I DON’T understand why some Malaysians have organised a demonstration against the Dual Language Programme (DLP).
Of all the government policies that they could have questioned, they chose one that could actually do a lot of good for the youth of this country.
The government made DLP a part of the Memartabatkan Bahasa Malaysia dan Memperkukuhkan Bahasa Inggeris (MBMMBI) strategy to uphold the sanctity of the Malay language and strengthen English language proficiency among students.
We all know that Mandarin is the widely spoken language in the world. English, on the other hand, is the lingua franca of the modern world.
Why would they want to deprive students of a better chance to be proficient in English?
It is said that the move against English education to be taught in national schools is being championed by members of a political party. But attacking the English education policy for our national school system is not the way to go. Even the “icon of their struggle”, a national laureate, was a Senior Cambridge Certificate holder from the prestigious Victoria School in Singapore.
The demonstrators, organisers and supporters have done a disservice not only to their country but also to their religion.
There are thousands of Malay graduates who are unable to find jobs because they are unable to read, write and comprehend the English language. Most of these graduates come from the rural areas, where English is not widely used as a medium of communication.
Malaysians need to step up to these people and tell them to quit messing around with the future of our children.
If they are looking for issues to be politicised, they should look in other areas and leave English education alone.
Kudos to the government for its tireless efforts in finding ways to enhance the quality of our education system.
As a kampung boy who was raised in a place where no one spoke a word of English, school was the only place where I could learn and explore the language.
Even today, after leaving school for 13 years, I’m taking classes to improve my English language skills.
AHMAD SOFFIAN MOHD
SHARIFF, Shah Alam, Selangor