Abort policy?

I like this letter to the editor which appeared in the New Straits Times of 20^th November 2007.

Use of English: Stick to the goal

By : S.K., Seremban

I AM concerned about our education system and the haggling over the teaching of subjects in English.

There appeared to be good reasons for the change five years ago, but these reasons are forgotten and there are attempts to revert to the old system.

When a new policy does not meet its expectations, please don't abort it but introduce changes so that the goals can be achieved. Please don't conduct experiments on education.

The last paragraph is very telling. As I recall, there was a concerted effort to teach all subjects in Bahasa Malaysia starting from the 1970s. So, any failure in that system means that policy should not be aborted, right? Why the switch back to English?

The often quoted answer for the switch back was the role of the language of instruction in pulling down the standards. Is that true? I still feel that language is a tool. The change to Bahasa Malaysia was supposed to be not just as an instrument of instruction but also a rallying point for the citizens of Malaysia.

Just have a look at non-English speaking countries in the world especially those in Europe and everyone's favourite country at the moment, China. They have made quantum leaps in the fields of science and technology through, surprisingly the use of their own mother tongue. Not English.

Of course English is the dominant language in the world at the moment. But notice how many in the West are learning Mandarin to gain a foothold in China? So maybe, it all boils down to the political will of the leaders. If the leaders deem a particular language is necessary to improve the nation's competitive age in the market place, they will come with all sorts of reasons to abandon that old policy.