Improving English

Use freely to improve English

There has been a lot of talk and campaigns to improve the standard of English but I am afraid there are no genuine efforts are put in towards that aim. Fluency in English or for that matter any language, does not come overnight out of nothing. It has to be nurtured from very early in school.

Our major national dailies are competing with one another to provide free newspapers to schools and colleges. This gesture should be commended but provision of free newspapers alone by itself is not going to improve the standard of English. Most of our children and even office workers do not have adequate basic knowledge and vocabulary in English, which is essential before they can read newspapers.

The language is not used widely and freely among the pupils and teachers. Very often teachers and pupils shy away from using language to communicate with one another. In government offices too English is not widely used. The few who attempt to use it are ridiculed as trying to behave like “Mat Salleh”.

The school activities, like assemblies, meetings and co-curriculum should also be conducted in English and the teachers and pupils be encouraged to converse in the language besides the national language. Similarly government departments too should try to conduct their meetings and other activities in English from time to time.

The government must impress the rakyat on the importance of English as a second language and work towards implementing it as one. No one denies that English is of utmost importance in today’s fast moving, competitive and global world, where survival of the fittest is the norm.

There is fear that the use of English will undermine the position of the national language or for that matter our own mother tongue. This fear is unfounded. Many of us from the era of English medium schools are fluent in not only English but Malay and our own mother tongue as well.

There was no problem of English undermining the place of these languages which still remain dear to us. We are not less patriotic than those who only conversant in the national language.

Unless we accept the use of English freely without fear and suspicion, we will not succeed in improving its standard to the desired level.

Dr.Chris Anthony