Finally, after months of intense and divisive debate in the media, Deputy Prime Minister cum Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has announced that the teaching of maths and science in the English language will be scrapped by 2012, thus ending a controversial policy initiated by the former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2003.

Be that as it may, the announcement of the government decision on the issue has not stopped the volatile debate on the wisdom of such a move among parents, educators, commentators and politicians. If nothing else, discussions on the subject will be raised a few notches on the mainstream and alternative media in the days ahead.

Many observers have noted that the government’s decision to revert the teaching of maths and science to Bahasa Malaysia and the vernacular tongues has been a concession to the very vocal linguistic nationalists from the various ethnic communities. Indeed, education has always been one of the most contentious political issues in our country fro the last half century.

There remains the burning lingering educational question of how to improve the proficiency of the English language among our school children, to give them that competitive edge on the job and business market when they graduate from the public education system.

The current system of teaching English as a subject is no longer viable, as enlightened parents, teachers, and educators have realised. A major reform is urgently needed for the professional teaching of English as a second language.

It is satisfying to hear Muhyiddin announcing the overhauling of the entire curriculum at all levels of our school system. Perhaps the Education Ministry can seek the service of competent linguistic experts from within and outside.

While the increased number of hours dedicated to the teaching of English is essential towards the goal of raising the level of English proficiency among future Malaysians, the critical factor in determining the success of this social project will be the quality of the English teachers at the front line of this brave endeavour.

The language switch will not be implemented until 2012. During this interim period, the priority for the Ministry of Education must be focused on the training of English teachers, starting at the universities and the teacher training colleges. All these higher institutions of learning must pledge themselves towards maintaining the highest academic standard when it comes to the training of English teachers. 

The blind cannot lead the blind. In those teacher training institutions that churn out English teachers in large numbers, native speakers of the English language with the right educational qualifications from foreign land must be employed to train our future Malaysian teachers of English.     

Perhaps, English literature can be introduced as an optional subject at all level; love for English literature among young children is one powerful motivation for them to read English books throughout their life. Naturally, there is a lot to be said to spend more money to stock all school libraries with English books and other reading materials of various degrees of difficulties.

Malaysians were once known for their high standard of English literacy. A part of that glory can be recaptured as long as we have the political will, and parents as well as teachers are ready to invest emotionally in this national project.