Oh my MUET!

So now the English speaking and writing level for Malaysians to enter universities has been increased, according to the prime minister during the tabling of Budget 2015.

I have to say that I agree because I have always been a big proponent of the English language and of how important it is for Malaysians to master the language.

However, just by increasing the required band or evaluation of the MUET (Malaysian University English Test) wouldn’t be a solution.

What that means is that the existing group of students who are trying to enter university in Malaysia are just going to have a much tougher time.

I spend a lot of my free time having sharing sessions with undergraduate students, and some of them gave me feedback regarding the recent developments.

Many are concerned that this will mean less Malaysians would actually be qualified to enter university and that would mean less opportunities for them.

One student told me that by not knowing English, a potentially brilliant student who isn’t bilingual could not further his or her studies. So, English shouldn't be mandatory.

On one part, I agree. Not knowing English, or any other second language, doesn’t mean that one is not intelligent. You can be smart no matter what language (and how many) you speak.

That is why I believe the problem lies in the quality of our education. We need to improve the standard of how we educate our students instead of debating about what language to teach them in.

Having said that, we still cannot deny the importance of English. It is the operating language of the world and understanding it means having an advantage from those who don’t.

But before the required band is increased, there needs to be a big improvement in the method and quality of English education in the country.

At a point when the English speaking and writing skills of Malaysians leaves a lot to be desired, we shouldn’t even talk about teaching Science and Mathematics in English.

What we really need to do is focus on helping Malaysian students to learn how to speak, write and understand the language first.

Look back as far as primary school level and see how English is being taught, then develop a long-term strategy that can continue until the end of secondary school.

Once a better English language education plan has been formed, only then can we set a target of how proficient in English our university students should be.

So, I take the information in the Budget as something positive. We just have to look at it as a starting point to delve deeper into the problem and come up with a more holistic solution.