Questionable measures taken to improve the standard of English amongst Malaysian schoolchildren

Dear Mr. Lim,

The government has promised concrete measures in improving the standard of English taught to Malaysian schoolchildren, with the demise of the PPSMI. (“Teaching of maths and science in English”) .

As a mother of three schoolgoing children, I have serious misgivings that the government is sincere in its endeavour.

To illustrate further, I would like to produce an extract from a Year 4 primary school English textbook used in Singapore (which incidentally was used by my son in his Malaysian school as a supplementary text, at the equivalent grade level):

“Archeologists use certain ‘clues’ on the surface of the ground to search for the remains of the past. These include mounds, depressions or ancient buildings. On land and under the sea, remains of human civilisations were often buried in layers of mud, dirt and over the years, these have become embedded in rocks. Erosion by wind and rain can sometimes uncover ancient objects- pottery, flint, bones, tools or even coins.”

Now contrast this with the English literature component recommended for secondary schools (Form 1) for the forthcoming year.

A picture book (stylised after graphic novels) based on an oversimplified version of a Sherlock Holmes mystery novel. Questions which are featured at the end/throughout each chapter are rudimentary at best. I reproduce below a question, verbatim:

What job do they do?Use the job titles below to complete the sentences.

police officer detective doctor

a) Sherlock Holmes is a_______________

b)Dr Watson is a medical _________________

c) Inspector Lestrade is a ___________________

Another “literary” text incorporates the tale of Rumpelstiltskin. My twelve year old boy tells me that fairy tales of this ilk were explored at the pre-school level! Fairy tales in the genre of “Puss in boots”, “Snow White” and the like are hardly age-appropriate reading material for secondary school children.

Has the standard of English in our Malaysian schools deteriorated to such an alarming level that the mandated texts for our secondary school children fall way below the level of primary school textbooks used in Singapore? Shoudn’t our Malaysian texts at the very least offer topics of interest, that commensurate with the age and mental capacity of our children?

With standards such as these, how can our children be expected to compete globally in time?

Letters
by Mrs. Sheela R