IPOH, Oct 9 — Teachers and students here strongly feel that Science, Mathematics and other subjects should be taught in English.
Malay Mail interviewed two teachers who said efforts should be made to teach more subjects in English.
Arif Fadzilah, 52, who has been teaching Bahasa Malaysia for 25 years, said the government should promote learning in English.
He said subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Information and Communications Technology should also be included.
“The use of English in calculation-based subjects is easy to understand. There are also extensive materials for these subjects.
“However, I do not recommend that English be used for all subjects. Some subjects should be taught in Bahasa Malaysia.”
Arif said using English would not downgrade Bahasa Malaysia as the national language.
“English is an international language and used extensively in many areas.
“We need to expose our students to English so that they can communicate better,” he said.
English teacher Sharmuna Hani Shaharuddin, 35, said English should not be limited to science-based subjects. She said by teaching more subjects in English, students would have to learn to be proficient in communication.
“Many Malay students, whether in rural or urban areas, do not have the confidence to speak or communicate in English because they don’t know how to,” Sharmuna said, who teaches at a rural school.
“Most of them do not read English books and by having school subjects taught in English, they would have no choice but to make the effort,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ashraf Hamzah, 17, who studies at SM Teknik Brash here, said the emphasis on English should be amplified in order for students to master the language.
“Most of my friends are still afraid or shy to speak in English because they think others will laugh at them,” he said.
“To overcome this fear, students must be made to learn and speak in English,” he said, adding that he would not mind learning Science and Mathematics in English.
SMJK Ave Maria student Nisha Ramesh Kumar, 15, agreed that English should not be restricted to academic subjects but it should also be extended to co-curricular activities.
“Mastering English in and out of the clasasroom will give us an edge to get better jobs or even study overseas,” she said.
