A short creative video -change education paradigm!

Does pointer really matter?

When someone asking this question:

"Is a good pointer(CGPA)  important? Should it really matter when it comes to first class and second class graduates?"

i would find this to be a great reply:

"CGPA is important. I won't lie to you and said that it's not important. But CGPA can only bring you as far as to interview room. After that, it's up to your communication skills and knowledge to convince the interviewer that you're the right person for them to hire."

Credit to bucharestophere for sharing his piece of advice:

 Cliche as it may sound, the extra mile was given by God. I performed consistently throughout my academic years, undertook various leadership roles and have honed my communication skills. Also, I'm studying in a reputable overseas, not Oxbridge or Ivy Leagues. There is no secret really, just be really good at what you do, be consistent and outstanding. Undertake internships and initiatives in things that you are passionate about. More importantly, being well read with good exposure to cultures and various interests help as it will shape the way you communicate and the depth of your conversation. Also, I dare say I nailed the interview by really knowing what I'm talking about and being confident with my answers, which really come naturally when you're talking about something you're passionate for. The way you carry yourself is of utmost importance.

So my conclusion for today is : Getting a high paying job is not just about your academic result (can be advantageous),. After all, it boils down to the job that you are pursuing and where you intend to work. And yes, being self confident is an important factor in securing a job, build new skills along the way. =)

UK Versus US Education System

Wanna know more on these two education systems? Let's hear what Mumeichan has shared about that.=)

Almost all Americans go though high school before the enter college. High school for them is like STPM and A-Levels for us. That also means our SPM is like Middle school or jr. High for them. Their high school syllabus is comparative to STPM and A-Levels, but many schools offer is much wider range of subjects.

In high school, they can take AP and honors classes. Both of these classes go deeper into the subjects. A good AP score usually exempt you from 1 year worth of classes for that subjects.

Students from UK and Singapore who enroll after their A-Levels with an A for some subject will usually get 1 year worth of credits too. Same goes for people who did AP. I've never come across any website having a standard guideline for STPM or other pre-U courses, but I suppose it isn't too hard to convince the Academic Standards people that the subjects you took are equivalent. After all, high school students there who did honors classes also have to do the same if they didn't take the standard AP exam.

Now, 1 year worth of classes actually means two classes taken in two semesters. For example one may do Biology I in the Fall semester and then Biology II in Winter. That two subjects would generally mean 1 year worth of classes for a certain subjects.

Now lets just try to compare US and UK from the academic perspective. From the job perspective, I believe most of the things you learn are pretty irrelevant at the lower positions for many types of jobs.

First of all, 1 year of studies in UK is about two weeks to a month shorter than is US. I'm not counting the spring, summer or any other holiday terms. Another difference is students have already chosen their major from the minute the apply in UK while they only do so in their 3rd year in US.

In their 3rd year in UK students have the choice to decide which subjects they want to specialize in. They are usually given a choice of a few different subjects. In US, they basically choose from whatever subjects the whole department offers during their 3rd and 4th years. In US the subjects are not exclusive to majoring students only, they may be taken by anyone.

Now, during the first year, students also do very general subjects in their first year. The difference is, their majors have already been decided, so the subjects are tailored for the specific major. So alot of irrelevant topics are omitted. While in US, one subject caters for students who could major in just about anything later. For example, the introductory pscyhology course for a BSc in Psych in UK may contain much more biological stuff while the introductory psychology course in US must maintain a fair balance of the biology parts to the sociology parts because the person taking it may major in BA in Psych or a Bsc in Psy or could even be doing Biology or something else.

In UK your first two years are pretty much planned for you and you get a small selection of subject in your third year to specialize. In US well it works like this in most cases. You need 120 credits to graduate. Normally people do 30 each year, 15 per semester. Each introductory course carries about 4 credits and the higher level course from year 2 onwards normally only carry 3. Almost all 3rd and 4th year courses carry only 3 credits. By 3rd and 4th year, I means courses normally done during their 3rd and 4th year, nothing stops anyone from doing it earlier as long as they've already fulfilled the requirements. The break down for this 120 credits is something like this. 40 credits belong to subjects that have absolutely nothing do with your major. About 20 credits are for the basic course you have to take before you can do the higher more in depth courses. For my actuarial and economic degree, that's about 4 math classes, 2 economics, 1 programming and 1 statistics. Then another 50 credits will be come from classes very specific to your major and the remaining 10 are from subjects somewhat related to your major. Like for actuarial math, those 10 can come from finance, economics or programming.

Also, there are different conventions for what skills graduates should have in both countries. In UK, I see all the Economics degree full of management and accounting subjects while in US is it strictly economics subjects. For psychology, I see alot of practical and counseling in UK while in US counseling and practical is optional, there is also a big focus on research and further theoretical study. So for me, I find an economic degree from UK lacking because what I want is deep theoretical study even if I'm gonna graduate with no skills for a typical business admin. But that doesn't equally apply to everyone. Also it's a misconception that in US, they only study 2 years worth of their major courses, it's really 3 years worth, because part of the initial 2 years is used to study all the basic courses first, what they normally study in their first year in UK.  

By:Mumeichan(LYN Forummer)

I personally find that this should be the best view and the opinions shared regarding the differences of these two education system. Thanks for Sharing and i glad to share here too.=)

70% Public University Graduates Jobless (!?)

Source:http://educationmalaysia.blogspot.com/


At that rate (70%) potential students should opt not to pursue higher education instead. Anyhow, I do agree with the stats that Comp Sci and IT grads are by far the biggest number of unemployed graduates. This is in accordance with the Internet boom of the late 90's / early 00's. Hence the high number of intake in such courses during those times. And the spill out is evident now. Besides, entry requirements are usually lower than other applied sciences, even at good foreign universities. So post-SPM students at the time enrolled en masse for these programmes that they think could provide them with lucrative jobs. But, they were sorely mistaken when reality kicks in after enrolling.

Computer science is a highly technical area. A student must have strong logical thinking and be able to understand problems quick. A strong mathematical foundation is required. Many students, and I believe the weak ones especially, thinks that computer science is all about "messing around" with computers with a bit of programming and so on. An easy job where one dresses smartly, and runs around meeting clients.

As many have pointed out, there is no shortage in demand of IT professionals. It all boils down to the attitude of the graduates that's causing this high unemployment rate (for IT). Skills mis-match and technical inefficiencies can be adressed, they can be taught and learned. The difference is in the attitude. Of course, this only applies to IT and similar graduates (e.g. Engineering). Some areas like Biology, Chemistry and Polymer Science have their fair share of unemployment, but that's cause of the lack of jobs in their industry.

Science graduates-what prospects?

Employers love scientists! Your curious, investigative minds are useful to all sorts of employment areas, not just in the science sector. In 2008, six months after graduation, almost two thirds (59%) of biology graduates had entered full- or part-time employment and nearly a third (30%) went on to do full- or part-time further study.
Of those who entered work, just under 1 in 6 (14%) went into professional and technical jobs, such as research assistant or lab technician, and just under 13% went into scientific jobs. Almost 1 in 10 (8%) went into management jobs. The rest of the graduates who were asked in 2008 were working in a wide range of sectors including education (5%), sales and marketing (4%) and health (3%). Just under one third (28%) were working in administration, retail or catering, perhaps to build up work experience or take some time out.


i come across this fact while online, this is definetely a guide to all of us..especially the one that is going to think over the courses which he or she is stuck with and in a dilemma of opting whichever one.

hey, RELAX...
Those who gonna want to excel , don't just look based on what degree you are graduate from..it is all about your interpersonal skills , your will to succeed in life, how successful you are in oder to survive in this world..

by the way, i love science...more than anything else..besides that, i do love arts(not the artsy design stuff ) i love the classical asian study, literature(particulary the pieces by motivational experts), i love geography, history too...HAHA..

Thus i do really hope that, besides sciences, (Those are expert in science, don't ever look down on the importance of arts, because without it, means there is no more Humanitarian values,Self conscious..etc..

ARTS Versus Sciences

“

A science teacher supplies material and asks students to
discover its significance. An art teacher supplies material and asks students to
give it significance.” That’s not to suggest one is better than the other. But
it does hint at the nature of hostility between the two points of view.The
essence of artistic activity is supposed to involve pure creativity and freedom;
whereas, scientific activity is supposed to involve mechanism and strict
adherence to laws. The conclusion being that science is not conducive to
artistic work. '

I am always a science student, but never neglect art as well...

because..a well rounder are = Science expert + art activist

BBC-Resourceful site to improve english

heck, i find myself not really fluent in english, my english is not really good.but for casual or communicating purposes I guess people can still understand me. still, I wish I can do better in writting and listening. Last time i hit a mere BAnd 4 for MUET. Band 4 is not a bad band after all, as i am really satisfied with my result.

communication is the best tool to improve one's language proficiency. In local, we are lacking of english speaking environment in our daily social life,thus we do not utilise the powerful tool of communication to brush up our proficiency. For those abroad, studying environment is a perfect place for them to interact with others, hence they are able to improve their speaking skill in English more efficiently as compared to us in local.

would say that one should start from the grammar and sentence pattern parts. I believe that the primary reason why a lot of people couldn't really speak English is due to the fact that they are afraid of making mistakes, and thus 'lose face'. It is pointless to watch TV shows why you have little to no understanding of how sentences are correctly structured. It is only meaningful to watch when you can understand them. Of course, everything has a beginning, but you can start from understanding the sentence pattern first because those Americans like to play around with their grammar.

The priority should be: First, understand most of the sentence patterns and have at least 95% of confidence on your grammar. Second, bring in the vocabularies. Third, start the speaking and listening. Of course you can do these all at once, but do make clear of your division of efforts. For instance, as a beginner, you won't want to listen to a lot of news and TV shows but do very little practice on your grammar.

It is important to note that if you speak broken English, you are not speaking English. It may be Manglish, Singlish, or whatever you call it. It just isn't English.


i found BBC website to be great learning platform for all to improve their English.
The listening audio files and perhaps the pieces of writings may help learners to step by step to enhance their English proficiency.
I always download the audio files into my MP3.with the Flash Get software aiding, i can easily download it and put into use.

Guides to IPTA--FAQ -

i have found some useful information that may acts as a guide to all those who will be pursuing your tertiary education at IPTA soon.
That benefits me as as well.

This is taken from www.quansheng.org


本地大学之疑问

1) 常听说什么主修（Major）、副修（Minor）、选修（Elective）的科目，这些到底是什么？

Answer: 大学的学习课程和中学不同，鲜少有配套式的替学生安排好一切。同学们于是有机会自己选择想要主修、副修或选修的科目，甚至自己编排自己的上课时间表。不过，并不是所有科系都有主修、副修等选择，乃视乎有关大学设置课程的方式而定。

一般上，主修科目，即：主要修读的科目，意味着学习课程占主要比例。而副修科目的课程比例可能只是占三分之一；选修课就更少了。有的科系甚至没有选修和副修科目。

再打个比喻，如果说主修需要修60个学分，副修可能只有30学分，选修可能只有8学分。所谓学分（Credit Hours），就是有关科目在一周里的总教学时数。比如，“统计学”占4个学分，就是一周里有 4个小时的课。为此，有的人因为选择双主修（Double Major），所以三年的课程会变成四年的课程。

*Tips! 妥善安排自己的课程表，让学习更有效率！除了主修，副修和选修也是我们日后觅职的“加分”噢！


2)学年制度（Year System / Sistem Penggal）和学分制度（Credit System / Sistem Semester）有什么区别？

除了法律系、医学系还保留学年制度（Year System / Sistem Penggal），国内大专大部分科系已经改为学分制度（Credit System / Sistem Semester）。

学年制度是由校方制定统一的修习年限，并且制定每学年的课程（包括必修课程和选修课程的科目和教学时数）。若成绩不好，有可能导致留级，并且重学该年的功课。

学分制度没有强制规定修习年限，也没有留级制度，只要学生将所要求的科目积分累积足够，即可毕业。为此，有的人原本该修四年的课程，很可能在三年半就学完。

*Tips! 学分制度可让我们逃出“读两年书，一次会考定生死”的梦魇，不过切莫因此养成“这个学期学完这个学期忘”的坏习惯。要知道，学习是为了自己，不是为了考试哦！



This is the useful link where u can find tonnes of information on your study.
http://www.fsi.com.my/




The quansheng.org is the current best option for fellow students to seek help and guidance to local IPTA.
This has included some Keji which will act as a guideline for students refer to the minimum pointer and their courses of selections.A great and beneficial site.
Do look up on it.

Matriculation VS STPM!!

Matriculation
It is undeniable that the standard of matri is lower and easier than STPM. BUT, lower and easier does not mean it is very low or easy. It is just easier compared to STPM.

Matri is tough in its own ways. Furthermore, the duration of matri is only a year. So, a lot need to be learned in a short time. I myself was in matri and it is quite OK but it is frustrating as the time is short.

In Matri, at least the subject that matters included in GCPA which is Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics/ Biology. Thus, one don’t have to study subject that is means nothing much which is Pengajian Am. Of course there are other subjects in matri like Dinamika and Moral, but all you need is to pass.

The koku system in matri is 5% from secondary school and 5% from matri. So, all the work one has done in secondary school is not gone to waste unlike STPM.

Local U is not the only option for matri student. One can still go to private college or overseas but the options is lower.
matri students do have to study hard for the first year in the university but the difficulty can be overcome with perseverance.

Form 6
For those smart people, I believe you all like the challenges. So, form 6 is the right thing for you as it is very tough to score.

Furthermore, your koku marks will go back to zero so you have compete with the other form 6 and form 4 in that school for post. This will certain be a good challenge. However, koku is not that much important like in SPM as long as you get 4 flat, your koku might not affect much.

If one enrolls in form 6, you can still stay at home. Moreover, most of one’s friends who didn’t go to college will go to same school as one may go.
If one is planning to study overseas, form 6 is best way compared to matri.

Basically, we can all debate on which one is better and it will never end. The decision on going to Matriculation or Form 6 is up to the person. One have ask him/herself how is one’s financial resource and where one want to go to purse one’s degree. Local or overseas? Basically, one still have persevere not matter what one choose.

Bio related fields

Is life sciences are all about research? the answer is NO!
Lets us have a great deep insight on the fields of biology-the ever enchanting life sciences!

Molecular biology - Yes, you will mess around with the DNA. You play with the genetics and look for new phenotypes which would tell you about the function of proteins/RNA/DNA region in cells (in vivo).

Biochemistry/Biophysics - In general, more quantitative. In general, you isolate/purify your favorite protein/DNA/RNA from the cell, and investigate their functions in a test tube (in vitro). You look at how the molecules move, how they do the chemistry, how they interact with other molecules.

Microbiology is generally the science of germs. You study the behaviors of germs. Usually, you would use methods in molecular biology and biochemistry. Virology, the science of virus.

Bio engineering is a wide field too... megabigBLUR described part of it. One other specializations involved making machines/body parts for biomedical purposes, either for research or for treatment (i.e. synthetic arms and so forth, new methods for scanning brains, or a faster way of sewing wound together).

So, just a piece of advice. If you like biology and hate math in high school. Molecular biology/ cell biology might be want you want. If you like chemistry/biology/quantitative analysis, you can look into biochemistry, chemical biology kind of thing. If you are a hardcore chemist, just do chemistry. Chemists play an IMPORTANT role in the biotech industry too (they make all our drugs). People who likes physics a lot, think about the biological system, the physics that nature uses to create life is incredible and fascinating.

And it doesn't matter very much what you study as an undergraduate. It just gives you a taste of each specific fields. It's not too late to switch field in graduate school. If you look at the famous biologists nowadays, there are very very few examples where what they are doing now is what they do in undergraduate. In fact, many of them study math, chemistry or physicsts as an undergraduate. Furthermore, the field today has become extremely interdisciplinary, you need to be good at almost anything, and be willing to move away from your niche to apply the most suitable technique to the problem you want to solve.

In addition, as the field of system biology/ quantitative biology continues to grow, the biological field will welcome more and more mathematicians and computer scientists. So, if you are trying to be a biologist today, make sure that you at least know some math and programming, otherwise, you aren't going to catch up with the influx of results from system biology in the close future.

Scholars should be all rounders?

As we know, scholarships choosing criteria include academic, extra co-curricular activities, interview performance and family financial status. What I want to highlight here is extra co-curricular activities.

Do we need a scholar to be an all-rounder? Okay, I think some posts are required, to prove that you have leadership, but somehow, does it matter for a scholar to be a leader? In this world, we need leaders as well as followers. What would happen if everybody wants to be leader? Who's going to lead and who's going to follow? Sometimes, leaderships are skills born with. Isn't it unfair for those who are without leaderships? They can't grab any post in school. So, they're underdogs in scholarship competition. However, do we need everybody to be leader? Take doctor as example, do we need so many "Datuk Seri Dr......"? Doctors' job is to treat patients, do we need leaderships here?

Post-grabbing competition in schools is really cruel and bloody, backstabbings are common. It's a battlefield, and those involved are normally "good students" or more precise, "academically good students". The final aim is always.....scholarship.

Then, the next issue is sports. I can understand, a well-balanced student should involve in sports other than books. However, not everyone can be representative. An academicaly excellent student who plays badminton during free time, but not good enough to represent the school, and another better-than-average student but very good in badminton, representing state. Which one do you choose? Some are born sportsmen, isn't it quite unfair?

Is it that an engineer, doctor, pharmacist, dentist etc...... must be an all-rounder?

I truly do not believe that positions reflect a person's true leadership skills. Positions only show someone's bargaining skills - political skills. At my school, people get posts by saying, "Eh, if I suggest you for the post, you must suggest me also ah!"

Then, the club either ends up inactive or is active without the leader around. In the end, the credit goes to the president. Bullsh*t.

To me, leadership skills come from the little little things in a person's life. You lead your siblings to academic success by doing homework with them. You set a good example by doing household chores, etc. You become someone whom your friends/siblings look up to.

And when these forms of leadership become evident, you take up heavier tasks. You get elected because of your skills and capabilities, not politics.

What's written on paper (scholarship applications) do not measure these kinds of leadership. What they (the sponsors) want is the end product. "Oh, you're the president of this. Good!" In the end, the person they see is someone very quiet who lacks ideas in an active discussion.

And yes, doctors, for example, do require leadership skills. Like I said, it's the little things that count. A doctor leads other ancillary staff (nurses, MAs, etc.) to perform a task at the highest possible quality. A doctor has to make sure that everyone's on the same boat - to provide the best healthcare, and not be taken aback by other things.

After Matriculation...What next?!

Basically it is going to be a peak period for both matriculation and STPM students to enter universities sooner.Even me myself would consider this as my part of entering a completely different pathway and paradigm of life. Whichever universities that i might get , it is all upon my academics result and of course upon the God 's hand . Some may find it unlucky to get the courses that they don;t really like while some might get what they want and of course their so called ideal universities.
For me, getting UM or USM is just like a dream come true, probably because it is much more recoginsed and famous in terms of their years of research and high class facilities. USM main campus is at Penang, while UM located at lembah Pantai , KL.

Some may say it is rather difficult to enter UM , some even say it you need at least band 5 for MUET, then only you are eligible to gain admission into UM. well, this really makes me anxious as i doubt whether i could get into UM or not since my MUET is just a mere band 4.
But as what i opine, as long as you could meet the minimum requirements , you are eligible to enter UM. but of course you have to face a stiff competition if you are applying for critical courses such as pharmacy, medicine and dentistry. This does'nt make me worried as i am not fully aiming for all these critical courses! :)

This is what one of my friends advise me :'Actually, the 1st choice is very important, this is also according to the unis' representatives. Make sure that your CGPA is above the cut-off point. Because if your CGPA is lower than that, you will not get a place. And when they put your name to your 2nd choice, you will have to be on the waiting list behind those who put that course as their 1st choice. If you didn't get the course again, you will be on the waiting list again for your 3rd choice. This time behind those that put the course as their 1st or 2nd choice.
So, in the end, you may not get any course in your 8 choices. That's why every year there are a lot of sutdents who failed to get the course they want or even failed to get a place.
Make your 1st choice wisely, don't think of 'cuba-cuba', you may not get a place. Choose a course that you are confident you qualify for it. '

What he is saying is totally right, that is why every students must think wisely in choosing their course. or else you might be end up in the appeal case.You have to wait till december where your appeal is deemed as successful only can you enter universities.As far as I know, you can't put all 8 choices to be the same one, in fact, it is very dangerous to do so. If you fail to get in that one, you are not going to get anything.

Doctor ~Is this a pathway to every Bright Student?!

WEll, recently, i caught up a nice and debatable topic in Recom.org. It is a very serious topic that we guys should ponder about. The current trend of majority bright students taking medicine course is a very common phenomena.
The words 'bright students' implying those who constantly strike hard to get an excellent result and in return they did it, score a flying colour result in their exams. Does this shows anything? Does it means that they are very suit to be in doctor profession. Well. maybe some of you may think that since they possess a devoted heart, a dedicated attitude ,they can handle it very well since medic is a hardcore field to embark on, so WHY NOT?!

Ok..ok...i partially agree with that, fine! Go on to do the medicine field that you think it will bring you a better future and pride. It is always a common trends whereby we would heard parents take pride for granted. Oh, you see har, my son Joseph ah, now doing medicine at London ..wowo!!My daughter , michelle doing medicine at UM , the most famous university for medicine in Malaysia. Then here comes another reply: Oh well, so smart , you son must be the one with lots of As, hardworking and perhaps a very dedicated students. right?!
This 'questions & answers sessions'becomes so common nowadays that the fallacy often exist among students and parents that ' Aha, you score 4 flat, take medicine la for sure!'.....

Personally, i don't like medicines not because my result is not good. My result is still decent , for at least i am satisfying with what i have work up till today.I try my best and this is the only best that i have poured out. Medicine is not my cup of tea though i took biology this subject. I am the one with a great enthusiasm in teaching, nurturing people. I am more inclined towards teaching others.Though it may sounds like lesser responsibilities of teachers compared to a doctor, i am not saying nor quoting that i want a lesser responsibilities or i can't handle the stress of being a doctor, this is totally inapplicable to me. For me, being a teacher is too a noble profession ,it involves a lots of interactive communication among each other. Thus i should always enhance myself for being able to communicate well and brush up my mastery of english languages. in future, perhaps i could move on to a senior level like lecturers or professors , God bless!
Besides teaching, i seriously pondering about Pharmacy, the profession in which i can deal and give advice to the patients. More sociable life would greatly satisfying me. It gives me a sense of well-being of helping others.Others like biochemistry is also within my choices.
My friends , majority of them wanted to be in Doctor profession,And well, i salute them for being able to think wise and have the patience to serve patients. They all are very smart, hardworking and dedicated and i believe somehow later they may be achieve their ambition and all the best to them.:)

I like the quote of brother Young yew which i totally agree with!:

Is medicine THE path for EVERY bright student? Definitely not. However, there are certain factors to be considered in the context of our society and country.

If you are passionate and is excellent in certain fields e.g. arts, programming etc, then heading to medicine could be a waste of your talent since you probably would do better in professions that suit your passion, and (pardon the sensitive word) earn more money in it.

What if you love arts but is mediocre in it; but you think you have the right character, and you are prepared for the hardship of medicine in exchange for the stable income and the social status? I don't think why you should be discouraged from medicine; though you better be damn sure you are prepared for the sacrifice ahead of your life before you jump in the bandwagon.

In a developing country like ours, the harsh reality is that non-critical professions have pretty low job availability. In US, UK or Australia, if you love history and is damn good at it, then you probably would go for history in uni level as there's a wider career option for you. But in Malaysia, if you love history and is damn good at it, you would be advised by your parents, aunts, teachers and friends NOT to take up history in uni. And they are probably right. Yes you would probably love the studies and remain passionate about it till the end of your life; but if you end up bumming after graduation (which unfortunately is quite possible given the career option), your parents, aunts and teachers would not hesitate to add insult to your injury - "see I told you". Of course if you are excellent enough then you could stay overseas and build a healthy career for yourself, but as with everything, this remains a gamble for the individual concerned, the odds of which need very careful consideration.

You can't always say the idealistic sentence of "if you are passionate about it everything will work out alright"; because the real life doesn't work that way. For every single famous person in the newspaper who managed to live their dream according to their passion, there are hundreds of others who fail to make the appearance. If you are confident you will be successful then by all means go for it; but that doesn't mean that those who go for the "safer" career options are making the wrong choice.

Thumbs up! ^^

~Personal View on PPSMI ~

i'm a bit skeptical on this implementation.
if government really wanna improve the standard of english among malaysian students, math & science are not the subjects. this is more like jump to an easiest option. Well, the way I see it, the government is all about science and technology. And yeah, a lot of malaysian students suck in english including me of course LOL. So, why don't we make them take science and math in English. Isn't that a great idea?

Personally, i don't think those science and math teachers could care less about punctuation, subject-verb agreement, paragraphing, and other grammar related issue. Having math and Science in English is not pointless, just that it might improve a bit our level of english; i wouldn't even say proficiency. I see no logic how using english as a teaching method for math and science can improve our proficiency in english.

More appropriate subject to implement english would be those subject which requires short essays (i.e Geography, History, Moral and Agama). At least for these subjects, we can see how well a student can write. Also, I think it would be beneficial if the student would have to study more english literature. I remember back in my days, I only have to learn some poetry and read "the pearl." I don't think that's enough.

We should at least have more than 5 novels ranging from Old English (Shakespeare), New Classic English (Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, Bronte's Sister, Fitzgerald, etc), and Contemporary English (Maxine Kingston Hong). I don't know if I have my classification right, but someone should get my point. That goes for poetry too. Also, I think class discussion is important. Instead of just teaching the class so everyone can get an A for SPM, the teacher can try having a discussion where the students have to think critically, beyond what is said in the reference book.

I think teaching maths and science in English is implemented more because we want to prepare the students for their future than to improve their language. We all know the main language used in most universities is English.

I think it is only an excuse for our government to state that by changing into English for both subjects it would boast the standard of English in Malaysia. In fact, it was our government that first changed the language from English to Malay some decades ago, in attempt to place Malay on greater importance. They had made a mistake and now they realized it. But it was not until our previous PM, who daringly declare this gigantic move before stepping down, that their wrong was corrected.

Should the previous policy be continued, we would not have much problem with English proficiency among Malaysians. In a word, half of our generation was deprived of the right teaching way for both subjects.

Also, improving our standard of English is not about incorperating literature components into our English paper. It is altogether too confusing as Literature should be one standing subject itself. By forcing our students to read through this way, they will lose their interest as they will have very limited knowledge about literature. But, still, they are expected to memorize (not understand) what 'metaphor' and 'simile' are because they "will earn you a mark or two in exam". Sorry to digress, but that is what I think about this.

Teaching maths and science in English should be a move lauded by all. Let us hope that our government won't change their mind again this time. In the meantime, the declining standard of English among Malaysians should be addressed with other different approach, not merely by changing the language or forcing the students to read.

To quote Sydney J Harris, "The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows". Exactly, education is all about churning students who has the initiative to soar high with his own wings, not taking a jumbo jet straight to the sky. Science should be learned through discovery, experience and a genuine interest in it. I admit that despite the lack of excitement, I still love science although a serious revamp of the syllabus is needed to produce more Newtons and Edisons in Malaysia.