young malaysian brains in europe in some specialised engineering fields. they got their degrees in germany and had to master german. but these are very very bright malaysians . even they had to struggle to learn a new language.

    so...we should start young if we plan to send our kids abroad and we do, to the UK, Australia, Canada and the US.

    our kids can do it and not at the cost of losing our sense of identity.

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  35. palaniappan,

    you have your opinion.

    i'm not sure you have the statistics of how many thais and indonesians furthe their studies abroad.

    a majority of educated indonesians and thais speak good english.

    i'm not sure whether they study the sciences in their own universities (in their own mother tongue) or abroad.

    i know that chinese schools here are against the teaching of maths in english. and that's because they are supremely advanced in their own method of teaching maths.
    but that's another issue.

    i do not see why we are holding back on what's good for our children.

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  36. shafique.

    that is your opinion because of your own fears and your own suspicions.

    if tulisan jawi has disappeared into oblivion, that is because it is allowed to and because the Malays themselves have no interest.

    i will not be misled by your poor argument and misguided beliefs. but that is your opinion.

    who are "they" that you are talking about?

    let me tell you that wanting to help our children to be successful, and to be leaders of the future is not turning my back on my people and my mother tongue.

    this is not about wanting to destroy my national language. our national language. it has nothing to so with defiling the struggle for our bahasa ibunda.

    let me ask you -- where were our pejuang bahasa when politicians went out insisting on having road signs in chinese as well?
    but that is another issue which i will not go into.

    you can judge me all you want. and really, i think the PPSMI is misguided.

    and most of them probably benefited from an erstwhile education system where they themselves became proficient in English, and benefited.

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  37. Anonymous12:12 PM

    I'm just tring to deliver some of my thoughts due to your entry.

    Saya hormati pandangan saudari. Namun saya juga perlu menyatakan pendirian bahawa saya dasar ini punya kepincangannya. Dasar ini punya kebaikan secara teori, namun dari segi perlaksanaan dan pencapaian ianya belum menunjukan hasil yang memuaskan; bahkan wujud kelompok pelajar dan guru yang menderita melalui dasar ini.

    Saya tidak mampu untuk menyelam apa yang tersirat di hati sanubari saudari; namun saya percaya saudari juga ada asas untuk berpandangan sedemikian.

    Saya bersetuju bahawa Bahasa Inggeris merupakan wadah yang penting dalam meningkatkan keilmuan dan menjadi momentum untuk lebih berjaya di pasaran global.

    *Namun apakah dasar ini banyak membantu dalam mencapai matlamat tersebut?

    *Apakah ianya kaedah terbaik dalam menuju kepada pandangan saudari?

    Tetapi, melihat kepada hasil kajian dan statistik yang dikeluarkan. Dasar ini tidak banyak membantu pelajar dalam penguasaan berbahasa Inggeris; bahkan dari sudut yang lain ianya melambatkan lagi proses pemahaman pelajar terhadap isi kandungan ilmu matematik dan sains itu sendiri. Penurunan nilai skor merupakan sebahagian daripada kesan perlaksanaan sistem ini.

    *Apakah kita akan tertinggal ke belakang sebab belajar matematik & sains dalam bahasa Inggeris? Kenapa?

    *Apakah pelajar-pelajar di pedalaman Kudat, Pensiangan, Bario akan lebih tertonjol ke hadapan kerana belajar sains dan matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris?

    Saya cuba untuk tidak mempolitikkan isu ini, namun disebalik perlaksanaan dasar ini, ramai orang telah menjadi kaya dengan segera.CD ROM, Buku teks, dsb.

    Orang bersuara tentu ada hujahnya; sama ada berdasarkan ilmu atau pengalamannya. Hujah-hujah ini juga boleh diperbahaskan.

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  38. Anonymous12:22 PM

    Salam,

    As a background, I have 5 children and all of them attend a school where they are taught 3 languages: Bahasa Melayu, English and Arabic. I suppose I can say they are proficient in the 3 languages as the oldest 3 have obtained distinctions at SPM level.

    As a rule, my children 'khatam' all the 24 books in the Peter and Jane series by the time they enter Year 1. They may not be conversant in English but they can read and understand the language.

    My youngest child, currently in Year 6 is in the 2nd batch of the PPSMI. I tested him on his Maths one mth after he started his Year One and I almost pengsan. At that time, the teacher had already started teaching him the 'ones and tens' concept. If you look at the Year 1 maths syllabus, you can see the graded curriculum. First, learning to associate the number symbol and the corresponding quantity. Then the 1st math. operation i.e addition. This is done in stages: (sum <10),(sum >10 but < 20). Before the children can do the sums, they have to understand the concept of place values and why at each place value, the maximum number is 9 and why when you have a sum of 10, the smaller place value goes back to 0 and you create another one that starts with 1. Sounds complicated?

    I spend half a day, using 100 books as my teaching tool to impart the concept to my son.

    From that session, I noticed that it became a 2-tier process. First I have to introduce the terms used so it became a language class first, only then I can teach the maths proper.

    It is also useful to know that each teaching period is only 30 mins, meaning 15 min is spent on language and the other 15 min on actual teaching. Even the most experienced and fluent teacher will find this a challenge, what more to a class of 40!

    Teachers have to complete the syllabus in a fixed time-frame. So what do teachers do? Wait for the entire class to master the concept or pushing ahead so that the syllabus can be completed on time? Most of the time, it is the 2nd option. If parents are not satisfied, then there are tuition centres around. What about those who can't afford? Shrug...

    So for me, medium of instruction for Maths. should be in POL, pupils' own language.

    Wrt science, this is do-able since the Tahap 1 syllabus is descriptive by nature. There is also a possibility of collaboration between the Science and the English teachers as sometimes there are overlapping topics.

    So how do we improve the standard of English? Based on my experience with my children, we must do the simple and fun things.

    1. In year 1, the 1st 6 mth is used to teach reading, writing and comprehension. Peter and Jane is a good series. I have used it in remedial classes to good effect.

    2. Grammar is introduced in Semester 2. By that time, pupils have undergone 'passive immersion' of grammar so it's a matter of giving a formal name to something that they have already done.

    I have helped several Year 6 English remedial classes. The pupils told me that they feared the language. Susah!

    I always start my 1st class using the phrase 'lori kontena'. Any Malay words there? None, right? I rest my case.

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  39. Anonymous12:33 PM

    To MARIA!!!

    Hallo !!

    I am one of the few Malay Senior Scientist with Sime Darby Berhad.

    All my reports are in English.
    All my papers are in English.
    All the proceedings at the bloody conferences are in English.
    Most of the journals (90%) are in English.
    Almost all my relevant text books are in English.
    Most of the letters and memos in Sime Darby is in English.

    We're gonna have an international conference in November. Yes.. I can bloody well write the paper and presentation in Malay.. But at the end of the day.. I would still have to translate it to English for the other participants.. who well.. don't speak our beloved Bahasa Melayu.

    I have conducted interviews.. and it's a plus/bonus mark if the interviewee speaks and writes 'okay' English.

    They have to start young.
    An early start is good.

    They work with MARDI ke, PETRONAS ke, CABI ke, wherever ke.. by knowing english.. it will make their life a lil' bit easier.

    I am all for my Bahasa Melayu which I love.

    but it will make your students' lives a little easier in the future.

    I remembered helping out college mates and course mates translating to them the assignments and journals.. KESIAN.

    Until today.. they can't get a decent job with high prolific companies.. because they can't speak a word of English. They're great at what they do..but preferences are still being given to candidates who can at least speak okay english!!

    Why? because.. foreign inverstors, stake holders, share holders are not all locals. Contractors, suppliers and vendors are not all locals. Communication is important. Too much is at stake just because an employee doesn't understand simple instructions in English.

    I was thought Chemistry and Biology in English by my teachers in VI.. this was more than 10 years ago.. before all this bra hou ha..

    The decision those teachers took.. helped us a lot in the long run.

    Maria..
    You musn't give up.
    You musn't give petty excuses.
    You musn't be selfish!!

    God woman! Grow up. Don't you want to see your students be successful graduates????

    And to our government. Pay these poor teachers more please!!

    I dunno.. But if there is an increment in the incentive.. would that help you Maria?

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  40. Anonymous12:35 PM

    Huhu I couldn’t help but chuckle by myself when I read your reply. I notice there seems a change of wind in your reply to me. Perhaps my poor argument and misguided beliefs had made you realize there more reason for us to oppose PPSMI.

    Look if you don’t oppose PPSMI that mean you are threatening bahasa ibunda that is the bottom line here. Whether you denying it over and over again. This policies damages Malay language in the long term and that is a fact.

    Let me ask you, what is the cause that Malays allowed tulisan jawi disappeared into oblivion and lost interest in it? It is because we had been brought up and educated in a system which its policies were determined by the Brits long before we become independence. And now instead of the Brits, we ourselves allowed a policy that damages our language. Do you get the point here??

    If you want our children to excel in English then why not improve the teaching technique of the language in the English subject. Don’t push our children in learning math and science in a foreign language. It seems to me that you the one that underestimating Malay language.

    And please don’t play coy with me by asking me who are “they”?? You already know who they are.

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  41. Ma'am,

    You might need to highlight this as well:

    Those rural area student cannot enter University due to over crowded In public uni.

    they have no other option but to enter Private Uni. If They were accepted, lesson will be taught in English medium. If they do not start learning the terms in English for maths and science in their early age, they will left out and cannot cope with it.

    I am with you. A better future for our kids.

    To teachers, BUCK up!

    You ought to learn as you teach. You do not stop learning and protecting knowledge you have now. You ought to share with your students all languages that you have acquire. Do not let the mind be close and let it roam so that your life will be rich with knowledge as you teach.

    Life is interesting! Make it interesting!

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  42. let the parents choose - hv sekolah kebangsaan offers a choice and give the rakyat a choice!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Anonymous3:22 PM

    Nuraina.

    I agree 100% with the first commentor, "yes".

    Do you fail a student if he cannot answer "Five plus Five" correctly, when he can give a correct answer to "Seratus bahagi Dua Puluh, tambah Lima"???

    If you do, you are not being fair to him.

    A bright student may be deprive of a future just because he does not understand English since he was brought up in a family who speaks only Bahasa at home and mix with Malay speaking friends.

    Teach the primary school children the English language properly first. For six years, they should be taught the language until they are proficient.

    When they enter secondary schools, they can easily understand the Science and Mathematics subjects taught in English.

    Mentang-mentang anak-anak kita telah dididik bahasa Inggeris dari kecil kerana kita berkemampuan dari aspek ilmu dan kewangan, janganlah dilupakan mereka yang serba kekurangan dan tidak bernasib baik seperti kita.

    Fikir-fikirkan lah.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Dear Nuraina

    Like the pathetic state of the FA and our national football team, it all boils down to having the right Management.

    If we engage teachers with the right qualification, attitude, commitment and training and reward them fairly (as in S'pore) then we will have one of the best education systems in the World. Then, we will not keep harping on about this red herring of children in rural areas not being able to cope with the English Language.

    I am all for a single National School system where Bahasa Malaysia is the main medium of instruction, English Language and Literature is taught as a compulsory subject from Std 1 to Form 5 and the needs of the Chinese and Indians are taken care of by having compulsory POL (People's Own Language) classes as was the case in the '60's. Then, and only the, can we dispense with teaching Maths & Science in English.

    With such a system, we are unlikely to create ethnic enclaves and actively (perhaps unintentionally) promote racial polarisation. Perhaps this will even see many flocking back to the SRJK ans SMJK's who now send their children to $10K a year private schools and college!!
    http://donplaypuks.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  45. Anonymous5:16 PM

    Dear kak Ina,
    Tengok lah apa yang dah terjadi di KL hari ini. Perang besar nampaknya pasal hal ni. Tu lah bila orang politik masuk campur, semuanya jadi lebur. Saya rasa sedih terutamanya sebab pejuang-pejuang bahasa kebangsaan kita pun dah di peralatkan oleh golongan politik yang tak bertangungjawab untuk mencetuskan huru hara bagi kepentingan agenda mereka. Sorry. Really no cheers today.

    ReplyDelete
  46. I am not only is favour of the use of English for Mathematics and Science, I am in favour of a Single Education System as used in Singapore sucessfully.The main medium of instruction is English, with Mandarin or Tamil or Malay as a compulsory second language.Of course,some may opt for more than two languages; this is to be encouraged.Why do we limit ourselves to using English to teach Maths and Science only; why not go all the way...all the sujects to be taught in English.Then, we will not only "catch up" with Singapore;possibly we can overtake it as our population is much bigger!

    ReplyDelete
  47. I was educated in St. John's -- both primary and secondary. Became good in English the old-fashion way of picking up story books. How I do miss my Hardy Boys, Famous Five, and Secret 7!

    So whilst I do agree somewhat that studying Maths and Science in English isn't the way to go about securing good English skills, but what is the alternative? Those who oppose PPSMI and suggested having more English lessons and hours (during and after school) are not keeping their feet firmly on the ground. Why? Because our BN govt won't do take up those suggestions. If it could be done, the BN govt would have done that ages ago.

    So, seriously, what then is the alternative towards achieving excellent English? When there is none, we grab the next best thing -- PPSMI. And furthermore, it was reported that more students (compared to last year) preferred to answer in English during the previously held national level examinations. If our own children are okay with it, I say give them this chance.

    Also, some commentators mocked the manner how some simple rudimentary mathematics problems may sound like in English i.e. 5 - 2 is 5 push 2? Stupido comments!

    We can make fun when questions are that simple, but surely we know when you are in Form Six, the questions posed are not just one liner questions. It is a complex and difficult situational problem requiring a certain high level of English comprehension. It is the same with college-level (undergraduate) maths problems.

    So, yeah, the earlier a youngling can get acquainted with the English proses of mathematics and science topics, the better it may augur for their future. But still it cannot compensate for plain good ol' Hardy Boys and Timmy the Dog!

    ReplyDelete
  48. Anonymous7:01 PM

    Pn Nur,

    I beg to differ..Have you ever try to understand the difficulties faced by the rural malays, orang asli, ect to learn the already difficult subjects such as math & science in a language that they could not understand or have never learn about it before ??? You are lying to yourself, if you could not place yourself in their shoes..I therefore would like to challenge persons like you, former PM, Najib & Hisham, ect try to take a month break from your official duty, and offer yourself to teach math & science or english to one of the remote schools in orang asli or rural malay areas, and let we see how you perform !!. Then only after that you could feel, the suffering in teaching vs learning the subjects to these 'unfortunate and disadvantage' communities.

    To me, the policy has caused a great INJUSTICE to these 'disadvantage' community !!!

    You may have also forget that, the first step of learning the language is speaking, not writing or leaning math / science in the language that you could not understand !!. So just teach them to speak the english language first, just like teaching your kids to speak during their early years !. This is what the most basic thing that MOE ministry has to do at our schools.

    CAN any of you answer this BIG question :

    Have we ever feel that by learning Math & Science (M & S) in a 'foreign language' have lead to our children's LITERACY in math & science been improved or better than before (where BM used as the medium of instruction)? My best bet, our MOE controlled by Hisham will definitely know the 'incorrect answer' to this question !!! Do you know that, even in native speaking, e.g England, their kids literacy in M & S were found lower than non-english speaking countries such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan, German, French, Russia & Italy ! Pls check latest TIMMS report about this - that has never been reported widely in our 'BN-controlled media' !!!

    Cheers.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Anonymous7:06 PM

    Me and my wife are both english educated. We cannot read or write chinese language. When our four children came along, we decided to send them to chinese medium school. Two of them had seen finish school and now working and the two younger ones going to higher edu.level in KL. All my children speaks the english language like they are from english. They carry themself well in the bahasa and chinese langage.
    Reemember the saying - RUBBISH IN RUBBISH OUT? Yes...That's Right.
    If you have teachers who cannot understand the english language and cannot converse well in it and is not well train to teach in it HOW can you expecr the students to be able to understand what they are learning. The person to blame for all these fiasco goes to the Education Ministry. Their failure to employ credible personnel to be teacher is the reason for this.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Anonymous7:15 PM

    When will the Malays learn not to be afraid of their own shadows? We are in the 21st century. Pleeeeease wake up.

    - Malaysian

    ReplyDelete
  51. Anonymous7:30 PM

    Alert! Alert!...

    There's trailer out called Toxic Skies, the link is below. In the middle you will find the character refering to Malaysia as the source of a flu plague infesting a town in US.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGNRvWMRuPU

    ReplyDelete
  52. Dear all,

    Ibu bapa saya tidak pandai bertutur dalam bahasa Inggeris. Orang kampung saya rata-rata bertutur Melayu, Hokkien, Tamil, Jawa but English. Saya, a poor kampung boy, masuk sekolah Inggeris kampung secara kebetulan. Guru-guru kebanyakannya Cina lulusan Senior Cambridge sahaja. Tetapi mereka sangat komited.

    Kami hanya bertutur kampung English dengan guru. Di kalangan rakan-rakan, kami bertutur bahasa Melayu.

    Masuk sekolah menengah di bandar dan sekolah berasrama penuh, keadaannya masih sama. BI digunakan hanya untuk berinteraksi dengan guru. My spoken English was terrible. I did not read English novels or newspapers.

    Dengan izin Allah, saya berjaya ke US. Saya duduk dengan Melayu. Bercakap bahasa Melayu all the time. Dan saya belajar Sains dalam BI. Enam bulan yang pertama, tak berani cakap Inggeris langsung. Itu yang professors hairan, budak yang diam macam bermasalah berbahasa Inggeris masih boleh dapat masuk Dean's list setiap quarter!

    After six months, I started to think in English bila kena banyak buat term papers. Bila saya boleh kutuk dan mengusik rakan-rakan Americans in English, mereka terkejut besar melibat perubahan budak Melayu yang pendiam yang disangkanya bermasalah English. Malah sesetengah mereka mencari saya untuk membuat term papers bersama. Namun saya tetap menulis kepada ibubapa saya dalam Jawi kerana mereka hanya boleh membaca tulisan Jawi sahaja.

    Since then, I think in English most of the time. I now teach several "science" subjects in English to Malaysian and foreign undergraduate and postgraduate students.

    My wife went to an ulu kampung sekolah Melayu. Her English is much better than mine. She did very well (in her studies) in US and Australia. Now she also teaches many "science" subjects in English to many Bumiputra undergraduates.

    We are among the many poor kampung Malays who have no problem learning Science dan Maths in English.

    Nothing wrong with PPSMI. Yang penting kita mendapat guru yang benar-benar komited! Komited seribu daya, menyegan sejuta dalih.

    Kewujudan ribuan pusat tuisyen menunjukkan tahap komitmen (kebanyakan?) guru di sekolah. Apakah yang lebih "umph"nya diberikan di Pusat Tuisyen? Seumur hidup saya tidak pernah ke pusat tuisyen kecuali satu bagi tujuan mengurat. Isteri saya pun tidak pernah ke tuisyen.

    Saya berpendapat alasan menentang PPSMI untuk kepentingan pelajar2 ulu dan kampung majmuk dan kedaulatan BM adalah suatu yang karut. Saya dan isteri adalah "living" bukti! Jangan terpedaya dengan motif sebenar yang tersirat.

    ReplyDelete
  53. 10 tahun akan datang bahasa melayu @ malaysia akan tersenarai sebagai salah satu bahasa yang hampir pupus. tiada lagi yang akan sebut 'satu' yang ada 'one', tiada lagi 'saya' tetapi 'I'.

    harap kerajaan dapat buat satu muzium bahasa selepas ni.nanti anak cucu boleh pergi tengok. "Muzium Bahasa Melayu".

    ReplyDelete
  54. Puan Norina
    I agree with you. Learning maths and science in english will not make us less malay or less muslim. I came from a low income class family where my father and mother only speak malay and do not understand english (except for a few words like yes no gate etc. but they strived and work hard to send me and my siblings to english medium school so that we could at least understand the language eventhough not mastering it. No doubt i do not speak or write perfect english, but i enjoy reading english books, magazines and newspaper. I exposed my children with the language since young, they master the language but they never forget their roots. They are still malay in heart, speak and write malays perfectly, eventhough they prefer to read english material and watch english movies.
    Thank you, i enjoy reading your blog. papanhitam (not an english, science or maths teacher).

    ReplyDelete
  55. Anonymous8:46 PM

    saudari,

    adakah kita akan mundur kalau belajar ilmu hisab dan sains dalam bahasa melayu?

    apa yang membuatkan bahasa inggeris ini menjadi sangat penting?kita dapat lihat,ia menjadi penting,kerana kita yang mementingkan bahasa inggeris.kita berhujah mengatakan bahasa inggeris itu bahasa komersial.tapi siapa yang menjadikan bahasa inggeris ini bahasa komersial?kita sendiri yang membuatkan ianya menjadi penting.kita sendiri yang bertutur dalam bahasa inggeris.kita sendiri yang memberi sidang media di hadapan puluhan wartawan tempatan dalam bahasa inggeris.kenapa tidak saja dibincangkan apa-apa isu dalam bahasa melayu.kenapa tidak dikomersialkan bahasa melayu.kita yang menjatuhkan bahasa kita sendiri.bahasa nenek moyang kita.bahasa anak-anak kita.

    ambil saja contoh di indonesia,bagaimana mereka mengutamakan bahasa kebangsaan mereka iaitu bahasa melayu.sampaikan barack obama sendiri yang hanya beberapa tahun di indonesia, masih dapat bertutur asas bahasa indonesia.contoh lain,peter butler,jurulatih bolasepak kelantan.dia bisa bercakap bahasa melayu kepada wartawan tempatan kerana dia telah beberapa tahun menjadi jurulatih di indonesia.betapa indonesia mementingkan bahasa indonesia dan menjadikan ia lingua antarabangsa.

    kenapa kita tidak?

    -meo

    ReplyDelete
  56. i disgaree with all your comments. All our education should be in english with a compulsory requirement for a pass in bahasa malaysia as it is our national language. The idea is to 'get real' and 'get with the programme'.

    I was born in 1959 and was part of an education system that worked and all my classmmates be it malay, or non malay were and bi-lingual'.

    If we love our children and the future generations of malaysians and want to see our beloved nation take its rightful place in the world, then english is the way to go. Another thing to remember is that being pro-malay does not make you a better muslim. I am a muslim and i remember what our beloved prophet said- 'go far and wide to seek knowledge'.

    Its very simple even the chinese in china are learning english and they to have a very proud tradition.

    Lets stop all this nonsense and do the right thing for ourselves, our children and our nation.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Puak-puak penyokong PPSMI ini benak dan dungu. Mereka tidak dapat membezakan literasi bahasa dan juga literasi Sains/Maths.

    Kedua-duanya perlukan kemahiran pemikiran berbeza. Macam main bola dan main ping-pong. Teknik berbeza, cara berbeza begitulah dengan belajar Sains/Maths.

    Contoh dekat di hati, belajar tajwid. Kalau ustaz/ustazah melabon dalam bahasa arab menerangkan hukum tajwid, sampai tua rentalah penyokong PPSMI tak akan pandai baca Al-Quran.

    Jadi nak pandai BI, belajar BI. Baiki silibus, banyakkan guru, ada makmal bahasa. Orang gila macam penyokong PPSMI saja buat Maths/Sains untuk pandai BI.

    Buat penyokong PPSMI, aku nak belajar bahasa Jawa, ada soalan Maths/Sains dalam bahasa Jawa? Nanti aku akan pandai ngomong Jawa bila pandai buat Maths/Sains dalam bahasa Jawa?

    ReplyDelete
  58. Anonymous9:32 PM

    I've posted my comments, but it seems to me because you did not like / agree with my opinions - then you bin it ! It's ok - I will not read your blog any more after this !

    ReplyDelete
  59. Anonymous10:19 PM

    Puan Nuraina,

    I am sure all right thinking parents do not deny that English is a very important language to master.

    I was a product of the English education system in the 60's. Although a lot of my classmates in the Universities were from Chinese educated system in their primary school years, their command of Englsih were no lesser than mine, infact some were better. I think it boils down to the quality of the English teachers then.

    All my four children are being sent to Chinese primary schools. My eldest is now pursuing her degree course in the US. She was not the product of PPSMI and yet her English is as good as mine or better. Why? Because she speaks English at home and was fortunate that I can afford her English tuition.

    What about the rural folks, esp. the poor farmers, fishermen, estate worker, etc.? Do their children have the luxury to practice their English at home? Can their children afford tuition? What quality of English teachers are sent to these rural school?

    I for one would support you if you will to campaign that English medium schools be reinstated for the rakyat's choice. Meanwhile I suggest that Science & Maths be taught in the mother-tongue and the quality of English teachers be thoroughly evaluated.

    We do not want our children also to suffer from Maths & Science because of imcompetent English teachers!!

    ReplyDelete
  60. Anonymous10:25 PM

    I agree with you on this, Kak Aina.

    Also read this from Dr. Azly Rahman's website:

    Although Bahasa Melayu is enshrined in the Constitution as the official language and there is a protest going on against the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English, we must not send the wrong message that the lingua franca is to be shunned.

    Malaysians must master the English language and being competent in it should not be a problem -- the language is everywhere. Too much emotions is being stirred to rally the masses against this language of egalitarianism.

    Sending the wrong message to the kampong kids will mean that they and their teachers will never see the importance of English.

    Come back to our senses. Why not improve the teaching of English in all schools instead. Even in our local local universities, college students are not yet proficient in the language enough to get them through interviews.


    http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2009/03/urgent-message-malays-must-master.html

    ReplyDelete
  61. Anonymous10:38 PM

    Puan, Pada saya masalahnya bukan bahasa tetapi istilah. Dulu saya belajar maths and science in Malay. Tapi masa tu tak ada istilah 'canggih-canggih' yang direka oleh para ahli bahasa kita. Istilah-istilah yang digunakan pada masa tu ialah istilah Bahasa Inggeris yang 'diMelayukan'. Selepas SPM saya telah dihantar belajar ke USA. Masa tu tak ada KPP, tak ada 'intensive english', tak ada apa-apa. Kami dicampak terus ke alam pembelajaran yang menggunakan sepenuhnya Bahasa Inggeris. Surprise!!! Tak ada masalah langsung. Malahan ramai diantara kami, termasuk saya sendiri, menjadi tutor untuk mengajar mereka-mereka yang sememangnya bahasa ibundanya Bahasa Inggeris. Mula dari semester pertama sampai graduate inilah kerja saya untuk menambah wang saku. Our written English lagi baik dari mereka. Cuma mula-mula spoken english sebutan tak betul sangat. Tapi tak lama. Yang penting kita mesti tak malu bergaul. Tak dinafikan ada yang menghadapi masalah. Mereka ni biasanya yang tak tau atau tak mahu 'bermasyarakat global'. Masa tu ramai penuntut Malaysia di USA. Jadi ada yang macam duduk di kampung aje tak campur bangsa lain. Jadi pada saya kalau nak diajar dalam bahasa Melayu pun boleh. Cuma istilah tu tak payahlah canggih sangat i.e. biar mereka yang pakar dalam bidang tu yang reka istilah, bukan pakar bahasa. Sikap pun perlu di bentuk. Kalau pelajar-pelajar kita turut diterapkan cara pembelajaran yang positif, saya yakin mereka boleh. Saya dan kawan-kawan contoh yang dah mengalami perkara ni dan Alhamdulillah berjaya. Lagi satu bukan nak kutuk. Dulu kalau dapat gred satu, memang tak dapat masuk maktab perguruan (saya cuba). Rayu macamana pun tak dapat jugak. Yang dapat bebudak gred 3. Mungkin golongan ni tak ramai yang jadi cikgu sekarang. Tapi 'camno kalau cikgu pun tak pandai berbahasa Inggeris? Sekarang sebagai jurutera, tugas saya membuat saya perlu berkomunikasi dengan berbagai bangsa dari seluruh dunia. Bahasa yang kami guna? - English. Balik kampung ese speaking nogorhi pokat tau! Paper Jawi pun ese buleh baco. Cumo ejaan baru Jawi ni ese lomah sikit.

    Kiah

    ReplyDelete
  62. Anonymous10:40 PM

    Kalau ada masa, baca la buku ni,
    fahamkan dulu kenapa mereka tak sokong PPSMI.

    Judul: Mengapa Kami Bantah PPSMI (Edisi Kedua)

    Penyusun: Profesor Emeritus Dr. Abdullah Hassan

    Saiz: 6″ x 9″
    Penerbit: Persatuan Penterjemah Malaysia Pengedar: PTS Publications & Distributors Sdn. Bhd. (Tel: 03-6188 0316 E-mel: sales@pts.com.my)
    Format Buku:
    Fizikal: RM15 (Beli dengan PTS di http://www.bookcafe.com.my)
    E-book: PERCUMA (Download di http://www.adrive.com/public/
    1548ecd5efb8c0ea89d24a0817cde242eb2d7e3e9e11db23ca1a03
    a99b8ff9c6

    ReplyDelete
  63. Anonymous10:53 PM

    Any language is a communication "tool" for humans to interact. Everyone has a mother tongue which they understand well.
    The government's move to improve English among students by introducing Maths and Science MAYBE wrong. Maths and Science use technical terms which may not be used in everday communication, so it is not an effective way of improving English.

    Whether you like it or not, English knowledge is a NECESSITY otherwise remain as "katak bawah tempurung".

    The only way to improve English is make it MANDATORY to pass SPM.

    The problem is we don't have quality teachers anymore. There are some TEACHERS who can't speak ENGLISH well, and they are called TEACHERS!

    THANKS TO TUN MAHATIR. Spoon feeding policy produced half-baked leaders, teachers and businessmen who depend on government. They simply refuse to go the EXTRA MILE!

    ReplyDelete
  64. Anonymous11:04 PM

    Saya benci dengan orang-orang hipokrit yang memperjuangkan Bahasa Melayu seolah-olah ianya akan pupus sedangkan subjek-subjek selain Matematik dan Sains diajar dalam Bahasa Melayu.

    Ini hipokrasi peringkat tertinggi. Yang malangnya bangsa lain memperjuangkan Bahasa mereka juga tetapi bangsa kita yang paling liar dan buas bertindak seperti haiwan buas.

    Ini sama berlaku seperti di Perak. Bangsa Melayu melakukan kerja kotor untuk bangsa lain.

    Tahniah kepada Pak Samad.

    Perkasakan dahulu Bahasa Melayu di kalangan bangsa lain yang sepatah haram Bahasa Melayu pun tidak faham.

    Tidak perlu pergi jauh Pak Samad sebab mereka tinggal dekat sahaja dengan rumah "these so-called" pejuang Bahasa Melayu.

    Jangan hancurkan masa depan anak-anak saya dan anak-anak orang lain semata-mata untuk memuaskan khayalan dan geram saudara.

    Kalau sudah gila isim untuk berpolitik masuk sahaja jadi ahli mana-mana parti politik yang saudara-saudara mahu.

    Jangan lontar batu sembunyi pulak tangan yang hodoh itu.

    Mohamed

    ReplyDelete
  65. Anonymous11:10 PM

    PPSMI is a very noble project but very skewed - towards the rich and privileged. Teachers are so ill equipped to teach, with no motivation to learn English despite being given their allowances and only wait for any lessons to be conducted by the school's English teachers FOC, at the convenience of the teachers who NEED to learn English. Inevitably these Etems teachers find other things to do than learn English. With no will to improve how does our Minister think that there is going to be any improvement. They do not improve their skills and expect to get paid their BISP allowance by just teaching one mandatory class of 5 periods to qualify. I should know, as I have just retired after 30 years teaching and managing English in schools in Malaysia.All the Ministry has to do is to let the well trained and proficientEnglish teachers to teach English by offering them more contact hours, about 8 periods of 40 minutes and including in their package maths and science elements , compulsory speaking skills in tandem with MUET, oral presentations and other aural/oral soft skills. Do think carefully before you make another change, Dear Minister.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Anonymous11:46 PM

    Let me add my own perspective, as someone who's studying for a degree in a Science and Mathematics subject.

    1) Most scientific papers today in scientific journals are written in English, like it or not. If you really do want to reach the widest audience possible, it's going to have to be written in English. Having said that, the converse applies too; that to be able to access most of the current literature, you're going to have to read it in English. No one is claiming that you can't do it in BM, the underlying science is still the same, but it involves an extra cost of having to translate it, while making sure that none of the fundamental ideas are left behind. And that final point applies also to Mathematics.

    2) Science/Mathematics is independent of nationality. It makes sense to converge on a standard, common language as it helps the propagation of ideas a lot quicker than if it were encumbered by having to set multiple languages, and forcing each and every scientist/mathematician to learn multple languages, to discuss the underlying ideas, which are independent of the language involved. It is something of convenience, and this lingua franca of scientific papers has changed over the ages. e.g. It was Latin during Newton's time, and then shifted to French and German in the 18th and 19th centuries, and now in English. Newton didn't complain about having to forsake his mother tongue to learn Latin, he did it because it was the most widely used language to transmit scientific ideas at the time. So, no, contrary to nationalist ideas, science is independent of nationalism, and its primary interest is to discover things, and it will use whatever medium of propagation which is most convenient at the time.

    Right now, English is the most convenient one, which is why I support teaching Science and Mathematics in English.

    3) The last thing I want for Malaysian scientists is for them to be hamstrung by language difficulties, limiting their potential reach to the worldwide scientific audience

    ReplyDelete
  67. I agree with Cheng ho. Maybe we should revert back to the 70's where there was national type schools in malay, english, chinese, tamil. the choice should be with the parents.. not some politician trying to gain votes. Every malaysian should be given the choice to give their child the quality of education they think is fit. This way everyone is happy

    ReplyDelete
  68. Anonymous11:58 PM

    I politicized nothing. If you want proof make the time and I WILL SHOW YOU PROOF.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Jika dahulu, sebelum PPSMI
    91-100 markah = A
    81-90 markah = B
    61-80 markah = C
    41-60 markah = D
    21-40 markah = E (Lulus)
    0-20 markah = F (Gagal)

    Tapi sekarang, oleh kerana keputusan peperiksaan para pelajar telah merosot dengan begitu teruk sekali dalam ketiga-tiga subjek setelah PPSMI diimplementasikan, maka
    71-100 markah = A
    51-70 markah = B
    31-50 markah = C
    21-30 markah = D
    11-20 markah = E (Lulus)
    0-10 markah = F (Gagal)

    Kementerian Pelajaran menurunkan standard demi mengekalkan statistik kelulusan yang setanding keputusan terdahulu agar ibubapa dan orang ramai tidak nampak kemerosotan para pelajar.

    *sistem gred permarkahan di atas sekadar contoh.

    Penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris memang penting, tapi janganlah sampai Matematik dan Sains pula dipinggirkan. Jangan sembunyikan kemerosotan.

    ReplyDelete
  70. Anonymous12:18 AM

    Ya! Ini lah juga alasan semasa mereka pinggirkan tulisan Jawi dulu... Puan tidak perasankah kesan pada tulisan Jawi sekarang?

    -m...

    ReplyDelete
  71. Anonymous12:18 AM

    Salam.

    Puan Nuraina...saya fikir jika arwah bapa Puan masih hidup, sudah tentu dia akan bersama dengan barisan pejuang bahasa Melayu.

    Mungkin pepatah Melayu " Bapa borek anak rintik" tidak dapat diapplikasi...oh...saya guna sekali lagi bahasa Inggeris...

    ReplyDelete
  72. Anonymous1:02 AM

    Cikgu Maria,
    Kenapa pandang rendah murid2 luarbandar. Ingat diorang tak buleh kuasai Math dan Sains dlm BI ke? Tengoklah orang Melayu yang bijak pandai dalam segala bidang, termasuk Che Det kita sendiri orang kampung jugak .. Tun Saleh Abas orang kampung tapi tak ada masalah Bahasa Inggering pun.

    Hendak seribu daya, Cikgu.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Anonymous1:03 AM

    Not speaking English at home and finding it difficult to learn Science and Maths in English is not an insurmountable problem. Imagine the thousands of school children whose mother tongue is not Malay and do not speak Malay at home but learned almost all subjects in Malay, including Science and Maths some years ago. They seem to be ok so far overall. Sure, Malay is the national language and they should indeed master it at least at a near native level if not native. But ideals and realities are two different things and the fact is that, thousands of children have been successful at learning subjects in languages that they do not speak at home or which is not their mother tongue.

    There are two separate premises here. 1) In order to really improve our children's command of English, English lessons must be radically revamped and fortified. 2) Science and Maths must be taught in English because it is practical and beneficial to do so for the sake of mastering and advancing science and maths alone, independent of the desire to improve our children's English.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Anonymous1:04 AM

    Mr CP Waterman,

    The Malays are not French, so don't compare the durians and the grapes.

    Mon Ami.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Anonymous1:10 AM

    Palaniappan yang menulis: "Just look around our neighboring countries. They use their mother-tongue to teach these subjects. Aren't they prosper?"
    ------------------------------

    Awat rendah sangat IQ hang, Niappan? Indonesia tu maju kat mana ajar Ilmu Hisapan dan Sayens dalam Bahasa Indon? Filipina tu negara maju ke? Macam Amerika ke standard diorang? Thailand tu jauh kedepan dah ke?

    Cuma Spore saja yang lebih dari Malaysia. Tu pun pasal dia pulau kecik, senang kontol.. eh, kontrol.

    Lagipun, kat Spore tu diorang ajar Math and Sains dalam Singlish. Lebih kurang English la ..

    Kau bayangkan lah, Niappan, kalau Spore ajar Math dgn Sains dalam Bahasa Melau, iaitu Bahasa Kebangsaan diorang.

    Terimakasih, Niappan.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Anonymous1:14 AM

    Shafique,

    Kalau u betul2 nak pejuangkan Bahasa Melayu, tolong protes penggunaan bahasa2 lain di papan2 tanda jalan di Penang oleh DAP. Esok melarat ke tempat2 dan negeri2 lain ...

    ReplyDelete
  77. Anonymous1:53 AM

    Fakta 1. Jikalau untuk memahirkan anak-anak kita berbahasa Inggeris, maka kita perlu menghantar mereka kelas bahasa Inggeris. Bukan mengajar sains dan ilmu hisab dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Sebagai contoh jika kita mahu anak kita pandai berbahasa Melayu, adakah wajar kita mesti mengajar mereka Pelajaran Bahasa Melayu dalam bahasa Inggeris?

    Fakta 2. Jikalau buku-buku teknikal (Sains dan ilmu hisab) sekarang hanya terdapat didalam bahasa Inggeris, maka adalah tidak wajar untuk menukarkan keseluruhan silabus Bahasa Melayu kepada Bahasa Inggeris. Sepatutnya Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) serta Institut Terjemahan Negara Malaysia (ITNM)mempercepatkan lagi usaha menterjemahkan buku-buku tersebut.

    Masalah sebenar ialah silabus Bahasa Inggeris di sekolah tidak berkembang dan gagal membentuk asas berbahasa Inggeris yang baik untuk anak-anak kita. Jikalau mereka telah belajar selama 11 tahun ( 6 tahun di sekolah rendah dan 5 tahun di sekolah menengah) tetapi masih gagal untuk berbahasa Inggeris. Persoalan ini gagal ditafsirkan oleh kementerian Pelajaran sendiri.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Persoalan mudah untuk dijawab oleh saudari,

    Tamadun Barat melihat pencapaian manusia ke ruang angkasa adalah ukuran kejayaan tamadun terbaik dunia hari ini. Ini ialah dimensi mereka melihat kepada penciptaan tamadun terbaik dunia hari ini.

    Sains dan Matematik adalah kunci utama kepada kejayaan ke angkasa lepas ini. Cukup mudah bukan?

    Tetapi, tunjukkan secara ringkas kejayaan negara-negara di dunia ini yang berjaya menghantar manusia atau satelit ke angkasa lepas.

    US dengan Bahasa Inggerisnya.

    Russia dengan Bahasa Russianya.

    China yang baru sahaja menghantar taikonaut pertama mereka menggunakan Bahasa Cina sepenuhnya untuk ke angkasa lepas.

    Tidak terbukti satu tamadun dunia pun yang tercipta menggunakan bahasa asing.

    Iran yang berjaya menghantar dan membuat satelit pertama mereka juga menggunakan Bahasa Parsi sepenuhnya. Ini terbukti semasa siaran langsung pelancarannya dari bilik kawalan yang sepenuhnya dalam Bahasa Parsi.

    Hanya India sahaja setakat ini mencipta, menghantar dan membuat satelit pertama mereka dengan teknologi mereka dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Sejauh manakah kejayaan mereka meresap ke dalam setiap diri individu di India?

    Bukan isu peminggiran Bahasa Inggeris yang menjadi persoalan, tetapi keperkasaan Bahasa Inggeris perlu diperluaskan dalam kelas Bahasa Inggeris dahulu. Bukan Sains dan Matematik.

    Jepun maju teknologi dan sainsnya dalam bahasa apa?

    Korea maju teknologi dan sainsnya dalam bahasa apa?

    Perancis maju teknologi dan sainsnya dalam bahasa apa?

    Jerman maju teknologi dan sainsnya dalam bahasa apa?

    Yang perlu dicipta ialah kemahiran berfikir dalam bahasa ibunda. Pemahaman bahasa kedua hanya membantu mereka memahaminya secara lebih terbuka sahaja. Atau bahasa ketiga atau keempat jika rajin dan mahu belajar.

    PPSMI bukanlah isu menolak Bahasa Inggeris, tetapi peminggiran secara tersusun mengeluarkan Bahasa Malaysia dari sistem pelajaran negara.

    Kalau 100 tahun akan datang semua matapelajaran pun diingeriskan, apa yang saudari boleh lakukan? Jika saudari masih hidup pada masa itu, jangan terkejut kalau pihak berkuasa dan seluruh masyarakat mahukan semua pelajaran diingeriskan termasuklah BM sendiri. Jika PPSMI boleh terlaksana, kenapa pula pelajaran lain tidak boleh?

    ReplyDelete
  79. Anonymous5:02 AM

    salam + hi nuraina,
    this is my 1st comment in your blog.
    I’m a phd student in math at scotland.oh my god! this is just a political issue..the main director as well as producer is anwar. i support the english usage in both science and mathematics.

    one could comprehend pretty fast upon say, calculus/functional analysis/differential equation theory etc if her/his english is averagely ok..but that doesn't suggest he/she has already deleted the culture or the malay language itself.

    mathematics is the queen of science...it's a tool for any kind of field, including,in a study of language. i can tell a whole bottle of benefit why learning mathematics in english is so damn important in order to upgrade the malaysia's r&d.

    i was invited to attend prof di raja ungku aziz talk about 'sci & math in english' before i came to scotland...we can't compare our hardwork with the japanese/korean etc because we know how malas we are.

    i'm so upset with what anwar has drugged to certain people..

    ------ Malay Phd(in Math) at Scotland ----

    ReplyDelete
  80. Anonymous8:07 AM

    “Hah…Mama dah carikan kerja utk hang. Jadi cikgu kat sekolah kawan Mama. Mau?” kata mak aku semasa kami dalam kereta, pulang ke Kedah dari KMB setelah aku tamat belajar disitu sekitar 2004. Aku memandang kosong ke luar tingkap kereta. Warna merah senja masih lagi di situ, belum pudar.
    Cantik!
    “Ma…malaih lah. Kalau boleh oghang nak gheja macam Tu’ai, jadi maintainer kat kelab bowling kat City Plaza tu. Best sket” aku menjawab malas sambil mataku menjeling kepada Tu’ai, adikku di sebelah. Fikirku, bolehlah kami keluar petang ke tempat kerja, dan balik awal pagi. Sambil-sambil tu bolehlah merewang ke tengah-tengah bandar Alor Setar sebelum balik ke rumah. Bila lagi?
    “Hang jangan nak menggatai. Mama dah habaq dah kat Cikgu Cek Puteh. Esok lusa hang pi daftaq kat sekolah tu” mak aku membantah.

    “Laa…ingatkan nak bagi option tadi. Rupa-rupanya arahan mandatori” cetus hati aku.

    Merah senja di luar tingkap makin pudar. Lebuh raya PLUS nampak kosong. Seperti fikiran aku yang kosong.
    “Apa aku nak buat kat sekolah tu nanti? Dah la kena mengajaq Bahasa Inggeris. Tingkatan 4 ngan 5 plak tu. Sastera lagi. Mampoih.” Hati aku terus merungut tak puas hati. Tapi apa boleh buat, arahan mandatori…

    Habis takat tu…

    Bermula episod diri aku diberi peluang mengenali sendiri apakah erti perjuangan memartabatkan anak bangsa dari kaca mata seorang guru, yang dikerah mendidik pelajar luar bandar. (kalau boleh aku katakan, sekolah yang aku pergi ini adalah sekolah yang lagi luar daripada ‘luar Bandar’. Maknanya sangat sangat terpencil).

    Aku menjadi cikgu ganti, menggantikan seorang guru lain yang cuti bersalin. Dan sekali sekala aku masuk ke kelas-kelas tingkatan yang lain, menjenguk apa yang pelajar-pelajar di sana sedang buat sewaktu ketiadaan guru.

    Biar aku ceritakan…

    1.
    Biasalah, sesi perkenalan menjadi modal utama untuk cikgu baru macam aku untuk ‘skip’ hari pertama daripada kena mengajar. Ni yang berlaku di sebuah kelas tingkatan 5 Sains 1.
    “ Ok class, My name is Haikal. Your new English teacher here, for 2 months bla..bla..bla” Now I would like to know each of you before I begin my lesson. Please state your name, ambition and where are u from. Ok. let us start from u”
    “ err…sir. Saya tak pandai cakap Inglis. Bahasa Melayu boleh dak?”
    Aku jawab “ Cuba, takpa salah pun. saya pun bukan pandai cakap omputih”
    “ I is Syahrul (nama rekaan)”. Yang lain saya tak gheti sir”
    “Ok takpa…teruskan. Saya tanya tadi cita-cita dan tinggai kat mana”

    Dalam hati “mampoih, macam mana aku nak mengajaq dalam BI ni? Kalau kelas 5 sains 1 pun tak berapa gheti BI?”

    2.
    Ada satu hari tu, aku kena masuk ke kelas tingkatan satu. Cikgu yang sepatutnya berada dalam kelas tu tak datang. Sekali lagi, sesi berkenalan, sebab aku memang tak disuruh mengajar pun.
    “ Nama saya cikgu Haikal. Saya masuk mai ganti cikgu Sharifah. Saja nak berkenalan dengan kamu semua. Soghang-soghang bangun dan habaq nama dgn cita-cita. Hah kamu…mula”
    “ Nama saya Rosdi. Cita-cita nak jadi..emm…perbaik gheta. Pak saya ada kedai pomen gheta kat pekan”
    “OK takpa, kamu” aku menuding pada seorang pelajar yang berdiri kat pintu, gaya macam nak lari keluar dari kelas.
    “ Saya…nama Ku Nazim. Cita-citaku nak jaga lemu pak ku” (memang disebut LEMU, bukan lembu). Jawab Nazim serius dalam loghat Kedah hulu yang pekat. Lembu pun kedengaran lemu. Saya diganti dengan Ku…bahasa diri kebiasaan bagi orang-orang kampung kat tempat aku.
    “Sebab apa nak jaga lembu?”
    “Ku tak tu dey. Pak ku banyak Lemu. Dia pun dok sughuh ku jaga lemu dia”`
    “ Oo…ya ka?” aku menyetujui kata-katanya

    Dalam hati “ Bertuah betul orang Bandar. Anak-anak semuanya bercita-cita tinggi. Nak jadi doctor. Saintis. Paling koman pun Polis. Tapi kat sini. Cukuplah kalau boleh warisi apa yang bapak depa ada. Mungkin depa ni masih naïve…tapi kalau dibandingkan dengan anak Bandar yang sebaya, depa ni jauh naïve. Seolah-olah tiada langsung cita-cita”

    Dan memang benar, pelajar-pelajar di sini memang datang ke sekolah bukan kerana ingin belajar. Tetapi kerana ingin berjumpa kawan-kawan. Itu sahaja dorongan mereka utk terus berada di sekolah dari jam 730 hingga jam 2 petang. Dan peluang daripada kedatangan mereka ke sekolah itulah yang digunakan oleh guru-guru untuk menumpahkan ilmu yang sedikit buat bekalan anak bangsa ini.
    Lalu…bagaimana ingin mempunyai cita-cita?

    3.
    Aku diberi amanah untuk menanda kertas peperiksaan Bahasa Inggeris dan English in Science and Technology (EST). Tingkatan 4 dan 5.
    Untuk tingkatan 4…semua fail untuk 2 mata pelajaran yang aku tandakan tu.
    Untuk tingkatan 5…ada seorang 2 sahaja yang lulus ataih pagaq EST. Untuk Bahasa Inggeris, ramai jugak yang lulus. Tetapi sekadar lulus. Tak lebih dari itu. Itu pun…aku kena jadi seorang pemeriksa yang sangat bermurah hati.

    Bila ditanya kepada guru-guru lain tentang perkara itu “ Hah…besa la tu. Budak-budak sini bukan gheti BI. Lepa (Depa/mereka) bukan mau pun belajaq BI. Sabit tu (sebab tu) kalau hang tengok budak-budak yang ambik Sains dgn Math dalam BI kat sekolah ni semua tak luluih. Habuk pun takdak” kata seorang cikgu lelaki, sambil menghisap rokok daun yang digulung sendiri, sewaktu kami bersembang di kantin.

    “ Kalau dulu, waktu dua-dua subjek ni lepa ajaq dalam BM pun student tak pandai. Ni pulak nak mengajaq dalam BI. Punah anak bangsa hang tau dak Haikal. Lepa ni orang kampung. Satu hapa pun depa tak gheti. Lagi nak suruh belajaq dalam BI. Apa punya otak pun aku tak tau” sambung cikgu itu dalam nada kesal bercampur geram. Ada juak-juak meluat di mukanya.

    “PUNAH ANAK BANGSA” terngiang lagi perkataan tu dalam fikiran aku sampai sekarang.

    4.
    Satu hari tu, aku masuk mengajaq BI kat dalam kelas tingkatan 4 Perdagangan. Ada 4 orang pelajar lelaki sewaktu aku sedang mengajar di depan, depa dok berkumpul 4 orang dalam satu bulatan kat belakang.
    “ Tu kat belakang, hangpa tengah buat apa tu” Aku dah tak cakap Inggeris lagi dah dalam kelas (Pelik kan. Mengajar Bahasa Inggeris dalam Bahasa Melayu. Tapi apa boleh buat... Payah. Susah. Kesian dengan mereka yang tak faham apa-apa)
    Ada budak lain yang tolong jawabkan soalan aku tu, tapi dalam keadaan yang separuh berbisik:
    “ Depa tengah main Sing-Kong Sir”
    “Menatang apa tu?” aku bertanya kehairanan.
    “Judi” (Sing-kong: lambung duit syiling, pastu pakat-pakat teka kepala ka ekoq. Sapa betoi dia dapat duit syiling tu)
    “ Budak-budak kat belakang…baik hangpa berenti sebelum saya panggil PK HEM. Kalau tak mau belajaq, Hangpa dok diam-diam kat belakang. Lagi baik hangpa tidoq!” tegas aku dalam nada separuh bengang.

    “Ok sir” jawab seorang dari mereka dalam keadaan senyum. Aku hanya mampu geleng kepala dan teruskan pengajaran “Mari Mengenal Bahasa Inggeris”

    “Ok kelas…kalau I…padan dengan Am”
    “I am”
    “kalau he atau she yang maksudnya Dia…padan dengan Is”
    “He is”

    Itu antara situasi-situasi yang berlaku di luar Bandar. Ops…di luar lagi daripada luar bandar. Sekolah tempat aku mengajar tu, ada antaranya pelajar Siam. Memang di utara Kedah ramai orang Siam dan anak-anak mereka ini dihantar ke sekolah-sekolah kerajaan, macam juga orang melayu.

    Kesimpulan mengenai system pendidikan Malaysia:

    1. Hancur.
    System pendidikan yang hanya memihak kepada orang di bandar memang hancur. Dulu, bolehlah pelajar-pelajar luar bandar ni dapat walaupun sedikit ilmu Sains dan Matematik kerana mereka faham apa yang diajar sebab diajar dalam bahasa ibunda mereka. Sekarang? Tak dak!
    Alasannya adalah untuk mewujudkan semangat persaingan. Kalau tak dipaksa, mereka tak akan belajar. ITU ALASAN SEMATA-MATA.
    Berpijaklah ke bumi yang nyata wahai menteri-menteri terutamanya Menteri Pelajaranku! Cuba kalau hangpa yang datang mengajar di sekolah tu. Hangpa akan jadi tertekan seperti juga guru-guru di situ. Malah sepatutnya lebih lagi. Sebab hangpa menteri yang bertanggungjawab atas apa yang terjadi. Budak-budak di sekolah hilang langsung minat untuk belajaq Sains dan Matematik. Sampaikan soalan '4 divide by 2 equals ?' pun…terkial-kial nak kena cari makna divide dan equal dulu.

    2. Tak adil.
    Cikgu-cikgu di luar Bandar dikerah melakukan macam-macam. Buat kelas tambahan itu ini. Pelajar bukan datang pun. Sebab mereka tak mahu.
    Sebab apa tak mahu?
    Sebab meraka tahu mereka tak akan lulus. Sebab mereka tahu, mereka akan hanya masuk paling tinggi pun ke politeknik. Sebab mereka tahu, mereka tak akan ke mana. Tiada universiti dalam hidup mereka. Tiada obersi. Tiada! Tiada! Tiada!

    Sebab apa mereka sebegitu, begitu pessimistic?
    Sebab mereka tak mampu. Nak cari guru tuisyen macam orang Bandar? Nak beli buku ulangkaji 2 3 buah? Mana nak cari duit?
    Ayah buat bendang, tu pun tumpang bendang orang lain. Mak menoreh getah. Tu pun pokok getah orang lain. Abang gheja pomen gheta. Tu pun kat kedai pomen orang lain. Mana ada duit?

    Apa yang mereka ada?
    Mereka ada kelas tambahan di sekolah yang jadi tenaga pengajarnya adalah cikgu-cikgu sekolah tu jugak. Yang pagi tadinya mengajar dalam kelas, dan mereka tak faham. Petang, bila buat kelas tambahan, cikgu yang sama jugak. Mestilah tak faham jugak.
    “Habeh tu, buat apa aku mai kelas tambahan?”

    3. Mengarut.
    Tok-tok menteri…saya nak tanya. Ada dak hangpa hantaq anak-anak hangpa mengaji kat sekolah kerajaan macam yang kat atas? Paling koman pun, SBP. Paling koman pun MRSM. Dan yang paling menarik…pak menteri yang dok push supaya system yang ada sekarang ni diteruskan pun hantaq anak belajaq kat sekolah swasta.
    Tolonglah pak menteri. Berpijaklah di bumi nyata. Takkan bila hari ni Bahasa Inggeris menguasai dunia, kita belajaq Sains matematik dalam BI. Esok lusa kalau bahasa Cina naik jadi bahasa utama dunia? Waktu tu hangpa terketaq-ketaq nak suruh orang melayu belajaq sains matematik dalam Bahasa Cina? Tak ka bercelaru system pendidikan Malaysia waktu tu
    Kita ada golongan luar Bandar yang mereka nak juga pandai sebagaimana orang-orang di Bandar. Tapi mereka kurang kemampuan. Janganlah aniaya mereka. Kalau menteri sendiri pun tak hantar anak belajar di sekolah kerajaan…tidakkah itu mengarut???


    Sedikit pengalaman manis:

    1. “Sir…awat cepat sangat sir mengajaq kat sini? La ni baru kami rasa seronok sikit belajaq English.”

    2. “Sir. Lepaih sir keluaq dari sekolah ni…saya malaih mai sekolah lagi dah.Tak best dah lepaih nih”

    3. “Sir, nanti kalau sir dah pi obersi, jangan lupa hantaq gambaq sir kat kami naa. Kami nak pi…mesti tak buleh punya. Tengok gambaq sir main salji pun kami dah rasa best. Sir jangan lupa naa.”

    4. “Sir, nak ambik gambaq dgn Sir. Nanti takdak la kami teringat selalu kat sir”

    5. “Ni sir…hadiah daripada kami. Kami share duit ramai-ramai ni sir” (menitis air mata aku bila aku bukak kotak hadiah tu…hadiahnya hanyalah sebuah jam loceng yang baru semalam aku nampak ada dijual di pekan sehari…harganya hanyalah sekitar RM2. Dalam kemampuan yang terbatas...masih lagi kalian mempunyai hati yang murah. Moga Allah rahmati kalian anak-anak muridku)

    5. “Sir…ni ada sorang budak dia lukih gambaq sir. Tapi dia malu nak bagi sendiri kat Sir”
    “Mana dia?” aku tanya kembali.
    “Dia tak mau mai sekolah hari ni…dia sedih”

    6. “Ok kelas, hari ini hari last saya ajaq hangpa kat sini. Insha Allah kita jumpa lagi. Kalau sapa-sapa nak kontek saya, saya bagi alamat emel. Kalau ada yang pi CC (cyber café) kat pekan tu nanti, tulih la emel kat saya. Tulih dalam bahasa Inggeris tau. Biaq salah pun takpa. Kalau dak…saya tak mau layan”

    Dan sehingga ke hari ini…memang ada yang menulis pada aku…tapi dalam BI yang dhaif. Takpalah…semangat kalian aku hargai.


    Dan ada juga pengalaman-pengalam an lain…yang tak manis diceritakan di sini. maklumlah…cikgu muda katakan.

    ReplyDelete
  81. Saya setuju dengan pendapat itu, kita tidak perlu terlalu taksub dengan bahasa.

    Tidak pernah Tuhan melarang kita menggunakan apa bahasa pun, malah tidak juga Tuhan mewajibkan kita menggunakan bahasa Arab walaupun Quran diturunkan dalam bahasa Arab.

    Bahasa adalah untuk memudahkan kita berkomunikasi antara satu sama lain, tidak lebih dari itu.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Anonymous10:16 AM

    I think the purpose of the objection from each races are different.

    Malay- strive about usage of bahasa, sort of patriotic, love bahasa ibunda motto.


    Chinese - not becos of bahasa ibunda but learning maths in chinese is real effective now, then for chinese no reason to change it. But for the use of english in Science is good.

    Indian - poor foundation of english grammar, teaching in english in science and maths may further heigthen the worries of their parents.

    The above is only my personal opinion, I may be wrong about the perception on each races but hope
    the govt needs to do thorough but prompt research and action. Irregardless of which races, any changes may affect the future of all their childrens.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Saya sokong PPSMI..kerana saya adalah 'mangsa' kepada PPSMBM....terkial-kial nak berbahasa Inggeris..dan terkial-kial masa di universiti belajar kejuruteraan...

    ReplyDelete
  84. Anonymous11:09 AM

    Salam.

    Melihat dari sudut lain, apa jua pegangan kita dalam perkara ini, majoriti kita sebenarnya mahukan anak-anak bangsa kita maju.

    Namun setiap kemajuan pasti ada pengorbanan. Apa yang tidak boleh saya terima adalah jika terdapat walau seorangpun anak yang terkandas dan terbantut persekolahannya atas sebab ppsmi, adakah itu sesuatu yang sanggup kita terima dan menganggapnya satu mengorbanan?

    Saya rasa anak-anak patut diberi peluang seluasnya untuk menimba ilmu.

    ... it is important that every effort should be made to provide education in the mother tongue. ...

    On educational grounds we recommend that the use of the mother tongue be extended to as late a stage in education as possible. In particular, pupils should begin their schooling through the medium of the mother tongue, because they understand it best and because to begin their school life in the mother tongue will make the break between home and school as small as possible.

    (UNESCO 1951:691)


    Mungkin juga kita harus lihat dan baca ini:

    http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/PDF/Math-Science%20Report

    dan

    http://www.bharian.com.my/Current_News/BH/Wednesday/Rencana/20090303223151/Article

    *Pak Samad telah menyatakan protesnya semenjak 2003 dalam buku "Suara Dari Dinding Dewan".

    ReplyDelete
  85. Anonymous11:31 AM

    Puan Nuriana,

    What is with all this confusion? The whole thing could have been avoided if the Government increases the number of contact hours for the teaching of the English language subject. How do we improve the proficiency of the language when the number of contact hours for the teaching of English remain the same?

    These people, including national laureates, have never once called for the abolishment of the English language from our schools. They are only calling for the teaching of Science and Maths in Bahasa Melayu. How can our students master both subjects when they do not understand what is being taught in the first place.

    Let's come back to our senses, let Science and Maths be taught in Bahasa Melayu and increase the number of contact hours for teaching of English language. The school can help further by organizing other activities to increase the proficiency of the students in English.

    ReplyDelete
  86. The opposition is spinning again. They are stirring-up the emotions of the Chauvinist , Extremist and the Nationalist.

    Once again we are gonna suffer. Once again we are gonna fall to the demand of a group of aggressive minority in the hands of the silent majority.

    We had closed the good traditions of convent and colonial schools that have over the years produced good all rounded leaders at all levels of the society.

    We had sacrificed the middle with two extremes and at this very moment, we are paying the price of our earlier mistakes. We should be given a choice.

    The poor must be given a choice. The rich can send their kids to international schools but the poor dropped out of school at the secondary/ tertiary stage..

    Issue:
    We have problems and we will continue to have problems. The urban folks are in favor of a moderate approach in the interest of education. The opposition parties are being irresponsible when they inflame the people with racial radical emotions.

    OF COURSE THEY HAVE THE NUMBERS.THEY HAVE THE ANGKATAN HEADED BY A PERSONALITY OR TWO .


    OF COURSE THEY HAVE THE STREET PROTESTERS. WHY ALWAYS ON A FRIDAY? ARE THERE A READY MADE MOB IN MALAYSIA?

    i longed for the rational, critic

    ReplyDelete
  87. Anonymous12:45 PM

    Nuraina A. Samad,

    Secara kebetulan, saya terlihat blog ini. Saya tertarik dengan hujah dan benang basah yang cuba ditegakkan. Saya kagum! Bagaimanapun, saya terfikir kenapa
    agaknya, Nuraina beria-ia mempertahankan PPSMI.

    Jawapan itu akhirnya saya perolehi berdasarkan komen Nuraina kepada Seman.

    Nseman,

    meggalakkan anak2 kita belar matematik an sains dalam bahasa inggeris bukan bererti yang kita membelakangkan bahasa ibunda kita.

    jangan lah kelabukan isu ini.

    Besar kemungkinan Nuraina tidak cekap berbahasa Melayu. Nuraina tidak menghormati bahasa Melayu, Nuraina tidak mengambil berat terhadap bahasa Melayu sebagaimana
    ketika Nuraina menulis dalam bahasa Inggeris.

    Ini masalah sikap!

    Jangan bercakap fasal perjuangan bangsa dan masa depan negara sekiranya ada keraguan di hati!

    Saya tidak menentang pembelajaran bahasa Inggeris. Belajarlah bahasa Inggeris, gubal sukatan yang lebih efektif. Kaji strategi pembelajaran bahasa Inggeris di sekolah. Jadikan bahasa Inggeris lebih menarik dan menyeronokkan. Jangan korbankan Matematik dan Sains!

    Hujah saya, hujah yang klise dan tipikal sahaja. Jepun tidak sehebat ini sekarang melalui bahasa inggeris. Sekiranya mereka menggunakan bahasa Inggeris pastinya, mereka masih di takuk lama. Mesej dan propaganda kerajaan hanya boleh disalurkan secara berkesan dengan satu bahasa bahasa, bahasa Jepun.

    Begitu juga Korea dan China!

    Ada beberapa hujah lain,yang saya akan sampaikan kemudian. Saya pasti
    alasan saya tidak akan mengubah pandangan Nuraina.

    Apa pun berkatalah secara jujur!

    Adakah Nuraina secekap ini dalam BI kerana pembelajaran Matematik Sains dalam BI? Atau sekiranya Nuraina melalui sistem pembelajaran PPSMI, Nuraina akan lebih berbahasa Inggeris dari sekarang?

    Berkatalah dengan hati yang jujur!

    ReplyDelete
  88. Anonymous3:11 PM

    Puar Norina,

    Agak menarik komen puan mengenai PPSMI, mengenai rakyat Perancis, Jepun dan China telah mendahulu dalam bidang teknologi berbanding Malaysia. Saya memilih memberi komen dalam bahasa Melayu kerana dengan bahasa ini saya lebih senang memberi pendapat walaupun saya tahu 3 lagi bahasa lain. Pertama sekali berkenaan dengan PPSMI. Saya adalah antara 'Master Trainer' bagi projek PPSMI. Setiap kursus PPSMI kami dikehendaki mengendalikannya dalam BI. Malangnya apabila dibuat dalam BI, ramai guru-guru tidak mampu memahami apa yang diajar saya maka saya terus beralih ke BM sehingga akhir kursus. Jadi matlamat utamanya tidak tercapai dengan BI iaitu mengajar penggunaan peralatan PPSMI kepada guru PPSMI apabila dikendalikan dalam BI. Jadi adakah matlamat utama subjek Matematik dan Sains di sekolah adalah untuk belajar bahasa Inggeris atau belajar Matematik dan Sains ? Jika gurunya yang telah dewasa dan biasa dengan BI pun tidak faham, bayangkan pelajar rendah yang tidak menggunakan langsung BI untuk berkomunikasi? Jadi jika objektifnya adalah untuk memajukan pendidikan anak-anak kita, maha seharusnya subjek tersebut mengunakan bahasa ibonda. Tak kira BM/Cina/Tamil. Setelah mereka mahir dengan perkara asas Matematik dan Sains maka baru kita beralih kepada istilah-istilah luar yang mana mereka akan gunakan pada suatu hari nanti.
    Beralih kepada teknologi Perancis/Jepun/China. Kebetulan saya adalah didikan Perancis. Setelah hampir 12 tahun belajar bahasa Inggeris diMalaysia, berpindah kepada pendidikan Perancis menjadi pengalaman yang sukar dan menarik. Ini kerana bahasa Inggeris yang diagungkan selama itu telah menjadi sejarah apabila berpindah ke pendidikan yang baru. Jadi bagaimanakah seseorang boleh mengatakan dengan yakin bahawa bahasa Inggerisnya akan berguna jika dia berada di luar negara? Hanya setelah balik ke Malaysia sahaja BI digunakan kembali. Apabila saya mengunakan istilah SEJARAH, kerajaan Malaysia tidak melihat atau belajar dari sejarah bagaimana rakyat Perancis/Jepun dan yang lainnya berbahasa Inggeris menjadi maju. Ini adalah termasuk Puan sendiri. Mereka bukannya telah lama maju tetapi hanya maju lebih kurang pada abad ke18 hingga sekarang. Jadi bagaimana kehidupan mereka pada zaman kegelapan? Jika anda pernah mengenal manusia bernama Darwin,Galileo Galilei dan lain-lain, kesemua penemuan mereka dianggap sesat oleh pihak gereja. Berbanding dengan Ibnu Sina yang mengarang beratus buku kedoktoran diterima oleh rakyat dan pemerintah mereka. Antara Ibnu Sina dan Saintis barat lebih kurang 1500 tahun bezanya. Jadi boleh dikatakan Masyarakan Arab telah maju lebih lama berbanding mereka. Dan dari sejarah juga jika diperlajari mengatakan pihak barat menterjemahkan karya Ibnu Sina ke dalam bahasa mereka dan diajar di universiti mereka. Begitu juga di Perancis, buku-buku ilmiah diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa mereka. Saya tiada menghadapi masalah untuk mencari apa-apa buku rujukan dalam bahasa Perancis kerana terdapat banyak terjemahan Perancis. Di sini kita pelajari bahawa bangsa yang kita akui telah lama maju tadi belajar dari bangsa lain yang berbahasa lain (Arab) dengan menterjemahkan ilmu tersebut kepada bahasa ibonda mereka. Kita akui mereka maju dan belajar dari tamadun mereka, jadi kenapa kita melakukan yang terbalik ?

    Saya sayang bahasa Melayu saya. Begitu juga rakan-rakan Cina/India/Iban/Kedazan dan lain-lain sayang bahasa ibonda mereka.

    ReplyDelete
  89. I think it is not fair to students in rural areas to have science and maths taught in english, when the teachers themselves are not proficient in the language. Without meaning to be personal, you are all for english because you probably practise bilingualism at home and so your children does not suffer.

    Why not teach those subjects in Bahasa and also, in tandem, have the teaching of English as a second language, grammar and english literature and such like. The profiency in English after a generation would be then make any transiton to full English for those subjects easier. and hopefully by that time, the quality of English among the teachers would be better.

    I understand that in UKM, all the teaching including sceince was ( still is? ) in BM and their graduates went on to do post-graduate in Oxford and Cambridge and Monash with nary a hiccup !

    ReplyDelete
  90. http://syedsyahrul.blogspot.com/2009/03/ppsmi-apa-cerita-ni-beb.html

    "Pada pendapat aku, suka tidak suka bahasa inggeris masih lagi bahasa ilmu, terutamanya dalam bidang teknologi dan sains. Tidak ada bezanya, sekiranya kita mahu mendalami Agama Islam, kita mesti faham bahasa Arab terlebih dahulu, kerana ia bahasa Al-Quran. Boleh ke kita jadi mufti kalau belajar agama dalam bahasa Melayu & dari guru Melayu semata-mata?"

    ReplyDelete
  91. untuk kita pandai solat dan pergi haji.

    yang ditutur dalam bahasa arab.

    kita tidak diajar dalam bahsa arab pun.,

    masih didalam bahasa melayu.

    mudah di fahami.

    mula-mula bagi la faham dulu..

    jangan terus je lompat.

    kesian la. anak2 kampung.

    baru nak kenak huruf.

    dah kena, bahas yang berat2.

    saya tak setuju.

    ReplyDelete
  92. Anonymous6:28 PM

    Hello saudara!


    China pun kelam kabut sekarang nak belajar bahasa inggeris!!!

    ReplyDelete
  93. Teaching English is not wrong but you don't do it to the expense of sacrificing the right of the children to learn the basic skills of Science and Math! You know what happen to the rural Malays who mostly learn English during school hours? They are beginners who only learn how to say hello, good morning..etc. But they are presented to the very basic of addition and substraction in pure English? They can't understand a word! Not because they are plain stupid but because they don't understand English! try teach the subject in BM, and they do it well. The skill is very important because it's the basic skill of life!

    You want them to grasp English? Teach it as a language subject, not assimilate it in vital subjects such as Math and Science! No wonder the Chinese schools don't follow the regulation. They just totally ignore it because they are not plain stupid like some of us here.

    I think the teaching approach of English in Malaysian school should be revised and changed. Why? Because we are too much exam oriented to the point that teachers don't encourage communicative skills in classrooms.Students are merely muted and do written execises because that's what they do in exams. They don't speak up..so the standard of English among the Malaysian students is very poor compared to others. Knowing the rules or grammar of the language is one thing but being able to speak the language communicatively is a different thing altogether!We must train our students to speak up! And that requires changing the syllabus....and not teaching Science and Math in English as practice now!

    ReplyDelete
  94. Maybe we want to go back to statistics. Look at Malay rurals prior 70 who took English medium and compared them with rural Malays post 70. Look at percentage them passing exams with flying colours and becoming professional. You will see dramatic increase post 70.

    1970 was the year we went all Malay medium. Why want to go back to the time when lots of rural Malays failed

    ReplyDelete
  95. "We all benefited from learning English. So many rural Malays benefited from having a good command of English."

    Peace and Mercy be upon you.
    Do you have any evidence, study, thesis or just a mere survey to support your statement? or you just made it up out of thin air because you perceive that you can easily generalize that everyone has benefited from the implementation of the policy in these recent years?

    I myself may have had some privilege in being able to command the English language. However, sorry to say, a lot of my friends especially from the rural areas has been struggling in their studies and teaching maths and science in English is not helping at all!

    Hope you can look deeper into this issue and maybe go have a look for yourself at any rural school.

    Sincerely, Allah be with you.

    ReplyDelete
  96. Anonymous7:41 PM

    BM bukan berlawan dengan BI.

    Kedua-duanya bahasa anugerah Tuhan.

    Yang mana lebih dominan bukan alasan mengatakan yang kurang dominan tidak penting.

    Masing-masing anugerah itu punya keunikan tersendiri.

    Puan berhujah Matematik dan Sains lebih berkesan diajar mengguna BI berbanding diajar guna BM sebab BI lebih dominan = lebih penting = lebih beruntung ...

    Hujah Puan tiada sandaran kukuh malah mudah dipertikai oleh banyak komentar.

    Isu sebenar ialah jati diri, jiwa dan maruah sesebuah bangsa.

    Jika kita tidak punya kesedaran dan kewarasan mempertahankannya, yang bakal hilang bukan sekadar bahasa.

    Yang turut pupus ialah identiti.

    ReplyDelete
  97. Bagi aku senang saja nak lawan isu ni. Buat kamus untuk sains dan matematik. Jadikan kamus tu buku teks percuma. Kerajaan tanggung.Semua pelajar dapat sorang satu. Kalau mak-bapak budak tu tak reti bahasa inggeris ke, buta ke, bisu ke, pekak ke, budak tu masih boleh belajar di rumah.Takkan ada alasan lagi dah. betul tak???


    http://gapodio.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  98. Anonymous9:27 PM

    I am rather shocked to read K's comments, if true, that before PPSMI the passing mark is 21 to 40.( This does not sound right if you can call 21 as pass.) But, it is 11 to 20 after the implementation. This is sheer intellectual dishonesty and professionally unethical to manipulate the passing marks to cover up policy and implementation failures. This is going against the very scientific spirit we want to inculcate in our children. This ends up in sheer hypocrisy.

    If an idea fails, let us be honest and courageous to say that it fails and we will correct the mistakes. To lower the passing marks is deceiving ourselves and others, including the next generation.

    I wonder whether the rot goes deeper and this is just the tip of an iceberg. The normally naive scientist in me begins to suspect that something is rather fishy about all these businesses of teaching maths and science in English. Are the educators really sincere about it or the educators need to be re-educated?

    ReplyDelete
  99. Anonymous12:41 AM

    Salam.
    PPSMI should be abolished.To learn math & science is not a matter of languanges itself,rather it is more on the understanding of the concept.Turn back to our tongue language,our children and kids will be more understandable.We have to educate them not to make hard for them...Look at the developing countries such as japan,germany etc..they are using their own languanges..if we are going to study in their countries,at least we have to understand the basic of their language as prerequisite..This is one way of how to promote theirs own languange.Why do we cannot do the same???This question should be answer by the ministers.These are theirs job,not just turning over and use the colonized languange!!This shows that they are not doing their job.If all those budget on PPSMI since 2003 is efficiently use and promote Malay languange to be globalized.We should have be proud of own malay languange by now!!

    ReplyDelete
  100. Dear Nur,
    Thanks for the response.

    "Ku", bull's eye!

    "Sick and tired' scientist, I am not sick n tired yet of teaching... I love my students, I call them my kids.I would go to great lengths to ensure that they'd do well- that's why I force them to write greeting cards, so that they will no longer use "I want to success" but succeed; read stories so that they will say "once" correctly, not "on-che"; say "there", not "dera"; make them memorise Scorpion songs, and get the meaning as well; chid them when they say "I want to toilet".. etc,etc... But, know what? I am sick n tired of people who still don't get it that English cannot be acquired through ETeMS.

    You said so, Nur- those rural kids pick up OTHER books... that's why I said, I had to UNDO 11 years of school teaching - I'm in tertiary education... Cos I love them, my heart aches for them, how r they gonna fare in the real world?
    And to think that it's my own people that makes me shed tears tonite...

    ReplyDelete
  101. Anonymous1:31 AM

    tak habis2 dok risau anak kampung,

    org melayu ni bile dipanggil pemalas, marah,

    tapi bile suruh susah sket, belajar susah sket, mule la main drama.

    banyak sangat tengok tv korang ni, perangai sekor2 macam cerekarama dah

    menggelabah

    ReplyDelete
  102. Anonymous2:52 AM

    Nuraina

    The Malay language will remain relevant for as long as it retains its economic value and the status of language of knowledge. By not using Malay as the medium of instruction for two branches of knowledge (viz., Science and Mathematics), knowingly or unknowingly, Malaysia is slowly but surely working towards the extinction of its national language. In fact, it is estimated that half of the world’s languages will follow the path of Sanskrit (and numerous African languages) within the next 40 years.

    At the moment, Malay is not counted among these endangered and extinct languages, but if its own speakers consider it not good nor valuable enough to be used as a language of knowledge, then in no time the Malay language will lose its value and pride of place as a language that binds the people as one nation. We would see parents preferring their children not to learn the language as part of formal education because they wouldn’t see the language as helping their children to succeed in life.

    In Malaysia, we are actually over-doing it by placing too much importance to the English language as a guarantee of a better future. A case in point: late last year, it was reported that Airod had won a contract to maintain, repair and overhaul a C130 Hercules aircraft. Its staff had to travel to Tunisia to bring the body back. I recall watching a staff being interviewed on tele. They had difficulty communicating with counterparts there; their knowledge of English did not help at all as the people they dealt with did not speak English. I have heard of, seen and experienced similar incidents in different parts of the world where communication broke down because the common language spoken was not English. But that did not mean life stopped for these world communities.

    The language of knowledge is not the domain of the English language. From the point of view of linguistics, Malay and all the 6,000 languages of the world are of equal standing. None is more superior than the other.

    Malay was once a language of international trade; and nothing can stop it from becoming an international lingua franca except for our lack of political will and faith in its strength to compete in the world. Many Malaysians, even among the Malays, have no confidence that the language can achieve greater heights internationally. And as long as we are contented being consumers of other nations’ creations (including their language) rather than innovators, our national language can never move further up than where it is today. In fact, in taking away its role as a language of knowledge by using English in teaching two important branches of knowledge, we are actually preparing ourselves to be even less significant as speakers of the language and the culture it embodies.

    The Malay language is not yet an endangered language, but it could be if we keep pushing it aside for whatever reason – convenience, joining the bandwagon, perpetually contended being consumers instead of innovators, preferring to be ‘pseudo-Anglo’, etc.

    While it is understandable that there are Malaysian parents who are worried that their children would be left behind if they were not equipped with the English language, in the case of multi-ethnic Malaysia, using the language to teach Science and Mathematics does not guarantee excellence in the language. Having more hours for English in school would; having better teaching and learning approach in the language would too; but using Science and Mathematics to better one’s English goes against the grain of language learning and teaching. It is as incongruent as treating a patient’s arm when what ails him is his stomach.

    Hence, if the problem is poor command of English, then be focused and allocate more time for teaching and learning of the language so that communicative skills can be enhanced directly, and not through ‘third parties’ (i.e. Science and Mathematics).

    This is my view, after having taught English at tertiary level for the past 20 years.

    Just to share something from http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2002/08/04/20020804spe01.html

    “An endangered language is a language headed for extinction. It is a language without monolingual speakers, people who speak only that language. It is a language spoken by a minority of people in the nation and for that reason is held in low esteem, causing its speakers to avoid using it or passing it on to their children.”

    Mom-o-Success

    ReplyDelete
  103. Anonymous10:11 AM

    Rome was not built in a day. Likewise, policies are long term plans.

    Changing policies mid-way will never solve issues but create confusion.

    We must study the word 'establishment', and see what it takes to be established.

    Too bad, people these days only believe in street justice and the destruction of establishment.

    A GOOD MAN DOES NOTHING.

    ReplyDelete
  104. As a parent it is not about opposing the teaching of English BUT i am opposing teaching english at the price of Science and mathematic subjects.

    Weaknesses in english would punish the student of mathematic and science. It is just plain and simple. We do not need a rocket scientist to figure it out. Science and mathematic MUST be taught in Malay. The language of all Malaysian.

    If our politician still ambitious to promote english its should enhance and improve further so all the students would be able to use the international english language more efficient, be able to use as a communication language and could also think in english. Improve the approach of teaching the english language instead.

    Overnite thought by our politician would not made a good policy. It would be different if the school is an English medium.

    So let go back to basic. Introduce more english language subject if english is so important as our politician said so. Not only english but introduce Mandarin, tamil and arabic as an elective language subject in our school.

    Hire english speaking teacher from english speaking country like america, new zealand, australia or england to teach our children about this english language. If we need 10,000 teachers to do so let it be instead of implementing inconsistent unpopular policy among the civil society.

    Simple issue like this showing a clear color of their leadership qualities and qualification to become our true leader.

    ReplyDelete
  105. Anonymous1:00 PM

    I grew up in a non
    English speaking environment. Both my parents speak Mandarin/Cantonese at home with my siblings and I.

    I was only expose to English and Bahasa Melayu when I entered kindergarten. My grasp on these two languages did not improve even by the time I entered Standard One. It only started improving when I was in Standard three onwards.

    My secret? I got my mom to sit down with me and we go over the revisions together every afternoon after school. My mother who has no decent education sat with me as I recite, learn and explain to her and myself what was taught in school. Also, I discovered another secret that would greatly help with my studies. Pay attention in class. If you don't know the answer, seek it out. Dictionary is always close by. My Oxford Dictionary and Kamus Dewan. Please note I had no tuition. Maklumlah miskin.

    Hence I do not understand why people underestimate rural kids capability in learning math and science in English. Tell the parents to spend more time with their children, take interest in their children studies. Parents must make the effort too.

    I have to learn(am still learning) these two languages. These children just have to learn one extra foreign language. Susah sangat ke? Ikut pepatah Melayu, 'Bersusah-susah sekarang, bersenang-senang kemudian'.

    Don't jeopardize your children's future just because of politics. Merugikan hanya Bangsa Melayu.

    May

    ReplyDelete
  106. Anonymous6:45 PM

    Salam en ahmad kasiran, saya sangat setuju dengan anda, banyak sesangat komplain dan kurang bersyukur. Dan Allah s.w.t. akan tarik dikit demi dikit yang sebenarnya hak Dia.
    ml

    ReplyDelete
  107. Anonymous3:10 AM

    For those who say English is a foreign language to us Malaysians, please be reminded that we have a homegrown variant of English, which is the proper Malaysian Standard English as well as the street lingo we call Manglish. True, The MSA is based on British English but it does not belong to the Brits. It belongs to us Malaysians and no one else. German may be a foreign language but certainly not English, not in Malaysia.

    I have always believed that all Malaysians must be able to speak Malay at the native level and I stand by this belief. I cringe when I hear someone speaking Malay according to Hokkien or Tamil grammar and intonation, for example. However, even if all Malaysians finally speak Malay at the native level, it does not change the fact one bit that English is indeed the language of the international community as well the language through which we could gain much knowledge.

    ReplyDelete
  108. Pada aku awak orang Melayu yang paling celaka kerana memandang rendah bahasa sendiri. Apakah awak ingat apabila sudah mahir berbahasa Inglish itu menunjukkan awak sudah berjaya dalam hidup?. Adakah awak tidak sedar kenapa mereka yang lebih berilmu dan berjaya dalam akademik daripada awak seperti golongan Profesor itu menentang PPSMI? Tidakkah awak tahu berpuluh orang profesor yang lebih berjaya dan berilmu dari awak menentang PPSMI?

    Jawapnya kerana awak ego.bongkak, sombong dan paling celaka. Itu kata-kata yang sesuai untuk awak.

    ReplyDelete
  109. I totally agree with you. I think if you plonk a Malay in India and he has to learn Urdu, then he definitely will, if he knows he has to be competent in the language to pass his exams.
    In this case if these students know they have to master English to pass Maths and Science, then they must buck up.
    The main opponents are the teachers who are struggling with the language because they were the unfortunate products of learning maths and Science in Malay in the 80's. Please don't let your handicap be handed down to our children just because English is difficult for you.
    Give our current students a chance to learn and love the English language. By all means love Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and Tamil, but learn to love English too.

    ReplyDelete
  110. Anonymous1:50 PM

    Dear Noraina,
    I agree with you. I don't see what's the big fuss about teaching maths & science in English. I am not a parent but I feel that any parent who wants the best for their child would not object to this bold move - to provide the children with the foundation they need to excel in the future. However, I would concede that its the teachers (malay, chinese and tamil) and not the students who are unable to cope,. Its the teachers who don't want to take up the challenge. Children are resilient. There are many malay & indian students studying in the chinese schools & still do well. So I don't believe that the students are struggling with the subject because of the language of instruction. I firmly believe its the teachers themselves who are sabotaging the programme.

    ReplyDelete
  111. Anonymous12:21 PM

    Salam saya memang teramat kecewa dengan perkembangan terbaru berkenaan PPSMI,oleh itu saya menganjurkan beberapa persoalan dan harap mendapat jawapan yang khusus dan jitu berserta dengan bukti.

    Sila beri jawapan,

    1. Kenapa KAMU semua yang kononnya MEMPERJUANGKAN BAHASA MELAYU TIDAK mengadakan bantahan supaya semua SEKOLAH JENIS KEBANGSAAN CINA dan TAMIL diajar dengan BAHASA MELAYU??

    2. Kenapa tidak mengadakan demontrasi serah memo apabila TERESA KOK DAP dengan bangganya nak mengagongkan BAHASA CINA dan letakkan di Papan tanda Jalan Raya??

    3. Apakah sumbangan mereka-mereka NGO dalam GMP dalam memperjuangkan BAHASA MELAYU? Apakah buku ILMIAH yang telah mereka ini tulis,hasilkan dan terbitkan??

    4. BErapa banyakkah buku-buku ILMIAH dan Rujukan yang mereka-mereka ini telah berjaya TERJEMAHKAN dari BAHASA ASING ke BAHASA MELAYU??

    5. Kenapa AHLI MESYUARAT TINDAKAN ANTI PPSMI terdiri daripada semua AHLI POLITIK PAKATAN RAKYAT yang selama ini tidak membela MELAYU,menghina RAJA MELAYU,hendak beri kesamarataan kepada semua bangsa??

    6. Tidak kah ini menunjukkan bahawa GMP memang ALAT PERMAINAN Pakatan Rakyat??

    Pada pendapat saya semua ahli GMP adalah BODOH dan SUDAH NYAYUK kerana mereka ingat sekarang kerana 2 subjek itu bahasa melayu akan terpinggir.. dan ahli GMP memang dah jadi LEMBU yang telah ditarik hidung kesana kemari oleh BARUA dan PENGKHIANAT SEBENAR BANGSA MELAYU iaitu ANWAR IBRAHIM.

    Mari kita renungkan wahai BANGSAKU,

    1. Jika Pakatan Rakyat memerintah MALAYSIA maka DAP dan Bukan MElayu daripada PKR akan MENUNTUT KESAMARATAAN dalam semua perkara dan JIKA MEREKA MENGUASAI 2/3 majoriti tidak mustahil Artikel-artikel PERLEMBAGAAN yang melindungi HAK KEISTIMEWAAN BANGSA MELAYU seperti HAK RAJA-RAJA MELAYU,BAHASA dan AGAMA akan dihapuskan KERANA MEREKA ini MEMPERJUANGKAN KESAMARATAAN.

    2. Apabila memerintah maka secara sendirinya KEISTIMEWAAN BAHASA MELAYU SECARA KESELURUHAN akan terhapus kerana SEMUA BANGSA akan menuntut penggunaan BAHASA MEREKA SENDIRI.

    3. Didalam perlembagaan sudah termaktub keistimewaan BAHASA MELAYU dan PPSMI adalah untuk memperkayakan ILMU TEKNOLOGI dan SAINS kepada ANAK-ANAK MELAYU itu sendiri agar tidak terkebelakang didalam GLOBALISASI sekarang.


    Sedar lah WAHAI BANGSA MELAYU!! Sedarlah bahawa sekarang BANGSA MELAYU sendiri yang membunuh KEMAJUAN BANGSA MELAYU itu sendiri!! Sedarlah bahawa sekarang BANGSA MELAYU telah di pergunakan oleh pihak yang terang-terang MEMBANTAH HAK KEISTIMEWAAN BANGSA MELAYU untuk MENGHAPUSKAN segala KEISTIMEWAAN yang dinikmati oleh BANGSA MELAYU.!!

    wassalam

    ReplyDelete
  112. Anonymous12:39 PM

    Puan N saya kadang-kadang hairankenapa semua orang takut nak belajar dalam bahasa inggeris utk maths dan sains?? lupakah mereka nabi suruh kita menuntut hingga ke negara cina?? nabi suruh pergi sana untuk tuntut apa? Mesti lah menuntut ilmu,tetapi dalam bahasa apa? tentulah dalam bahasa cina? dan apabila mereka balik adakah mereka lupa macam mana nak cakap arab??

    Dan mereka-mereka yang menentang terlupa bahawa pengajaran dalam bahasa inggeris ini adalah satu kaedah serampang dua mata yang dimasa hadapan membantu pelajar itu sendiri.
    1. oleh kerana mereka belajar bahasa inggeris maka secara tidak langsung memberi mereka kelebihan untuk menambah pemhaman dan penggunaan bahasa tersebut.Semakin kerap kita menggunakan bahasa tersebut maka semakin kita mahir. Dulu sehari belajar bahasa inggeris 90 minit tetapi sekarang dah jadi 270minit.

    2. dengan adanya pemahamana dalam bahasa inggeris maka keyakinan diri akan bertambah penguasaan istilah teknologi dan sains akan bertambah,dan sumber rujukan juga akan menjadi bertambah bilangannya.

    3. dan juga siapa yang bercakap itu bahawa pengajaran bahasa inggeris tidak membantu memperbaiki bahasa adalah SEORANG YANG JAHIL, sesuatu bahasa itu apabila kerap ditutur maka akan bertambah penguasaan bahasa asing utk dirinya,contoh terbaik cuba tanya orang-orang tua kita yang pandai bercakap bahasa asing dan cuba tanya bagaimana mereka berjaya menguasai bahasa tersebut? dan adakah mereka melupakan BAHASA MELAYU??

    Yang menjadi masalah seekarang GURU-GURU itu sendiri yang menentang KERANA MEREKA sendiri yang tidak MAHU BERUBAH!!!

    Saya hairan kenapa GURU-GURU itu sendiri tidak dapat menguasai BAHASA INGGERIS kerana sebagai seorang pendidik mereka sepatutnya secara TERUS MENUNTUT ILMU!! Segala kemudahan telah disediakan untuk mereka bagi membolehkan mereka membantu murid tetapi kenapa masih kata tak berjaya?
    Disini kita sepatutnya bertanya kepada GURU-GURU yang membantah PPSMI ini apakah tahap kompentensi nya??

    Puan N sebenarnya saya amat kecewa dgn puak-puak yang menentang PPSMI kerana ternyata pemikiran mereka cetek dan secara tidak langsung telah membiarkan diri mereka dipergunakan oleh orang-orang politik.Dan perjuangan ini pun sudah berunsur politik kerana jika mereka benar-benar memperjuangkan KEDAULATAN BAHASA MELAYU dah lama mereka MENGAMBIL TINDAKAN SUPAYA SEMUA SEKOLAH termasuk SEKOLAH CINA dan TAMIL DI MALAYSIA DIAJAR DALAM BAHASA MELAYU.

    Dan kebanyak orang-orang yang menyokong GMP yang kononnya pejuang bahasa itu sendiri sentiasa menggunakan bahasa inggeris apabila bercakap antara mereka.

    Dan sekali lagi jikalau SEORANG GURU MEMBERI ALASAN maka DIA ADALAH BUKAN SEORANG PENDIDIK SEJATI kerana SEORANGPENDIDIK SEJATI AKAN BERUSAHA UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KEUPAYAAN MURID_MURID nya.

    wassalam

    ReplyDelete
  113. Anonymous12:54 PM

    Puan N and all bro's and sis's this is for your info..

    GURU-GURU sekarang antara penjawat kerajaan yang paling besar gaji mereka kerana hampir kesemua elaun-elaun mereka telah dikecualikan daripada CUKAI. Dan bermacam-macam elaun telah diberi untuk mereka (kerana kita menghargai usaha mereka mendidik anak-anak kita) oleh itu SEKARANG adalah TUGAS MEREKA untuk membantu ANAK-ANAK kita untuk BELAJAR dan MEMAHAMI ILMU HISAB dan SAINS,tiada alasan patut kita terima lagi.Merka adalah PENDIDIK dan MEREKA HARUSLAH BERTANGGUNGJAWAB!!

    Dan kepada GURU-GURU yang memberi alasan masalah SEKOLAH DIPENDALAMAN, BUKANKAH itu TUGAS KAMU untuk MENGAJAR?? Jika KAMU GAGAL MENDIDIK MEREKA bermakna KAMU GAGAL!!

    Dont give excuse and reason because there is none (kerana saya dah pernah bertugas dipendalaman).

    Guru-guru mestilah berfikiran kreative dan innovative. Pada pendapat sekarang GURU-GURU sekarang jikalau dibandingkan dengan GURU-GURU terdahulu ibarat langit dan BUMI,sikap tanggungjawab telah diukur dengan RINGGIT MALAYSIA. Guru-guru sekarang lebih banyak adalah Guru-Guru "COPY and PASTE" sudah tiada inisiatif untuk menarik minat murid-murid dan tidak ada usaha sendiri untuk mendalami ilmu lagi.

    Betul atau tidak komen saya ini silalah anda semua pergi ke sekolah anak-anak anda semua dan lihat bagaimana GURU-GURU ini mengajar. Duduklah didalam kelas anak-anak anda sehari dan andan akan sedar kebenaran ini.

    wasslam

    ReplyDelete
  114. Anonymous1:05 PM

    Terlupa pula satu lagi isu yang dibangkitkan oleh mereka yang ANti PPSMI. Isu yang mengatakan bahasa negara cina,korea dan jepun berjaya kerana semua sekolah diajar dalam bahasa mereka sendiri daripada tadika hinggalah ke universiti.. memang betul tetapi sila anda pergi ke semua sekolah dan universiti mereka dan juga pergi ke perpustakaan mereka,cuba lihat bahawa semua buku-buku,majalah,jurnal,thesis dan rujukan mereka di tadika,sekolah,universiti dan perpustakaan mereka adalah dalam bahasa mereka dan merangkumi semua bidang dan daripada beribu-ribu penulis daripada golongan ilmiah,sarjana dan teknokrat,saintis,ekonomis dan ramai lagi.Oleh itu mereka mempunyai sumber yang cukup untuk mengajar dalam bahasa mereka sendiri dan juga MEREKA adalah ORANG YANG BERTANGGUNG JAWAB mencipta istilah dan teknologi itu sendiri.

    Sekarang cuba bandingkan denga keadaaan di MALAYSIA?

    Dan WAHAI BANGSA MELAYU,kenapa ORANG CINA dan INDIA boleh BERJAYA dalam PEPERIKSAAN MATEMATIK dan SAINS?? KENAPA?? Bahasa IBUNDA mereka bukan BAHASA INGGERIS.Kenapa anak-anak BUKAN MELAYU dapat keputusan cemerlang dalam subjek-subjek yang diajar dalam BAHASA MELAYU sedangkan BAHASA PERTUTURAN DIRUMAH adalah BAHASA CINA atau TAMIL??

    Sila jawab!!

    ReplyDelete
  115. Anonymous1:26 PM

    Ini adalah satu cabaran mungkin juga kutukan untuk GURU-GURU MELAYU
    "adakah anda terlalu BODOH tak dapat menguasai BAHASA INGGERIS??

    ReplyDelete
  116. Anonymous3:16 PM

    wonder why none of those who so called the supporters of PPSMI can argue back what had mentiones in the report that being written by those who against PPSMI (Mengapa Kami Bantah PPSMI)

    Even Aina Samad did not has the capacity to rebut back rather gave the lame argument.same with that Datin from PAGE who didnt have the courage to attend the Debate pertaining to PPSMI.

    Camon..what happened?Are these people didnt have any courage yet or didnt have any backup of research?

    One more thing, CHINA is tryin to build up their proficiency in English but they ask for more ENGLISH TEACHERS not teach their subjects in english medium.

    ReplyDelete
  117. Anonymous4:00 PM

    saudari,
    tidakkah saudari melihat syllabus pelajaran dalam bahasa inggeris adalah lebih mudah tahap nye jika dibandingkan dengan apa yang ada dahulu???

    adalah keputusan menjadi parameter yang absolute untuk mengatakan ppsmi berjaya?

    sejauh manakah anak2 ppsmi ni pandai atau fasih berbahsa inggeris??

    adakah penguasaan bahasa Melayu mereka boleh dibanggakan?

    bagaimana pula mereka di luar bandar?

    i dont find any problem if we stick to our bahasa ibunda...
    mansuh ppsmi!!!

    ReplyDelete
  118. Anonymous4:54 AM

    Merusuh saja tak ada gunanya.
    Alangkah bagusnya kalau pakar-pakar bahasa di luar sana yang galak menentang ppsmi ni bersatu tenaga,buah fikiran untuk mengalih bahasakan buku-buku ilmiah seantero dunia ke dalam Bahasa Melayu untuk rujukan anak-anak Malaysia.Setakat merusuh je tak guna kalau takde inisiatif.

    ReplyDelete
  119. "Weaknesses in english would punish the student of mathematic and science. It is just plain and simple. "

    I disagree.

    Even teaching Science and Maths in BM, the kids are learning Malaynised English and Latin words.

    Open up old textbooks, and it reads like a foreign language.

    It is not so much a big jump for the kids.

    Furthermore, they are not graded on their grammar, but on their science and their maths.

    The exposure may do wonders, really, and help balance things between middle-class and upper-class English-literate people as well as the non-English-literate.

    ReplyDelete
  120. 'mereka' lebih sayang duit..
    daripada masa depan anak2 bangsa..
    siapa yang nak mengaku bersalah bila
    melibatkan kos yang berjuta2 ni..
    mestilah 'mereka' nak teruskan juga walaupun terpaksa mengorbankan masa depan anak2 bangsa dan bahasa melayu sendiri..

    bukan tidak boleh nak melaksanakan..boleh..bagi pendapat aku..biar start dari form4 atau form5..biarkan budak-budak sekolah rendah tau basic konsep sains dan matematik..kami..walaupun start belajar dalam bi semasa dalam matrik..kami boleh sesuaikan diri lagi ketika di universiti..

    fikir2kan lah..cakap banyak dan merusuh pun x guna...kalau pemimpin x dengar suara rakyat mereka.....

    ReplyDelete
  121. Anonymous10:32 PM

    salam..keputusan Dr M yg mempunyai visi yg tidak jelas ttg ppsmi..

    masa awal2 dahulu beliau menyatakan mahu melihat bangsa ini pandai berbahasa inggris melalui sains math,tetapi bila orang bantah memberikan hujah untuk mempelajari english bukan melalui sains math tetapi melalui latihan pembacaan,percakapan dan pendengaran yg lebih kerap..

    maka dr M pun ubah visi PPSMI dengan mengatakan beliau tidak mahu melihat bangsa ini ketinggalan dalam sains math kerana kedua-dua bidang ini banyak menggunakan bahasa inggris dalam erti kata yg lain puak-puak ni kata hanya dengan BI mereka dapat menguasai math sains,sedanngkan mereka tidak tahu bahawa semua negara maju langsung tidak menggunakan PPSMI..semua negara maju menggunakan bahasa ibunda masing2..

    maka puak2 dr M pun berkata istilah sains math bekembang dengan cepat, maka tidak sesuai dengan malaysia kerana DBP lembap menerjemah buku sains math ke bahasa melayu tanpa mereka sedari bahawa silibus sains math utk pelajar darjah satu sehingga lavel tingkatan 6 (matriks) hatta degree sebenarnya sudah lengkap diterjemah ke bahasa melayu..proses pengembangan sains math memang berlaku dengan cepat tetapi bukan lah bererti berlaku setiap hari, lagipun proses pengembangan ini banyak berlaku hanya untuk kajian pelajar master dan Phd sahaja....biasanya pelajar master dan Phd sudah mampu untuk memahami journal2 english kerana sudah berbelas tahun belajar BI..

    ReplyDelete
  122. Anonymous1:02 PM

    Please stick with English for teaching Maths & Science for the sake of our children future if we want Malaysia to progress forward instead of "reversing" back into 1960s if we use BM for this 2 subjects. Also don't let the past 6 years effort (to improve English) goes down the drain.

    ReplyDelete
  123. I don't support the use for Malay to teach Maths and Science because in Malaysia is already got many subject is use for Malay.However English is a national language of the world.I hope our country can use English in more subject.

    ReplyDelete
  124. Anonymous7:53 PM

    AsSALAMUALAIKUM...

    Puan Norina..
    i d0 agree with you but...

    i am a secondary student in national school..
    maybe you dont kn0w h0w we feel to learn science and maths in english..

    since from primary school i've learned science and maths in Bm...
    it's quite difficult for us to more understand science and maths in english after we first learn it in english...

    in primary school...
    my maths and science is really good but when i'll just in form 1..
    my sci and maths result's dropping drastically...
    i can understand english but just didn't understand what my teacher is teaching...

    it's make me feel that maths and sci turns from easy to difficult...

    because i dont understand it..
    i always feels boring in the classroom...

    and for my eng teacher..
    she dont make eng fun for us...
    it's very boring..
    so..
    teachers dont make eng subject fun for us...

    don't you think about the villagers ?
    about their kids?
    some of them are fisherman...
    the accomodation there are low...
    and this makes it difficulty for them..

    only the rich and highlever people that's agree with PPSMI because they don't think about other people...

    and does the goverment make a research before they decided about PPSMI???????


    as an example...
    Jepun...
    they do not use eng in sci & maths but their country is better than us..

    but..
    now i'm satissfied because government have abolished PPSMI....

    just defence our mother language...
    and remember the hist0ry...
    if you really understand history..

    you know the importance of our mother language...

    *maybe i have many gramatically errors...but i can learn it and ask my eng teacher but not my maths/science teacher...

    t.q

    ReplyDelete