Knowing English is still important

After so many years of pushing aside English as the main medium of instruction in schools, Malaysia is trying to reverse the tide of poor English. The first step is to re-train the teachers who are not proficient in English.

This is an uphill task. English is not an easy language to master. My friend is trying for a certificate to teach English as a second language. She is despairing now because she has completely forgotten all the grammar rules. Yes, her English is good. Yes, she uses English daily. But to explain what the rules are and how they work is another story altogether.

While much of world today speaks Chinese, English is still widely used anywhere in the world. In fact, most Chinese from China want to learn English. Many of them speak very well, with little trace of a Chinese accent. Much of the information over the internet today is in English. Being able to speak, read and write English is a very useful skill to have. We cannot run away from this fact.

I wish the Malaysian Education Ministry all the best in their endeavours to bring the standard of English in the schools back to where it used to be and maybe even better.

If you can read and understand this blog post, then you do have a good grasp of English. Why not add Chinese to your stable of working languages?

Happy learning!

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