I refer to the Malaysiakini report English - employ retirees for 'national service' .
I wish to differ from the 'majority' who wanted Maths and Science be taught in English but I agree wholeheartedly that English is important.
The newspapers and mass media in their polls had reported that using English as a medium of instruction has the overwhelming support of parents. This I do not refute.
But one must take into consideration where those parents come from and their socio-economical standing.
You will be surprise that those in full support of the policy come from the city and are mostly professionals. For many, their children speak only English.
Therefor learning maths and science in English is never a problem. I would say that they are, in a way, selfish for not taking into consideration those poor kids from the rural areas.
Yes, those kids in the kampung or fishing villages who are very backward in English. A big majority of them do not know even the alphabet when they enrol in Standard one.
Compare these poor kids with those from the urban areas who would have read Enid Blyton and volumes of Lady Birds by then.
Tell me how can they, the rural kids excel in these two subjects when they cannot even recite the A to Z. Is it fair to them?
Teaching science and maths in English is not the way to improve their English. Any English teachers worthy of his or her job title will tell you that the only way is to allocate more teaching periods for English language.
On top of that the teachers must be properly trained .
As I understand it, we do not have enough English language teachers for this purpose. Instead of using computers and what not, make use of those English teachers who are retired.
Most of them were educated and trained in English at that period in time when our standard of English was second to none in this region if not in the Commonwealth.
Re-employ them. Many of them are only in their early sixties and are still very fit.