I am impressed with Khairy Jamaluddin. He is indeed capable of making cogent arguments when he is not playing politic. However, much as I would like to agree with him that students find learning Math and Science in English really difficult, I’m afraid the system must go on.
By claiming that the system fails to improve English proficiency among students, Khairy is evidently an impatient guy. One year of learning Math and Science in English and you expect them to speak and write English like you? Come on, get real Khairy. I live in New Zealand for almost 3 years already, yet I still can’t make sense of the Kiwi accent, let alone talk in that accent. Given the policy is only 1 year-old, it is only natural that it hasn't been fruitful.
And of course there are flaws in the policy, one of them being Math and Science teachers not proficient in English themselves. But this is just as true as not all Math and Science teachers are proficient in Bahasa too. I had first hand experience learning Phisics with a teacher who can barely speak in Bahasa; most of the time she taught us in English. Malay...
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Tags:
education
Posted at: 06:14 AM | 4 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
Three months from now I will be graduating from university. I tried to recollect all the things that I have studied for the pass three years and ask myself – what have I learnt? I may be getting a university degree, but am I getting a university education?
Not long ago I had an interesting conversation with a lecturer. He teaches Financial Statements Analysis, and hence he is the ‘guru’ in analysing firms. This course has neither tests nor exams; just assignments and surveys. Every week after class we are to report anonymously what we learnt in his class, after which he will publish them in the course website. He told us that “Judging by the surveys that the students have done, I finally come to a conclusion that I have overestimated your knowledge in accounting”. He went on saying “How do you explain final-year accounting students not knowing the real meaning of equity?”
I was struck by this question. To be honest, I took more than a dozen of accounting courses but surprisingly I could not apply any of them in my daily life. How pathetic is that? I went for class, I sat by myself, took some notes,...
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Tags:
accounting, education
Posted at: 06:56 AM | 5 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
