Proposal to recruit English teachers from India needs deep study

Its president Hashim Adnan said discussions must be carried out with experts, NUTP and the Education Ministry to ensure the move would profit the government.

"An indepth study must be made to ensure nobody loses. Secondly, it is better discussed by local professors of the language with the union and the ministry so that the subsequent decision will be profitable to the government," he told Bernama, here, today.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Malaysia planned to bring in a number of English teachers from India to teach Malaysian students as part of efforts to boost mastery in the language.

Najib, who was in India to attend the two-day Asean-India Commemorative Summit that ended yesterday, said the proposal was in addition to the programme implemented with the United States' Fullbright Foundation and Malaysian- American Commission on Educational Exchange prior to this.

Under the programme with the United States, English Teaching Assistants from the United States are stationed at selected schools nationwide specifically in the rural areas.

Hashim also suggested that English teachers who had retired be recruited to teach English as they were from the same culture and background and knew how to teach Malaysian students.

"It is hoped the proposal will not be implemented because it is very complicated. The students will become guinea pigs and they will have a perception that there are varieties of English and this is unhealthy for students keen to learn English from people who are from different places and backgrounds," he said.

He said recruiting English teachers from the United States was more than adequate to teach the language in this country because mixing teachers would not only burden the students but also the national education system.

Nevertheless, he said the payment for recalling retired teachers must commensurate with experience and expertise in the language.

Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, on the other hand, suggested that the government recruited English teachers from England if the government had the allocation to hire English teachers from abroad.

"The English teachers from Fullbright are okay as they are Americans and have an accent that is acceptable but the Indian accent is thick. We feel if they really want to help students, if a budget is available, why don't we hire English teachers from England.

"We learned English from the Britons and have come thus far. Is this what the government want for our children especially students in the rural areas?" she said.

She said if the government wanted to seek expertise from the country in question, it was better to recruit teachers in science and mathematics which were their areas of expertise.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Teachers Foundation Berhad chairman Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom lauded the proposal as the early history in English Language education in the country at the end of the 19th century was dominated by teachers from India who were brought in to teach in missionary and English schools.

"Historically, they mostly served in the education sector and many graduates of missionary schools had become leaders and leading national figures.

"If teachers from India are brought back, I feel it won't bring any problem but will bring good based on history," he said.

He said teachers who would be brought in would be excellent teachers among the teaching population in India which was 10 times the number of teachers in this country (at 400,000 teachers).

Meanwhile, Gerakan Youth secretary-general Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai, in a statement, opined that the proposal was a good step but pointed out that there were certain problems that needed to be addressed before the recruitment could begin.

He said the problems included the cultural difference and accents of the foreign educators.

"Nevertheless, recruiting foreign educators is not sustainable in the long run due to the high cost. It can only be used as a stop-gap measure. More local English teachers must be groomed to prevent us from being too dependent on outsiders," he said.