English and our Education System

These days there is a lot of waffle about the deteriorating standards of English among our students. This is a step backward from the complaints about the deteriorating standards in our whole education system, even if some try to link proficiency in English with educational standards. There is altogether also too much emotion about this issue. But then again what can one say? I see the mark of a great seducer in all of this and Malaysians are being seduced in a mightily big way. A great seducer can turn the emotions on and off almost at will.
In a way, trying to improve English proficiency in a rotten education system is an exercise in futility. At most it is a half solution whereby the money allocated for education is being eyed greedily by various quarters.

Some quarters want the money to be spent to educate a super smart elite claiming that if these super smart kids are ignored, it will only constitute a brain drain and /or a loss to the country. In a way they are right, but this is only half the story. A good story must also anticipate the future.

So what if these super smart kids are educated at the expense of the taxpayer and also at the expense of mediocre kids who cannot compete and fall by the wayside? The dumb kids of course have no future anyway and are fit only to be rubbish collectors.

What is to guarantee that they will remain loyal to the country that fed and raised them and will not migrate for better opportunities overseas? This question must be answered if any solution proposed is not to be a half solution.

I don’t think the mediocre students who grow up to be Malaysian adults are that stupid as not to recognize a half solution when they see it. If they see a half solution that favours a small group of elites and super smart Malaysians, will they be so stupid as to accept it wholeheartedly? They might as well stick to a rotten education system rather than risk anarchy or have the goodies cornered by a small group of super smart elites.

So if people want to offer solutions, they should offer good FULL solutions. That way the whole country can be roughly satisfied. It is not enough to try and copy a great seducer by being half a rotten seducer and proposing rotten half solutions.

I suggest that the seduction is complete if people strive to improve a small part of “something” within a rotten structure. To me this is an exercise in futility.

We need a fair and healthy 2 party political structure most of all - one that has a neutral and professional civil service, police and judiciary as well as education system.

To me anything that suggests an improvement in a small part of a wholly rotten system is an exercise in futility. What do you think? Are you willing to be seduced and accept half solutions?