By NUR SHAZREENA ALI
KUCHING: Many Malaysians, even professionals, are not fluent in English although Malaysia is in spot number 22 among 88 countries in a recent global index in terms of English mastery.
English is a major language in at least 59 out of 195 countries. Its prevalence in many developing countries including Malaysia shows that proficiency in the language serves as a golden ticket and universal currency for getting a fair share of the global trade.
Most Malaysians learn English through formal education, probably beginning in primary school or even starting in pre-school.
National schools provide approximAdd Newately 1,600 hours of English language learning sessions from Primary One to Form Five.
Because English is the pillar of the world’s knowledge, the country’s education system has decided to continue to intensify its blueprint programme.
Keezrawati Mujan Yusuf, a 27-year-old lecturer in the Faculty of Language & Communication at University Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) opined that the overemphasis on English, as in making it the standard of “good education”, should be reconsidered.
“I think changing the attitude and cultivating the love of seeking knowledge should be the priority. This is because in a way the lack of motivation is why we keep on failing, including in language learning,” Mujan argued.
According to global data, 1,200 hours of deliberate, effortful practice may cause the process of learning to become slow.
Mujan also pointed out that failure to be proficient in English was mostly due to lack of practice in the ESL (English as a Second Language) environment.
“The formal approaches are limited and the use of English is restricted. Personally, I think that although many have limited fluency, we are at an okay level compared to neighbouring countries. Most of our university students can understand and speak the language,” she said.
She added that despite not being grammatically perfect when speaking and writing, many students can learn their main subjects in English.
“Teaching English in class should focus on providing students with platforms on which to practise the language,” she said.
This is pertinent because public shaming of those who attempt to speak English in public can embarrass them to such an extent that they would abandon the practice altogether.
Mujan then recalled an incident not too long ago when a Malaysian footballer who delivered his speech in broken English was heavily mocked and criticised by the public.
“We should not mock those who make grammatical errors. I mean, even Americans, for example, don’t speak with perfect grammar and pronunciation. Only the elitists among us think otherwise.
“Things like these are discouraging. People are often heavily criticised for their inability to speak fluent English while the world-acclaimed achievements of others are ignored just because of poor grammar,” Mujan claimed.
Mujan thinks it is important for society to play some roles to help the young generation master English.
“Stereotypes are among the main factors that discourage people from practising spoken English. Public shaming could cause emotional abuse,” she said.
As students have different experiences before entering their respective universities, they required help from the whole of society to provide healthy learning environments for them to achieve better proficiency in English.
