DECEMBER 9 — Despite the 11 to 15 years of learning English, many of our Malaysians still cannot converse in English. Based on our findings from our clients and our study for the past five years, here’s why.

Lack of usage

For anyone to develop any language proficiency, the key to mastering the language is in the practice or usage of the language. The more one uses it in daily lives, the better one becomes in conversing the language.

Try learning any new foreign language even for two hours a day, five days a week but if you don’t have anyone to speak to, there is no way one can even have confidence using it.

Lessons filled with technicality of the language

After 15 years being in the Malaysian education system (tertiary included), never once in my working life of 20 years that I need to know what is adjective, adverbs, verbs, conjunction and whatsoever.

But do I know how to use them? You bet.

In school, English teachers are very eager to drum into students all the jargons (of which actually is important for the English teachers to know) in the English grammar.

For students with limited usage at home, this becomes too technical and so not exciting.

Tell me which school kid is excited to know what is adjective when they do not even know how to pronounce or how to greet friends or tell a story using English.

Exam based learning

The class has to be exciting such that the students can see what they are learning it for other than exams.

The teachers themselves have to be excited about using the language and able to demonstrate where the language can bring the students to.

Lack of support from parents who do not use the language

Language usage begins at home. In homes where parents do not use the language, there is likely that the home does not have any reading material in English (newspapers, books or magazines).

Parents who do not use the language are less likely to turn on to television channels with programmes in English.

Mastering the English language is a necessity today. With the advancement of technology that enables access to a wealth of knowledge online, which is mainly in English, we can’t help but wonder how far many will be left behind due to lack of knowledge.

More importantly, Malaysian industry needs quality, resourceful, knowledgeable and globally competitive human capital in order to achieve our developed-country status by 2020.

* Shadaitul binti Mohd Zin, is founder of JustSpeak Programme, a mindset change and confidence building programme by Asians for Asians.

** This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.