Language is least of the problem

THE recent launch of DidikTV Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia is a significant milestone for teachers and students in Malaysia especially during this pandemic. While children/students living in towns or cities and/or those from middle class families are less affected due to their access to Internet, data connectivity and digital products like smart mobile phones, tablets and laptops, those in rural areas or the B40 group are greatly disadvantaged as their parents would not have the means or capabilities to provide the same to them. As such, DidikTV allows these groups of children and students to learn via television, which in general is more accessible to them.

As this is a new project and the teachers might not have been properly trained for teaching or appearing on television, I salute all those who participated and contributed to this programme.

The main concern that I have over the viral video of the teacher on DidikTV is not so much her pronunciation or command of English but rather the subject and topic she was teaching, which I presumed was science and the topic, the human reproductive system.

The teacher started by saying: “A male and a female adult will need to get married before having a child.”

If she was indeed teaching about the human reproductive system, that statement is totally incorrect. A male and a female need not be married to have a child or get pregnant.

As we do not have a formal sex education syllabus in school, students and teenagers in Malaysia depend on their teachers and/or parents to give them correct information and guidance on this topic. What if two teenagers, a boy and a girl, after watching the said video engaged in pre-marital sex without any safety precautions or contraceptives? Why? Because they watched that video and felt safe as they were not married and the girl would not get pregnant. Is this possible? Think about it.

Next, the teacher said, “A mother will be pregnant for nine months while the ‘infant’ grows in her womb. The ‘infant’ will grow slowly over the course of nine months.” Again, this is hugely incorrect, as it should be a foetus and not an infant that is growing in the womb.

The Education Ministry should ensure that all content on DidikTV is correct before broadcasting. The Malaysian public demand this because the future of our children and students is at stake.

CCC Ipoh