23 December 2012 | last updated at 01:05AM
'No' to teachers from India
By SUKHBIR CHEEMA | [email protected]
SOLUTION: Govt should invest more in training local English teachers, says NUTP
KUALA LUMPUR: THE National Union of the TeachingProfession (NUTP) is against the move to recruit teachers from India to teach English here.
NUTP president Hashim Adnan told the New Sunday Times that the government should instead invest more in training local teachers as bringing in foreign teachers would confuse students, especially because of their accent.
"Bringing foreign teachers could create confusion among our students. We have good teachers here. My advice is to invest in improving their teaching skills instead."
Hashim also expressed doubts whether the teachers would be able to improve the speaking and writing skills of Malaysian students as the teachers came from a different cultural background.
"English is a long-term subject. "Let locals teach locals as we understand our culture and education style better."
The National Parent-Teacher Association Collaborative Council (PIBGN), however, had given the thumbs up to the idea.
"The teachers should undergo evaluation before being approved to ensure their credibility," said its president Prof Datuk Dr Mohamad Ali Hassan.
He added that the move would provide good exposure for local teachers and students as India was one of the top countries when it came to writing and speaking in English. He said concerns about the accent of Indian teachers should be cast aside as Malaysians should be open-minded if the country aimed to be at the global stage.
"Every country varies in terms of accent. The Scottish have a different accent, as do the Australians and Americans. "Even our accent is different. Students and teachers should learn to adapt," he said.
Although many local English teachers lauded the proposal to recruit Indian teachers, they feared that the move may also leave local teachers unemployed.
"I'm worried about what would happen to our local teachers if the plan is approved," said Farha Uzaimi, 41, who teaches English in a local school. "I applaud the move as I agree that teachers from India are proficient in the English language. But it may also cause new local graduates to lose out."
Lavanya Singham, a 22-year-old English teacher in a private school, shared Farha's sentiments as she believed the country had sufficient teachers to do the job.
"Maybe the government should bring in English language experts from India who can share their views on how local teachers can improve their teaching methods instead of recruiting teachers from there."
Emeric Heng, a 25-year-old lecturer and former teacher said the move by the government would allow local students to better understand the Indian culture. Bernama reports that Gerakan Youth secretary-general Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai, had said that the proposal was a good step.
But he also pointed out that there were certain problems that needed to be addressed before the recruitment could begin. He said that recruiting foreign educators was not sustainable in the long run because of the high cost, adding that the plan could only be used as a stop-gap measure.
"More local English teachers must be groomed to prevent us from being too dependent on outsiders," he said yesterday.
During his recent visit to India, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had said that the Malaysian government plans to bring in a number of English teachers from India to teach Malaysian students as part of efforts to boost mastery in the language.
