Thanks to Minishorts, I did some long overdue reading on current Malaysian issues and discovered the following – two different newspapers reporting two equally different results on the same matter. Hm.

From The Star (dated Wednesday, 10 June),

Most of the 500 views received by the Education Ministry as at the end of office hours yesterday are against any move to make English compulsory in order to obtain the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) certificate.

From News Straits Times (dated Wednesday, 10 June),

Almost everyone is for the proposal to make English a compulsory pass subject at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) level. The big question, however, is when.

So which is which now?

Anyway, that aside, if you hadn’t known by now, English is a compulsory language of study in Malaysia BUT it is not a compulsory pass subject in order to get your high school certificate. You can still fail in this subject and get a high school certificate. The Deputy Minister now wants to change that because he had no idea that this was happening (he thought that everyone who got a high school certificate passed English in school – HAHAHAHA) and also the fact that Malaysians are now learning only communicative English and no longer grammar (where has he been all this while?).

On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had said he was surprised to learn that English was not a “must pass” subject for SPM and wanted public feedback on the matter.

The Education Minister said it was a revelation to him as he had always thought that it was a prerequisite since students had to learn English in school.

He said he was also shocked to learn that national schools no longer taught English grammar.

Muhyiddin said students were now merely learning communicative English.

“This means they are picking up the language for communication purposes only,” he said, adding that almost 70% of students who take English passed the subject.

What’s the point of spending 12 years in school learning a language if it doesn’t include grammar?!? Heck, even language schools don’t do that!!!!!! Geez.

Anyway, this issue comes right after another language-related one that was in debate a few months earlier – switching the language of instruction for Science and Math back to Malay instead of the current language which is English.

In NST’s report today,

The Federation of National Writers’ Associations of Malaysia (Gapena) and the Peninsular Malaysia Malay Students Front (GPSM) both agreed with the proposal [a pass in English being a must to get a cert], but with provisos.

GPSM said sufficient preparations should be made, including pilot studies, while Gapena suggested that English and Malay literature be made core subjects so that students would master both languages.

Both maintained that English should not be used to teach Mathematics and Science.

*sigh*

Is it any wonder why Nil and I just refuse to send our little one to school in Malaysia?