(Malay Mail Online)
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah today delivered a blunt message to graduates of University Teknologi Mara (UiTM) to press upon them the need for English skills and to decry the country’s fall from its halcyon days.
In his speech delivered during a graduation ceremony at the university’s Shah Alam campus this morning, the Umno veteran said it had been the mastery of English that once set the alumni of the institution apart and made them the choice of employers.
Stressing that English was the international medium of communication in business, technology, medicine, and diplomacy, the former minister popularly known as Ku Li said a proficiency in it was necessary in order to open up opportunities.
“If we do not master it (English), we are left behind. We need to realise that our competition is not just among ourselves, but also from all the countries that use English as their lingua franca.
“Let us not bicker over the issue of language. We do not lose our identity, culture or tradition simply because we know more languages,” he said in his speech.
The former finance minister then aimed his criticism at the country’s education system, which he said both failed to produce effective thinkers and high achievers capable of excelling in testing climes, and for failing to bring together the various communities.
“I remember when once the world held us in high regard. In international forums, we were often given the honour of being moderators or readying the communique,” Ku Li said.
“Sadly, the situation is now different.”
In reading out the laundry list of weaknesses with the education system, Ku Li condemned it as a collapse that requires a drastic and radical change to reverse the slide in international rankings and disunity among the races.
Using South Korea as a yardstick of how far Malaysia has fallen behind its former peers, Ku Li pointed out that the East Asian country once had a per capita income of US$2,322 (RM7,662) in 1980, behind Malaysia’s US$2,351.
Today, Korea’s per capita income was US$24,328 while Malaysia’s was less than half that, at US$10,547.
“The reality is that our education system is ineffective.”
Malaysia scored poorly in two recent international benchmark studies on education: the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
In the 2012 edition of PISA, Malaysia was 52nd overall out of the 65 countries, and firmly entrenched in the bottom third of the survey.
Aside from the stagnant PISA performance, Malaysia has also face a continued decline in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) benchmark in which the country once performed well.
While Malaysian students were once above the international average between 1999 and 2003, theirscores in TIMSS began to decline sharply in 2007 and further in 2011.
Critics have accused the government of allowing political interests to creep into decisions oneducation policy, most notably the decision to abandon of the Policy of Teaching Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) in 2010 that is alleged to have been a nod to Malay nationalists.
Parents and education lobbyists said the inconsistencies in education and a refusal to put greater emphasis on English was to blame for the country’s prolonged drop in standards.
Here is recap of some of Ku Li's points:
In his speech delivered during a graduation ceremony at the university’s Shah Alam campus this morning, the Umno veteran said it had been the mastery of English that once set the alumni of the institution apart and made them the choice of employers.
Stressing that English was the international medium of communication in business, technology, medicine, and diplomacy, the former minister popularly known as Ku Li said a proficiency in it was necessary in order to open up opportunities.
“If we do not master it (English), we are left behind. We need to realise that our competition is not just among ourselves, but also from all the countries that use English as their lingua franca.
“Let us not bicker over the issue of language. We do not lose our identity, culture or tradition simply because we know more languages,” he said in his speech.
The former finance minister then aimed his criticism at the country’s education system, which he said both failed to produce effective thinkers and high achievers capable of excelling in testing climes, and for failing to bring together the various communities.
“I remember when once the world held us in high regard. In international forums, we were often given the honour of being moderators or readying the communique,” Ku Li said.
“Sadly, the situation is now different.”
In reading out the laundry list of weaknesses with the education system, Ku Li condemned it as a collapse that requires a drastic and radical change to reverse the slide in international rankings and disunity among the races.
Using South Korea as a yardstick of how far Malaysia has fallen behind its former peers, Ku Li pointed out that the East Asian country once had a per capita income of US$2,322 (RM7,662) in 1980, behind Malaysia’s US$2,351.
Today, Korea’s per capita income was US$24,328 while Malaysia’s was less than half that, at US$10,547.
“The reality is that our education system is ineffective.”
Malaysia scored poorly in two recent international benchmark studies on education: the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
In the 2012 edition of PISA, Malaysia was 52nd overall out of the 65 countries, and firmly entrenched in the bottom third of the survey.
Aside from the stagnant PISA performance, Malaysia has also face a continued decline in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) benchmark in which the country once performed well.
While Malaysian students were once above the international average between 1999 and 2003, theirscores in TIMSS began to decline sharply in 2007 and further in 2011.
Critics have accused the government of allowing political interests to creep into decisions oneducation policy, most notably the decision to abandon of the Policy of Teaching Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) in 2010 that is alleged to have been a nod to Malay nationalists.
Parents and education lobbyists said the inconsistencies in education and a refusal to put greater emphasis on English was to blame for the country’s prolonged drop in standards.
Here is recap of some of Ku Li's points:
- the need for English skills and to decry the country’s fall from its halcyon days.
- If we do not master it (English), we are left behind.
- country’s education system failed to produce effective thinkers
- collapse that requires a drastic and radical change
- to reverse the slide in international rankings and disunity among the races.
- Korea per capita income US$2,322 in 1980, behind Malaysia’s US$2,351.
- Today, Korea US$24,328 while Malaysia less than half that US$10,547.
- education system is ineffective
- Malaysia scored poorly in two recent international benchmark studies on education: the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
- Malaysia was 52nd overall out of the 65 countries
- scores in TIMSS began to decline sharply in 2007 and further in 2011.
- decision to abandon of the Policy of Teaching Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) in 2010 that is alleged to have been a nod to Malay nationalists
- Parents and education lobbyists said the inconsistencies in education and a refusal to put greater emphasis on English was to blame for the country’s prolonged drop in standards.
It is not just the mastery of the English language. Even if you do not master the English language its ok. But you must read, study and learn many subjects - intensively and extensively - in the English language. You need good working knowledge of English.
Because English is the most widely spoken language of business, trade, science, technology, art and just about any other branch of knowledge in the world. And it is growing. Soon China will have the largest number of English speakers in the world.
And here is the reality - until now and going into the foreseeable future and even the distant future languages like Malay, Sinhalese, Myanmar, Swahili, Hindi, Tamil, Benggali, Punjabi, Tagalog, Thai etc will not become "languages of knowledge" anywhere close to English.
They do not have enough vocabulary and 'language infrastructure' to convey complex modern ideas that are constantly evolving, especially technical and scientific ideas.
Take this statement : "Quantum gravity takes singularity out of black holes".
Take this statement : "Quantum gravity takes singularity out of black holes".
I suppose you can do a literal translation of this statement n any language but almost every word here is a summary of a huge concept behind it. I agree any language can achieve this level of complexity, even the Orang Asli languages but it may take a long, long time. English has already done it. And we are not unfamiliar with English. So why waste time and opportunities?
In the 70s at a time when the Malay and non Malay population was about the same, the Malays naturally felt threatened that they would be swamped by the non Malays. It became a ketuanan issue.
This is where the greatest mistake was made. Some politicians and language nationalists came up with the silly idea that if we switched the entire education system to Malay, it will safeguard the Malays against being swamped by the non Malays.
Looking back in hindsight this policy has become a terrible poison pill that should be attributed to anti national elements (aka pengkhianat bangsa) who should have known that this policy would destroy any chances the Malays would have had of catching up with the non Malays. And that is exactly what has happened.
Then later the UMNOputra crony book publishers also got into the act. They have become a powerful lobby. School text book publishing contracts are worth hundreds of millions of Ringgit every year. They wanted everything in Malay so that they had the edge in grabbing text book publishing and printing contracts. This further sealed the coffin shut on our education system.
Sacrificing the English language has resulted in many bad things. Tengku Razaleigh's speech at the UITM captures many of the bad effects in a nutshell. The Malay people are now more disadvantaged than ever before.
The non Malays, particularly the Chinese and Indians, have clung better to English. Especially the middle class Indian and Chinese parents who were forced to invest money to make sure their kids had English language proficiency to a high degree.
When my boys were young we met dozens of people who sent their kids to tuition, music class, drama class, private sports activities that were all taught in English. My boys grew up among a very English speaking circle of friends. And this was not just in KL but in most middle class neighborhoods throughout the country. The children of my friends in Penang, Ipoh etc have grown up speaking English more than we did when I was young.
But throughout all this time many Malays, including middle class Malays went in the opposite direction - refusing to speak English. Malay langauge skills have not really assisted the Malays improve their income earning ability (this does NOT include UMNOputras sapu kontrak, GLC receptionists earning RM3000 a month, GLC CEOs earning RM100,000 a month, ostat jin dan hantu, bomoh jual kismis ajaib, jus tok guru or bomoh dua biji nyior terbang ok. Folks please be sensible, those are unsustainable aberrations.)
The net result is that what the Malays feared in the 1970s ie that the non Malays would overshadow them especially in the economy has come true. The Malays are still behind the non Malays. And according to French trained economist Dr Muhammad Khalid the disparity is widening even more. The Gini Coefficient shows a larger divide (income disparity) between the Malays and non Malays now than decades ago.
Yes we have more doctors, engineers, architects among the Malays but so do the non Malays. But the non Malays still seem to outperform the Malays.
Yes we have more doctors, engineers, architects among the Malays but so do the non Malays. But the non Malays still seem to outperform the Malays.
Among a few other things this income disparity is happening because the education system abandoned English, thinking that Malay alone would help them catch up with the non Malays.
What were they thinking?
And now an even bigger mistake is being made. Realising perhaps that a Malay centric education system is not helping much, now there is an attempt to infuse an Arab culture centric, religion based all encompassing system.
The education system is being infused with desert Arab cultural habits that are of no practical value to humans, animals and insects.
Malay parents are wasting (yes wasting) money and their childrens' precious time aggressively learning the Arab language - a task that is infinitely more difficult than learning English. Plus it is of little or no use to the child.
The financial system is being infused with strange sounding, never before heard Arab sounding financial products that burden the Muslims more than help them.
There is still not much of a bumiputra commercial and industrial community. It is still incubating. But whatever little chance the Malays had of becoming a business and commercial community on par with the rest of the world is now being hijacked by strange religion centric ideas like wakaf economy, "Islamic networking", too complicated halal certifications and other such religion based ideas which only increase the cost of doing business, increase the cost of the products to the Muslims and create even more religious cocoons which shield the Malays from real world competition.
I think after say another 20 years the Malays will realise that even the religious approach towards economy and business does not work. They will still lag behind the non Malays - by another 20 years.
It just keeps going on and on. The mistakes just keep piling up.
1. Malay language centric education at the expense of English
2. Arab culture centric at the expense of a Malay or modern culture or both
3. religion centric business practises instead of real world based business
It is really quite simple. Why cant people see?
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