Look, Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid, a compulsory pass in English should have been implemented years ago, certainly not postponed again under your watch. Is the ministry fearful of being evaluated?

I believe rural students need English more than those in the urban areas. Making English a compulsory pass will provide the impetus for all parties - the students, teachers, parents and the ministry to wake up from their slumber. It will provide greater sense of urgency and seriousness to teach and learn English. For sure, it will make the Education Minister more accountable.

We have heard enough of rural schools being disadvantaged each time a new policy initiative is proposed for implementation. All these years where did all the allocations and ‘rural-centric’ development go?

Why is it that after decades of discussion, planning and implementation, we would hear the same excuses again and again, i.e. lack of proficient teachers, transportation difficulty and lack of school facilities in the rural areas? I am not being elitist here, but when are we going to stop letting a few isolated cases in certain parts of the country to deny better education for the rest of our students?

Should the nation stand still because some students need to travel 30 kilometres and cross a river to go to school? In what ways are teachers sent to the rural areas differently qualified when compared with those sent to the urban areas? I think the minister should stop talking c**p and get things done in the ministry for once.

By the way, it is a myth to believe that English proficiency of students is solely dependent on teachers and school facilities. Students in urban areas perform better because they speak English at home, take tuition and have parents who are economically better-off. So is the ministry going to include all these factors in the future as well?

There is no need to wait for perfect conditions before a policy is implemented because there is simply no utopian equality. Did the government consider all factors justly and equitably before implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST)?

To me, it is the pupils from rural schools that need comprehensive English education more than those in the urban areas. Making English a compulsory pass is actually a good socio-economic equaliser in the long run.

It is perfectly all right if students from the rural areas perform poorly at the initial stage. It makes no difference since their current performance is also as miserable. A compulsory pass would at least spur them to study harder and compel the teachers and the minister of education to be more responsible.

The latest postponement is more than a flip-flop. To me it is ministry indulging in endless talks but with no interest and incompetence to do one single thing right. Why not, just play safe, do nothing and there is nothing for us to assess them.