The more I am around English teachers, the more I am beginning to see where the English language education in Malaysia has gone wrong. I have experience working with English teachers who graduate with CGPAs (cumulative grade point averages) of 3.80 in TESL (Test of English as a Second Language) with poor command of the language. I’ve even met English teachers who shared with me that they are not confident about their English proficiency and oftentimes feel inferior to colleagues and students who speak better.
Truth is, the level of English proficiency in Malaysia was once one of the most sought after in the world is no longer there. What happened?
Back in the 40s when Malaya was invaded by the British, English was introduced as the medium of instruction at schools, and the medium of communication in the workplace. This allowed them to be immersed in an English-speaking environment that instantaneously gave them the exposure and practice needed to understand and master the language.
In 1951, a group of students were presented the priceless opportunity to be trained as teachers at Kirkby in Liverpool. When they returned to Malaya 20 months later, not only had they been equipped with valuable knowledge and teaching techniques, they were prepared to deliver their knowledge with a strong command of the language. They understood how the language is being used, the intricacies of the language, the meaning of words and phrases when used in different contexts, and even the manner and method of delivering a message using the English language.
Moving into the 60s, after Malaya achieved independence, the medium of instruction and communication remained in English and more teachers were either being sent abroad for training or trained by expatriates locally, resulting in them possessing high command of the language. The exposure and environment meant that everyone, no matter from the suburbs or the city, was given the same opportunity to speak English in a safe environment. This system gave birth to professionals and non-professionals who speak eloquently and write brilliantly.
Ever wondered how come the makcik and pakcik who sells nasi lemak and kuih can speak immaculate English confidently? This is the reason why.
Our parents who went to school in the 70s and 80s continued to learn all subjects, except for language, in English. They continued to be taught by teachers who understood the language, and by proficient speakers who then further underwent teacher training so they could teach it. They became familiar with the English terminologies and jargon and phrases for Science and Mathematics. They were able to reference books from around the world as long as they were written in English. Their exposure to knowledge was boundless.
But something else happened in the 80s. The Ministry of Education decided to change a policy. The medium of instruction policy; from English to the national language, Bahasa Melayu. I am all for the change. Especially after Malaysia gained its independence as we deserve the chance to uphold our native language. A language that’ll make us uniquely Malaysian.
The mistake was reducing English to a subject. And over the years, a subject one had to pass to get by, or ace to fly.
Of course, this did not happen overnight. When the policy changed in the late 80s, students went on to learn Mathematics, Science, History, Religious Studies, Sports, and all the other subjects, in Bahasa Melayu but by teachers who were proficient English speakers. Students were still able to speak in both Bahasa and English with pretty much any teacher. I vividly remember admiring the mastery of the language displayed by my primary school English teacher, Cikgu Sarimah. I remember catching her singing to The Beatles and Brian Hyland with our Mathematics and English teacher, Cikgu June Wong in the ‘bilik guru’ every time I looked for her to start my storytelling competition practice. My Year 6 Bahasa Melayu teacher, Cikgu Zaharah, was intensely competent in both languages.
Realistically though, with everything being changed to Bahasa Melayu, with every conversation be it formal or informal being conducted in our mother tongue, how long could English have been seen to be as important as our native language?
As we moved into the 2000s, students’ exposure to the English language at school started to experience a decline. Not only was everyone conversing in Bahasa Melayu with the exception of during English language class, but new teachers who graduated from teaching colleges and universities had also completed their courses in Bahasa Melayu. They graduated highly conversant in their subject. However, to be explained and taught to students using our native language.
And while Bahasa Melayu slowly became the medium of instruction at school and the medium of communication at the workplace, some continued to raise their children in an English-speaking environment while most others sought comfort in our mother tongue causing many more to lose out on the opportunity to learn English from an early age.
With our daily conversation at home, in school, and in the professional field shifting to Bahasa Melayu, English turned into merely a subject on the examination transcript students and parents hoped to see an A next to. It was no longer taught as a skill for students to acquire in order to be able to stand tall on the global stage.
We started seeing the aftermath of this transition very evidently in the 2010s as the nation began producing graduates with poor command of the English language. By mid of the 2010s, many newspapers would print articles and opinions and quotes about the downward spiral of Malaysian’s mastery of the language.
It did not help when those who decide to take up TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) fall into the categories mentioned in the news headlines. They take the course out of interest but go into the course with a poor understanding of the language. They graduate as English teachers and pass their knowledge down to students continuing the ripple of non-proficient English speakers. Due to the rising gap in exposure to the English language, many teachers resort to teaching English in Bahasa Melayu with hopes that their students will understand the English language better. And because the English teachers also came from a Malay-speaking education, they find comfort in speaking in Bahasa Melayu outside the class setting. Who are students practising their skills to speak in English with?
Over the last almost 2 decades, the English language has been taught by English teachers who do not have a firm grasp of the language. Students have been taught the language by teachers who speak and use the language poorly. And with no one else to turn to for practice while still in their tender schooling, we are faced with English language woes today.
This is the chasm that needs to be sealed.
In order to rebuild Malaysia’s English glory, we must start with re-skilling our English teachers. In order to the government’s once failed attempt to introduce teaching Science and Mathematics in English, start the teachers with learning these subjects in English, then the students.
Let’s begin with the Science and Mathematics teachers. Seeing that they had learned these 2 subjects back at school in our mother tongue, it is crucial that they undergo a process to understand the English version of their subject; understand the terms, how to explain them using this second language, and be well-versed in answering any questions that students may ask. Adding a year to the original course offered just to meet this objective would be a good start.
Let’s move on to the English teachers in training. Their current Degree curriculum exposes them to the technical parts of English. It is like giving someone the equation “F = ma” with no understanding that F is force, m is mass, a is acceleration, and with no understanding of the meaning of the words mass and acceleration. Teaching a concept to someone who has no basic understanding of the subject matter will not help the person master the subject.
Seeing that this is the subject that will make or break the nation’s English proficiency, there are a couple of solutions.
The first solution would be to only allow fluent English speakers to become English teachers. And I am not even referring to native speakers. There are thousands of Malaysians who speak very good English, even today. They are the ones who should be trained to become English teachers.
The second solution is to make anyone who wants to become an English teacher take a one-year English proficiency course. Much like if we wanted to study in, say, Germany, and we would have to learn German for one year, pass the exam, and only then take up the actual course applied for.
A successive effort at schools will seal the deal. While Science and Mathematics teachers teach these subjects in English, they may continue having daily conversations with students in Bahasa Melayu. It is on the shoulders of the English teachers to maintain speaking in English at all times while on the school grounds. This is the movement that will help students have consistent exposure to English and a balanced experience of the real world where we uphold our mother tongue and embrace the international language.
There is still time to make that change. I know for a fact that some government agencies and bodies have been trying many different ways to better the country’s English proficiency level. And yet, the problem remains. Fix the proficiency of our English teachers first. Re-skill Science and Mathematics teachers’ ability to teach and transfer knowledge using the English language.
Malaysia will be back at the forefront for the right reasons once again.