Mandarin and Tamil compulsory in Malaysian schools?

I cannot believe what I read and hear from the Deputy Prime Minister cum Education Minister about making Mandarin and Tamil compulsory in schools. Such a proposal would mean every Malaysian student would have to learn four languages: Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil.

Personally, I strongly feel the idea is pointless and downright ridiculous. Malaysia, it seems, is aspiring to be a nation of linguists!

First, what is the educational value of Malaysian students learning four languages? Is there any educational research that supports the argument that learning more languages will enhance the intellectual capacity of students? Perhaps, there is other research that rebuts such a proposition. I'm sure the saying, "jack of all trades, master of none", best describe the idea that learning more languages may become a barrier to mastering one language. Anyone who is familiar with the current Malaysian education system will certainly agree that language proficiency among university graduates, particularly in the English language, is far from satisfactory. Even the "cream of the crop" of the education system, have been frequently and openly criticised for not being able to master the English language - as a second or third language. What else to expect when all the students have to learn four languages?

Second, in talking about the proposal, the Education Minister gave some indications that this initiative may have been driven by the idea to unite the country further or instil a sense of patriotism. If unity or patriotism is the driving force behind this proposal, then perhaps it is time to evaluate the role of the National Language - the Malay Language. Isn't the national language supposed to be the uniting language for all Malaysians regardless of ethnicity? Do we really need to teach our children four languages to help them become true Malaysians?

Third, as also mentioned by the Deputy PM, the proposal to teach four languages could also been driven by the need for Malaysians of different ethnicity to better understand each other. Personally, I would agree that if we want to understand each other better, then learning languages may help. However, is ethnicity the greatest barrier to unity in Malaysia? I do not believe so, and would argue that, in fact, religion is the a stronger factor segregating Malaysians, as evidenced by the recent tensions in the country. Therefore, if religion is the real problem that keeps Malaysians from uniting, perhaps, we do not need to teach our children four languages, but instead, introduce "Religious Education" in our schools. My idea of "religious education" is not about a particular religion, but an objective teaching about all the religions in our society or around the world. As such, students are able to learn about each other's religion and thus have a better understanding about religions as well as a greater tolerance towards one another.

I have argued that it makes no educational, nationalistic or cultural sense to teach four languages in Malaysian schools. To have such a proposal studied and considered by the government is worrying, as our future generations are not white mice for educational experiments. I sincerely hope educational ideas in Malaysia will be well-thought through and properly researched, before being formulated into policies.

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Extracted from The Star Online. I have copied the original article here, as the subsequent report has been re-written with a major shift of direction. (URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/6/13/nation/20100613162904&sec=nation)

Published: Sunday June 13, 2010 MYT 4:24:00 PM
Updated: Sunday June 13, 2010 MYT 5:58:14 PM

Govt to study proposal to make Mandarin and Tamil compulsory in schools (Updated)

By TEH ENG HOCK

KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry will study a proposal to make Mandarin and Tamil compulsory in schools.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddn Yassin said the policy for teaching people own’s language was already in existence in the Education Ministry but it was not fully implemented.

In his opening speech at the Federal Territory PPP convention at the Putra World Trade Centre here, he said it would be good for all races to know more than two languages to help foster racial unity and expand knowledge.

"The people, regardless if they are of Indian or Chinese ancestry, or other ethnic groups, can learn more than two languages.

"The national language and English are important, but other languages such as Mandarin and Tamil should also be learnt," he said.

Muhyiddin said by understanding the languages, Malaysians could appreciate the way of life, values and cultures of the country's various races better.

He added that the people could also garner more knowledge by mastering more languages.

Earlier, PPP president Datuk M. Kayveas had proposed to Muhyiddin to make Mandarin and Tamil compulsory subjects in schools.

"It is long overdue. We should make mother-tongue subjects examination subjects," Kayveas said.

10th Malaysia Plan: Higher Education

The 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) was tabled in Parliament today. From reading the report in The Star, two aspects of higher education was mentioned. First, research and development (R&D), and second, the employability of university graduates as well as university's autonomy.

In terms of the R&D, first and foremost, a word of congratulation to Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) becoming a research university. While increasing the number of research university could arguably enhance the R&D activity in the country, it is equally important for the mid-term and end-of-term reviews of 10MP to critically evaluate the R&D performance of these five public universities. This is to ensure that not only the number of research universities increased, but the quality of R&D as a whole will also improve.

The second aspect of higher education mentioned in 10MP is disappointing. The Star reported:

"To improve the competence of graduates, their employability will be one of the KPIs of universities. Financial allocation to universities will depend on the achievement of their KPI targets. In addition, the Government will grant gradual autonomy to the universities to improve their performance."

I have to admit that I have not read the actual 10MP report. However, if The Star reports accurately, the above statement illustrates a gloomy future for Malaysian universities. This will perhaps be a "first", whereby the university will have to be openly held accountable for the employability of their graduates. This sounds to me like the Chinese saying, "you married a wife with a promise of getting a son".

Such a statement reflects a highly distorted understanding about education and university. First, the business of university is about education, and certainly not about vocational or job training. Second, it is also be a known fact that public universities in Malaysia have limited authority and autonomy to select students for admission at the undergraduate level, with the exception of USM being the APEX university. While universities have to accept whatever given to them at the admission process, it would be rather unfair to impose such a condition pertaining the quality of the graduates, after merely educating them for a relatively short period of three to four years. As a whole, this statement seems to me more like an attempt to shift the responsibility, from the government to universities, in solving the apparently insolvable problem of graduates unemployment in Malaysia.

At the end of the same quote reported in The Star, the point about university autonomy was mentioned. This statement, on the one hand, is much welcome as this is an open acknowledgement by the government that granting autonomy to universities will improve their performance. However, on the other hand, there has been no further indication whatsoever about how and when this autonomy will be granted, and equally important, what it meant by "gradual". It could perhaps remain a rhetorical statement about university autonomy in Malaysia.