Give Sabah’s English proposal a chance

Published on: Tuesday, May 09, 2017

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By LB
THERE is nothing wrong with Sabah restarting English medium schools.

In fact, this should also be implemented in Peninsular Malaysia.

This means that parents will have a choice to either send their children to an English medium school or to a national-type Chinese, Malay or Indian vernacular school.

It does not really matter which school is selected because Bahasa Malaysia will be taught in all schools as it is a compulsory subject.

Thus, every student needs at least a pass in BM to pass their exams. Once the student leaves school, he or she will have a good command of the language, both oral and written.

The government has nothing to lose by restarting English medium schools nationwide.

It is another choice for parents on where to send their children to school.

Malaysians are known around the world for being able to speak more than one language.

Being recognised for our multilingual skills and to be viewed as outstanding for having such a skill, is something to be proud of.

Malaysians were once proud to speak the Queen’s English. Sadly, it is not the case today.

If the government does not make an effort to emphasise the importance of English, Malaysians will, gradually over time, lose their command and proficiency of the language. This will put the nation a step behind other countries like China, Indonesia and Thailand, who encourage their people to study English.

While English is currently the most widely used language in the world, many are quickly learning Mandarin.

As China is a dominant and rising power in terms of economy, trade and finance, Mandarin will be a beneficial and helpful language to know.

LB