I REFER to Hussaini Abdul Karim's letter “Get it right, it'll speak volumes for our English” (The Star, April 6) in which he says, “The best, practical and cheapest way to teach or re-teach our students the English language at primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities is to bring back retired British-trained English teachers.”
What about British-trained Malaysian teachers or even Malaysian students who have been trained in Britain or those who have been trained by the British-trained Malaysian teachers? There is a plethora of English language expertise that the Government can tap on.
It is difficult to comprehend why the Government is turning to Australia for help with the English language in Malaysia. The Australians speak English with an accent which is difficult to understand. They use slang and idiomatic expressions which are not commonly heard of in the rest of the world.
Can you imagine how a person from China would sound if he had learnt English from a Frenchman?
That is exactly how out-of-place our Malaysians would feel if they learnt English from the Australians.
English has become a foreign language in Malaysia. To learn English in Malaysia, however, Malaysians are fortunate to have an abundance of resources for all ages, especially in the form of entertainment.
Our local English language teachers should make use of all these resources like websites, TV shows, radio, newspapers and magazines, and not depend fully on the textbook and workbook with the sole aim of getting students to score As in the examination.
Making use of the listening skill is imperative, too. Give students practice so that they are aware of how words are strung together and pronounced.
I think that getting British trainers to teach the trainee teachers to use these resources will see better results in the long run than getting a few Australian teachers to teach a handful of students on a short-term basis.
The STAR, Letters to the Editor,(Wednesday April 7, 2010)
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