Teaching of Math and Science in BM
Btw, RM is not Ringgit Malaysia here but Rural Malays.
Now, let this be seen as a non-partisan's point of view. Just my opinion based on personal experience.
When I first heard of it, I did not believe. Then I read about it and saw it on TV - still could not believe. Even a clown will know that this is a puerile, moronic step backwards - for the Malays. As if they were not backwards enough. Just when the Malays - especially in the kampongs - were getting the hang of it - struggling to climb out of the bottomless pit created for them - reaching the top and trying to get into the English system - and doing very well I might add ( I was teaching these Malays in a kampong ), there comes this huge foot that stamped their weathered hands which threw them back into the abyss. Putting them in is easy .... climbing out of it is almost impossible.
I was pulling them out of the pit and you damn people kicked them back in. Damn you! I am a damn 'keling' and I tried so hard for months to help them and you destroyed it all in a day. You damn hypocrites.
Hey, a 'keling' gave up so much to help your kind - Melayus.
I was teaching English Language at a school in a little kampong, to about 150 students - they lacked confidence and I will honestly say that they were ill-equipped with the basic knowledge of the English language. The reason is obvious. Who converses in English in that kampong? Another reason is ... I was the only qualified English Language teacher there. The rest were, sadly, not competent. Heck, not even qualified to teach the language.
It does not take a Linguist to teach them English. I am a qualified, bona-fide English language teacher. Because of a close Malay friend's plea, I went there to teach - my fee was a mere RM20 per student. I could have made three times that amount had I stayed home.
Some avaricious ones were giving private tuition for RM150. And I saw what they were doing - blood sucking unscrupulous unqualified 'English' teachers. I saw the ridiculous mistakes they made on the students' exercise books.
I had to undo what these 'teachers' did. I had to undo the damage that was already done.
Sometimes - all too often, the parents do not pay but I went on. As long as there were a handful of students who were really interested I taught and I taught them well.
By the way, I was the only Indian in that place. Only after a few months the curious questions were not posed on me.
It was a formidable task but I rallied on. I wanted to prove that these kampong kids were not stupid and given the right kind of motivation and a proper English language teacher, will do well in the language. Gradually, attendance dropped - the parents could not afford even that RM20.
Those who could, attended class. These were the students who attended my class religiously and learned the language. As time passed, month after month, they improved - lots of drilling and speaking in class. They were actually having fun learning the language. There were times when I discarded the book and allowed them to just talk - in English as much as possible.
All they need is a teacher with patience ( I am not gloating ) and perseverance. The understanding of the language is in them - all that was needed was to extract it from them. They are smart - as smart as the slick city Malays.
After a few months, these kids were improving by the day. They had their basics and now were on to bigger things like writing an essay and speaking - which, after two months, was not a problem for them. I am not saying they were speaking fluently but they were not ashamed to speak up and definitely were much better than when I first started teaching them.
It was sad really, these kids were really interested in learning English language and they were improving tremendously.
What really surprised me was - their parents.
Every single parent came to me and told me they knew how important English Language is! That took me by surprise. I thought it was out of necessity that they sent them to me. But I spent time talking to them after class and not one disagreed with me. Actually, they were going on about the role of English language today and how important it is. They were very grateful that I came to this small place to educate their kids in the language.
They are simple people. Average income of about RM1,000. Some richer, some poorer. It wasn't the money so much anymore for me - it was the challenge and the happiness to see that my students were doing well in the language.
Of course news goes around in a kampong and when I am in the 'town' ( just a row of shops ), everyone recognized and respected me as 'cikgu'.
You may say 'these kids already posses an adequate knowledge of the language' - no they did not .... it was not a secondary school. It was a Primary school. Standard 1 to 6. I did well to groom them and get them ready for the following year - they were eager to meet the following year's challenge as they were confident and adequately eqipped.
I pride myself knowing that I could make even the most introverted student to talk. This I did. At the end of the year, only a handful of students turned up. These were the 'hardcore' learners who eventually went on to score good grades in the language and some were made prefects and monitors. They walked tall - confidence emanating from them. The rest - 'balik kampong'- a nearby kampong.
Some of these students were by now ready to face the 'challenges' ahead of them - the secondary school. They were adequately equipped with a sound knowledge of the English language and were ready face Science and Math which were going to be taught in English.
No they were not exactly fluent in the language but the transformation was incredible. They were ready.
Isn't it sad that these Malays were actually progressing only to be stopped from further progressing into the real world.
With kampong parents supporting them and the teaching of Math and Science in English, these kids and their parents pleaded that I continue teaching there.
But my promise to my friend was till the end of the year - even if I was earning RM100 a month, I plodded on because the handful of kids were interested and were actually liking it - every once in a while, they jovially spoke English amongst themselves along with the errors - errors that even the city folks make.
I was seriously thinking of going back there to teach English again. And when I heard this ludicrous proposal to regress I simply gave up.
Of course I could make a lot of money now - even open up a tuition center - after all, even more parents will send their kids to me and will be more than willing to pay much more this time around.
I would be a rich man if I did that. The only English Language tuition center in that town and that district. I made my name and news spreads faster in a smaller place.
So, to BN - more like UMNO, this is not a personal attack. I gave up so much to go to a small place to teach your kind - Melayus, the English Language - why this outrageous retrospective proposal? Why?
Your own people - the Malays - are the victims yet again. Isn't there anyone in BN who has a far-sighted vision? Does anyone in BN care about the rural Malays?
And where are you - UMNO? You are supposed to be the caretakers of the Malays. To educate them and listen to their grouses and act on it - in this case, do away with the switch. UMNO will always remain silent on such matters.
They are more interested in what and who is halal and haram. All you need is to look into a mirror for the answers.
Yes I am annoyed - furious, with this stupid moronic idea of switching back - you are pushing these poor rural Malays into an abyss of doom.
So what the bloody heck do you damn idiots think I am supposed to feel? Hey, I gave months and months of my life trying to educate these Malays! And I succeeded. Damn you bunch of munafiqs. Try and understand that. Do what you want to me - for trying so hard to help your kind - Melayus.
I condemn the BN and its total lack of wisdom - you do not care about the rural Malays - you do not give a crap about them and their future. Let them stay uneducated - you stand to gain. Send one of your MPs there to make an appearance and they are so happy .... that you care. You disgust me. I have seen an MP from Gemas making her appearance there - with her bodyguards - walking like she owns the town. I was so tempted to ask her what has she done for the Malays in that village .... what has BN done for them?
UMNO is as silent as a churchmouse on this matter. I challenge you to go to this place and ask the parents if they are in favor of the switch.
But you UMNO hotshots have other more important things to do - the latest being raiding stores that sell beer. How shallow can you get. In line with that, ban selling pork, close 'sports' places like Toto and Magnum - in Muslim majority areas ... but keep consuming 'tapai' - a favorite of the Malays.
Ban Muslims from going to Genting Highlands - it's as good as touching a bottle of beer- haram.
The poor Malays will, as long as there are ignorant people or people pretending to be ignorant, continue hawking.
You 'gave in' because a few thousand uneducated moronic Malays held a demonstration?
Well, these ignorant, beyond redemption rempit Malays with their heads whirling in Mary Jane do not represent ALL the Malays.
I feel sorry for some of these Malays, who actually believe that they have UMNO protecting them - safegurding their rights as the 'master race' in this country called 1 Malaysia. Little do they know that they too are essentially second class citizens. Sidelined suckers. Marginalized morons.
I can proudly say that I care more for the poor Malays here than you do. I also did more than the whole lot of you walking around gold plated massive Corridors.
I still send money to my Malay friend - he needs money to support his family. He is one of those Malays who does not have any cables to pull.
I'll tell you something. Most of these Malays are not morons. They are intelligent and have more foresight than a lot that walk through the Corridors of Power.
