The Malaysian Insider

An excellent move to bring progress to the people of Malaysia. Let's be realistic. If parents want their children to learn these subjects in English, let it be. Ministers think they know everything in this world. They make decisions to be politcally popular. Their children are sent overseas to get English education. What a hypocrisy!

What option? For once think of the nation first. What is a better way to bond the various ethnic groups in this country other than a common language. English may be regarded as the best international language in those who command English will do well in life. But to force students to be proficient in Science and mathematics by learning them in English is ridiculous unless the language spoken at homes is also English. In other words English is the mother tongue of the family even though they are not English looking at all.
Bahasa Malaysia is the agreed language of the nation. Everybody is supposed to command Bahasa Malaysia as if it is the mother tongue. Where else can a person the language well if not in school and start from the young age. Make the children love the language and they not feel inferior that Bahasa Malaysia is a language that cannot express science and mathematics terminologies properly.
We want to make our children literate in science and mathematics so that they can do well in a world that based on logical thinking. Don't create a caste system based on language proficiencies. We have enough of divisions in the country already.

Stupid policy of government to placate the uneducated morons. How the heck can they uphold BM and strengthen English at the same time if the policy was to emphasize the BM? Be honest! If you want lower the English to elevate BM, just say it. Oxymoron.

zackeye wrote, October 22, 2009
What option? For once think of the nation first. What is a better way to bond the various ethnic groups in this country other than a common language. English may be regarded as the best international language in those who command English will do well in life............

Does Zackeye really give some thoughts that English can be a unifying language as well as a language that has real 'economic value' if a person is conversant in this language? We have to be practical, we are now living in a borderless world! We have to accept the fact that our children of the future will have to compete with other countries in the rest of the world. If we can make English as a medium of instruction for all subjects with compulsory Bahasa Malaysia and own language subjects. The Malaysians of the future will be better off than the Malaysian with only mastery of Bahasa Malaysia but helpless with English and Mandarin. Let's be practical, the Malaysian with good qualifications and ability to speak English, Bahasa Malaysia and Manadarin well would have far more value over a Malaysian who only speak well in Bahasa Malaysia. We have tp be pragmatic about this and do not let nationalistic ego and politics to hamper our development. We will not lose our patriotism nor love for Malaysia by being educated in English!!