English What Did Dr M Do As Education Minister In 1974

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WHERE will Malaysia go if our grads have poor English, asks Daim Zainuddin.

Good question, but I guess he needs to direct it to Dr Mahathir who was the Education Minister in 1974-78. He observed how English medium schools were abolished throughout the 70s and completed in 1982 when he became the fourth prime minister.

What did he do back then? As the education minister, he just obliged to the move started by Hussein Onn, and as a prime minister he never made any effort to reintroduce it again.

Since then, many Malaysians especially the non-Malays chose vernacular education or international schools to prepare their children for English. The Malays didn't care much about it except embracing Sekolah Kebangsaan with the campaign 'Cintailah Bahasa Kebangsaan', also launched during Mahathir's era.

So, Daim, who to blame?

In 2017, local think-tank the Institute For Democracy and Economic Affairs highlighted the inability or unwillingness among students at both tertiary and secondary school level to even speak English, attributing it to a lack of confidence and perception that those who used the language did so to appear superior or elitist.

And yesterday, Sarawak government announced that its public schools will begin teaching Mathematics and Science in English to primary Year One pupils starting January next year, making it the first state to do so.

It was only in the 90s that Dr Mahathir expressed his concern for the standard of English among our students, including those who studied overseas.

Why didn't he think back then during his tenure as education minister in Hussein Onn's Cabinet and at the early days as prime minister? Why didn't he stop the ongoing 'demolition' of English medium education during the 70s?

I take up Daim's concern as very positive but what and how will he influence Mahathir and Education Minister Maszlee Malik to at least reinstate the blunder?

It's not going to be easy. Error has been made and Dr M just watched it through without even trying to correct it! Now that the damage is done, we want to make correction by imposing many things which will disrupt the education system.

Maybe Daim should talk to the boss...

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