The English there is more of local language plus English. So there is Tamil English, Kerala English, Punjab English. Their pronunciation is not at all Oxon but typical Indian with head shaking - aca he, nahi he.

PAGE questions move to bring English teachers from India

By Ashraf Hafizuddin

KUALA LUMPUR: The Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) has questioned the move to bring English teachers from India and not from the United Kingdom.

While applauding the suggestion, PAGE president Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim felt teachers from the UK were the better choice.

  “We welcome any suggestions to bring more teachers from other countries but the government should employ teachers from UK as they possess higher proficiency in the language,” she said.

  She said teachers hired from India should teach Science and Mathematics instead as it was their forte.

  “More economical methods should also be implemented to teach English. For instance, instead of depending so much on teachers, students should resort to self-learning methods through books, television and internet,” she said.”

  Noor Azimah reiterated the group’s call for the government to reintroduce English-medium schools which ceased to exist after the 1970’s as a long-term solution for the declining command of English among the younger generation in Malaysia.

  National Union of the Teaching Profession president Hashim Adnan said the government should give more focus to local teachers instead of allocating more funds hiring teachers from other countries,

  “Our local teachers have the expertise besides being more familiar with our cultures. So why not hire them instead?” he said.

  Hashim also said there was the worry that they teachers from India would struggle to integrate themselves with the Malaysian society and culture.

  Meanwhile, Taylor University's School of Education dean Professor Dr Malachi Edwin Vethamani said the teachers hired to teach English here must meet the standard and be highly qualified regardless of which countries they come from.

  “They should be properly trained, have a good command in English and possess international intelligibility,” he said.
  Malachi added that the teachers must also possess the ability to understand Malaysian cultures so that the students could easily understand what they were being taught.

  “I believe the ministry is preparing our students to be global players where they are able to communicate well and be successful.

  “So we need this effort to supply them with knowledge and skills as some students may be not so proficient in terms of conversing in English,” said Malachi

Comment by Azam 64

Now they want to bring teachers from India to teach English. Our dear and great leader did not consult the relevant local groups before making the decision. If anybody thinks that the std of English in India is high, then he/she is wrong. I know because I read medicine there. The English there is more of local language plus English. So there is Tamil English, Kerala English, Punjab English. Their pronunciation is not at all Oxon but typical Indian with head shaking - aca he, nahi he.

 

We may see Indian nationals writing and speaking excellent English but they are the exceptions. They may even be residing overseas. Among

Malaysians too there are those who are excellent in English.

 

azam 64A