I was appalled to know that the ministry has decided to do away with eTEMPS or PPSMI after carrying out barely 9 years. My batch was considered the first to go through this programme (I was in Form Six at the start of it), and hello, I'm just graduated!! So based on what ground are they to say that this programme is useless? How are they to assess the outcome of this implementation? Giving the reason that teaching and learning Science and Maths in English is difficult was ridiculous!! If our parents and predecessors can do it, can't we? Or is it to say that children nowadays are not that intelligent as our forefathers? Crap!!
What about the huge amount of money invested? Millions spent on buying computers, teaching aids, projectors and sending teachers to courses, in the end, they want to scrap it. Those are taxpayers' money, and they just flushed away the hard-earned money of the people!! Another thing is that they are compromising the future of Malaysia and putting the next generation in jeopardy. It seems that Malaysia is a developing country and still looks pretty good on it. But there are many countries in the world that are overtaking us and are taking the lead now. Even the Chinese are working hard to improve their command of English Language nowadays. Do not compare ourselves to the Japanese or Koreans or Germans. They have the brains and they are hard working. My father told me that after World War II, the Japanese sent their people to learn about technologies from US and when they return to their own country, they spread the knowledge and taught their own people. Where were we at that time? Malaysia was not even born yet!! They have the knowledge, they own the technologies and they are way ahead of us, it should not be a problem at all for them to study Science and Maths in their own mother tongue. I’m not saying that Malaysians do not have the brains; the truth is Malaysia is experiencing brain-drain. All the experts and the knowledgeable ones have been “drained” out from the country. So what is left here? Now parents have decided to send their children to international schools and abroad to study, the situation will eventually turn from bad to worse.
The objective of PPSMI is not to improve on the English Language, but rather to ease the learning process. Science and Maths are different from other subjects as they have specific terminologies, and needless to say, most of the BM terminologies are direct translation. I once accidentally translated “lipase” as “lipas”!! Hell knows I'm laughing my head off this!! We are to face global challenges and we need English to access the resources from the world. BM can only be used in this country, but English can get you traverse the world!! Those people opposing this programme are living in denial and refuse to face the truth. The truth is when we are busy doing translation, the others have come out with new inventions and discoveries!! It is pathetic to say that this third world mentality will never get us far ahead. I do not know why they fear that BM will no longer be preserved if PPSMI continues to be implemented. It's a national language. Can we bury away a national language? Crap!! After all, we still have other subjects using BM. I can't see as what they claim that it is at stake or anything “precarious” about it.
Some teachers and students are not making an effort to learn it in English. They grumbled that English is tough for them. But trust me, I've been through this before. It only takes time and effort to adapt to it. Some students said that their results have been declining since the implementation of this. But I am curious. Is it because of the subjects itself are difficult for them, or is it because of the language? If that’s the case of the former, despite any languages used, they just would not cope with it. On the other hand, if the latter gets into the way, they will be in deep trouble. When I was studying in Form Six, I hardly came across any “tough” words or “complicated” sentences. The language used was simple and straightforward. If this they cannot comprehend, means the standard of English in this country is far worse than what I've expected. And if the situation continues, we might as well live inside our coconut shell, and barricade ourselves from the outside world because there is no way we will be able to communicate when we can’t even understand simple English.
Do you think that the ministry will come out with a comprehensive programme that will enable the students to brush up on their English but at the same time, improving the effectiveness of teaching Science and Maths in BM? Crap!! Look at the upshot of this PPSMI. After putting so much into it, they called for an end. PPSMI is beneficial, it is the way they implement and carry out this curriculum that is obstructing the progress, and also the mindset of those people, taking things for granted. Whatever they are doing or plan to do, as long as the attitude and state of mind remains, nothing will work!! Talk about fulfilling visions and goals, crap!!
Let's put it this way. I'm a Malaysian Chinese. Mandarin is my mother tongue but I've studied Science and Maths in BM when I was in secondary school. Both are different languages right? Still I pulled through it. Now I'm still a Malaysian Chinese, still my mother tongue is Mandarin. If I study them in English, both are still different languages right? What's the difference anyway?? If you are eager to learn something, nothing can hinder your way. That's how the saying goes, “If you think you can, you can”. If you refuse to learn, nothing can compel you to do it.
It's really none of my business anymore since I am no longer in these school years. But it is pathetic to see such state of affairs coming our way, and I can't help but to be with the hundreds and thousands of people to outburst my perspectives on this.
