The Blight of Current Malaysian Education

 The Blight of Current Malaysian Education 

M. Bakri Musa

Excerpted from my Quran, Hadith, and Hikayat:  Exercises In Critical Thinking 

Up until the 1970s many Malaysians had the distinct advantage in being bilingual and with a high level of English fluency. Early bilingual skills confer significant advantages, cognitive and otherwise. For one, it increases one’s sensitivity to the perspective of others. 

       I posit that Malaysia obtained her independence from Britain in the mid-1950s with relative ease because Malaysian leaders then were fluent in English. Knowing English and their ways lubricated the negotiations.

        That English language commonality is today diminished. Non-Malays continue to be bilingual, with most being also trilingual. Not so with Malays. Increasingly and disturbingly many Malays are now only monolingual. No surprise then that Malays have degenerated into shrill chauvinists if not outright racists, the consequence of having gone through the national schools which have now become increasingly Malay-only. That intensifies the cultural as well as language insularity of those in that stream.

        Meanwhile the opposite is occurring with non-Malays. Back in the 1960s the Democratic Action Party (DAP) was the hotbed of leftwing chauvinistic Chinese unable and unwilling to speak the national language. The only language they knew was their local Chinese dialect, with the party’s business conducted in Chinese. Today, DAP has strong broad appeal and with that, increasing Malay membership and political victory. That corresponds with the increasing multi language skills of their current members. While in the past the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) was the undisputed voice of the Chinese community, today that mantle has been grabbed by DAP.

       Today Malays are enrolling their children in Chinese schools in increasing numbers. With China poised to eclipse the English-speaking West, that is a positive and pragmatic development. With their Chinese education and the accompanying broad socio-cultural exposure, those Malays would have a significant competitive advantage over their peers who remain in the national stream.

       It is this enhancing of meta-cognitive (or thinking about thinking) skills that is the most valuable aspect to being bi- and multilingual. That skill is transferable and useful in many arenas and endeavors. As an added bonus, neurobiologists tell us that the bi- and multilingual brain delays and protects from the development of dementia.

       The Islamists and Malay language nationalists have hijacked the nation's education system. As a result it has failed Malaysia in many ways. The curriculum today does not emphasize English and STEM. Malay leaders have the perverse mentality that emphasizing English is tantamount to not mertabakkan (respecting) the national language.

         As non-Malays have long ago abandoned the national system, it no longer reflects the nation’s diversity. The students do not mix with their peers from the other races and cultures that are part and parcel of modern Malaysia. With non-Malays deserting the system, the learning environment in the national stream becomes dangerously insular. This tragedy is as yet unrealized, much less rectified.

Next  Excerpt: The Blight Malaysian Islamic Education