Abolish teaching Maths and Science in English! Improve English Teaching!

很不喜欢看那些英文精英谈论英文教数理，无论是网络文章或是报章的文章，那种思考逻辑也只有这些人才会想得出来，要学好英文就必须使用英文教数理？那不如说学弹钢琴就会拉小提琴？笑死人！

I really do not like the way of those English-educated elites talk about teaching Maths and Science in English to improve English , such articles appear frequently online and in the English newspapers recently, I think only these people carry such logic, why don't they say if we know to play piano then we will know how to play violin? that's absurb!

------
这篇访问对各源流学校的教学法进行一些比较。In this interview, the professor, Datuk Isahak Haron compared the teaching methods in different schools:

Report from: New Sunday Times

Q: From your study, would you say Malay students have lost the most because of this policy?
A: Yes, rural Malays -- 70 per cent of them. But we found it's not only Malay students outside towns who are suffering, it's also the poorer Malay students in towns -- those of lower socio-economic status, even in Ipoh and KL.

Q: Why do non-Malays do better?
A: When it comes to Mathematics, Chinese students have traditionally done better, because they have more practice. But first, they learn it in their own language. The emphasis in Chinese schools is to understand and practise until you get it right. So they will drill knowledge first in Chinese, and then have a Mathematics lesson in English, just to get a grasp on the terminology. That means mastery of the content first. When the fundamentals are strong and you move to Form One and Form Two, you are much better. There's less of this in Sekolah Kebangsaan.

Q: Is it the same case then for Indian students?

A: A bit like that. And they now have extra coaching through tuition and they're better at English than the Malay students, so they perform better.

Q: Is the system being used in Chinese schools a better way to go if the government wants to continue with this policy?

A: If you want to continue with this, you have to do what the Chinese schools do. You teach in Bahasa Malaysia and later learn the terminology in English. And if you want to improve the level of English, first, the number of periods of English lessons has to be increased. During the English lesson, you can put in elements of Science and Mathematics. In this way, you increase your vocabulary and learn in a more joyful way. English must be taught by people who are good in English, not by a Maths teacher who is not so good in English. When the students are good in Mathematics and Science, they will be able to understand the concepts of the subjects in English or any other language. The mix in these languages is the worst thing happening now. The teachers cannot teach properly. They are confused and their foundation is weak.

(for whole report, please go to : Newsfocus, 7 Sept 2008)