Point 95 from Measure 8 in the 2015 Budget from Najib Razak's Faceebook page
First
of all, if you guys thought that this would be some kind of poem of literary
work, I’m sorry that this is not any kind of those.
This
is of course, as the header suggests, about the issue that interests me and my
fellow friends in medical undergraduate programme especially; the proposal to
set a higher minimum band of Malaysian University English Test (MUET) for
intake and graduation.
Based
on the full text of The 2015 Budget ,
under Measure 8: Enhancing Graduate Employability, Point No. 95; starting 2015,
the minimum MUET band for IPTA medical and law programmes admission is 4 while that
for graduation is 5.
While I might be
quite critical later on the proposal, I do not deny the importance of English
and its usage in professional communication in many fields. Everyone have to
admit that the medium of science and technology as well as business and many
other professional fields is English; the lingua franca of the time. Well, I don’t
think I have to explain further how important English is for medicine,
specifically.
The thing on whether
we should reconsider PPSMI should be of separate discussions as it relates to
other issues such as primary education quality, national language capability
and whatnot.
As long as we get
the idea of the importance of English, yes, the point is hit.
As it is still on
proposal level and the debate is still ongoing in the House, up until now we
are not ascertained yet whether it is going to be effective on the current
batches of undergraduate students or it will only be effective on the batches
starting the 2015 intake onwards.
One way or another,
the issue will still be there; how well prepared MOE is to cater the new
requirement? All of us know that it is rare for annual Budget to not be approved.
One
might say I’m trying to be blindly speculative. Well let’s bring a case to
ponder; in USIM for example, for medical programme admission, the minimum band
currently set for admission is 3 while the graduating band is 4. For undergraduate
admission for medicine, not more than 20% actually achieved more than 3.
But it’s
still okay for medical programme as the drive and environment to learn and
practice the language is there; we are ought to use it even outside of our
lecture halls, say when we bump into our lecturers, not mention numerous case
presentations to medical specialists that would make us master the
communication skills in no time before we even realize it.
Aside
medical, dental and law programmes, USIM is one of the public universities that
set a minimum band for MUET (Band 3) in order to qualify for graduation.
In
case the people are uniformed of this, the minimal SPM requirement for
admission to any programme in USIM resulted in USIM having most of the students
coming from religious school. Not trying to be provocative here, but Islamic
religious schools, although some of them being prestigious and High-performing
School (SBT), do not really offer an English-friendly environment, leaving the
students merely mastering the English paper and the fate of communication
skills of students onto their own.
People
reading this might think that USIM students are spoilt brat for complaining on
the minimal MUET band requirement set by USIM, but the reality is that every
year, the issue plays on loop; there is a good number of undergraduates not
able to graduate due to failure to obtain Band 3.
Don’t
get me wrong, I celebrate USIM’s and other universties’ initiatives as well as
the proposed point 95 in the 2015 Budget to set a higher minimum band as this
would at least make the students,
teachers and lecturers treat English more seriously. And if it’s going to be
effective on my batch, I’ll keep myself positive about this and take enhancing
my English a challenge, I would say.
But
the thing is that, what would MOE do in turn in order to provide the students
to meet the requirements?
In
USIM, again, for example, the Centre for Core Studies do provide Language
Support Programme (LSP); for English, it’s ELSP. ELSPs are series of support
programmes that are aimed to provide additional room and space for more English
lessons and it is hoped that by the end of the programme, the language
empowerment would be enhanced hence helping them to meet the graduating
requirement.
What
happens every year is that the ELSPs done are merely the same as book-based lessons;
the only difference is that it is done during semester breaks.
Another
thing is consider is that how, after at least 11 years of learning English from
primary schools until SPM and witnessing many students achieving A in English,
we do not see satisfactory reflection in communication skills.
The
question that hence would be asked is will we see major difference in quality
of English when one can obtain his desired grade by inherited “techniques” and “templates”?
At
individual levels, if it’s going to be effective to my friends and I or just the
upcoming juniors, I would say “bring it on”.
The
thing is that, when we are too obsessed with measuring achievements
quantitatively, it is possible for ourselves to play tricks and not actually
achieve the aim intended, like what happened to our per capita income, for
example.
Last
but not least, we really hope that MOE will come up with proper strategic plans
in order to make the minimum requirement applicable and pratical, not just
implementing short-cuts.
After
all, we want the students to both empower the desired communication skills and
graduate hence serving the nation.
