Key role for English

PRIME Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad intends to bring back the teaching of Science and Maths in English (PPSMI) to enhance the competitiveness of our graduates.

As we depend heavily on imported technologies, our workforce and graduates must know how to embrace IR 4.0 (Fourth Industrial Revolution) efficiently. Extensive training has to be done to equip the workforce with know-how and skills to ensure the success of embracing this enhancement. Most training will be in English.

Before my retirement in 2011, the hotel I worked at had to upgrade its computer system. Comprehensive training for staff was in English. The manuals, too, were in English.

I noticed those who were weak in English took longer to learn and understand the applications. They were further hindered by their inability to communicate well during training, let alone falling back on the manuals to seek clarification. Fortunately, a number of quick learners with a better command of

English covered the shortfall.

My son had attended job interviews over the past six years. At some interviews, he was not only expected to communicate well but also write well in English. So far he has performed well in his career and he will be joining another multinational company this month.

Critics of PPSMI should be more pragmatic and aware of the predicament faced by graduates. The unemployment rate among our graduates was 9.6% or 204,000 people at the end of 2018. There is a correlation between graduates’ command of English and their employability in the private sector.

The critics must be sincere. Many are likely to be graduates of Western universities and have sent their children to London or Sydney for their studies.

Patrick Teh

Ipoh