Plan to teach in English sets tongues wagging

Plan to teach in English sets tongues wagging

Sean Yoong, Associated Press, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The plan seemed simple and practical: Use English in Malaysian classrooms to teach math and science so students will improve their grasp of these subjects in the language that has become essential in international commerce and technology.

But the idea - part of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's program to make Malaysia a fully developed nation by 2020 - has rankled just about everyone and stirred the sensitive issues of race and culture among the country's largest ethnic groups.

Mahathir triggered the controversy in July when he announced that next year, seven-year-old first graders would study math and science in English, then the program would be introduced progressively until 2008, when all students, including those in high school, would learn the subjects in English.

Most schools now use the national Malay language as the medium of instruction for every major course, except English. Schools for ethnic Chinese teach mostly in Mandarin and those for the Indian minority mostly in Tamil, although Malay and English are mandatory subjects.

Ethnic Malay Muslims, who make up about 60 percent of Malaysia's 23 million people, fear the plan to use English might blot out a decades-old struggle to modernize their mother tongue and develop a scientific lexicon in Malay - a major symbol of pride for their community.

Many Malays also consider it a regressive step that harks back to the British colonial era and could ultimately undermine Malay culture. Mahathir, whose 21-year rule has turned Malaysia into one of Asia's most affluent and industrialized nations, scoffs at such notions.

"I learned English in school when I was very young, but I did not become an Englishman," said Mahathir, 76, who is fluent in English and got a medical degree before Malaysia's independence in 1957. "You will not become an Englishman just because you learn English."

The sharpest criticism has come from ethnic Chinese education watchdogs and opposition leaders, who insist the plan will change the nature of their schools and jeopardize the stellar results that their students consistently achieve in math and science.

"Using English to teach math in Chinese schools is as bad as using Greek," said Quek Suan Hiang, chairman of the Dong Zhong organization, which represents Chinese school boards nationwide.

Mahathir has accused the Chinese academics of being racial extremists who could provoke trouble between Malays and ethnic Chinese, who comprise a quarter of the population but own much of the business wealth.

Racial violence is one of Malaysia's most deep-seated fears. History textbooks regularly allude to riots in 1969 that left hundreds dead and were sparked largely by Malay resentment of Chinese prosperity.

The government instituted affirmative action policies after the bloodshed to improve the lives of Malays by reserving them places in public universities and the civil service and allowing them easier access to bank loans and government contracts.

These policies have nurtured decades of discontent among the Chinese as well as ethnic Indians, who make up less than 10 percent of the population and are generally among the poorest citizens. Racial flare-ups have been rare since 1969, but authorities remain cautious.

Government officials warn that people who use the English- teaching plan to stoke racial sentiments face stern action, including possible arrest under a national security law that allows indefinite detention without trial.

But the threats haven't silenced the political opposition. The debate has even hatched an unlikely alliance - the fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, the largest opposition group, recently voiced its support for the Chinese academics. Ethnic Chinese are generally suspicious of the fundamentalists, who want to set up an Islamic state in Malaysia.

The Islamic party "considers the government's decisions to be rash and undemocratic", said party president Abdul Hadi Awang.

"We are taking the positive step of convincing the public ... to defend the use of the Malay language and their mother tongues."

Nevertheless, the government has vowed to implement the English usage plan and believes its opponents will eventually acquiesce. Both sides agree the standard of English among Malaysians has fallen in recent years, as the passing rate for English is among the lowest of any school subject.

"When I look at some of my staff ... I wonder how they are going to be able to negotiate at the international level and forums like the World Trade Organization," said Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz.