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Bring back remedial classes to ensure competency

The government has proposed measures to help Malaysians compete in a world where English is the lingua franca of almost every domain.

Hiring native teachers is wonderful but when the environment is simply not there, do we expect our children to obtain the competency?

I believe that some of the blame needs to be shouldered by the school system. From primary school until secondary school, students always advance to the next level no matter how badly they have done in school assessment exams. This needs to change.

Any language needs to be acquired. If it is learnt, it might never truly be part of you. All Malaysians who have gone through the Malaysian school system are fluent speakers of Malay.

Even if you don't use it in your daily life now, you still remember how to use it when needed. This knowledge exists because we have acquired it. It was our medium of instruction.

We need to bring back remedial classes for students who have not mastered the basics in a particular subject. I know it's demeaning and it's bad for morale and self-confidence but it needs to be done.

As you advance, you are supposed to make use of knowledge previously acquired.

If you haven't acquired it, how will you solve your current needs? By the time a weak learner hits Standard Six, he or she will have not benefitted from the schooling system because they never really got the foundation that is necessary.

This also applies to subjects such as Science or Maths.

We need to ensure that students achieve the minimum competency needed to advance. This doesn't mean passing the exam with 50 percent. It should be passing it with 70 percent or more.

The standards should be set high because the best time for language learning is when you're really young (there is plenty of literature to support this, please look up 'Critical Period Hypothesis' for a more detailed explanation).

This is when you must push them to greater heights. Have extra classes if needed, hire retired teachers if you must, but get it done.

Build the foundation in primary school so that when they reach secondary school, they're not lost souls who are beyond the help of teachers.

I am by no means saying that this will solve all the woes that are plaguing our education system but at least it will be a start in the right direction.

Education planning requires the right start to meet the desired outcomes. If you want exceptional students, you must provide them with exceptional education.

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