Science and Maths in English... Gone No Where!

Science and Maths have been taught 'fully' in English for the last 6 years. Hence, when you come across engineering or any science students, it's only natural to expect them to, at their very worst, be able to carry out a simple conversation in English as they too would have gone through a couple of years of 'instruction' in English.

But this is not so. Our educational institutions like the polytechnics, colleges and universities are filled with students who have gone through 11-13 years of schooling and prep time at pre-uni (or its equivalent) not quite comprehending simple tasks in English or being able to carry out simple conversations in English. Worse still, the Science students seem to also fall into this incapacitated group. Can you imagine, our supposedly professionals going into the job market, not quite able to even carry a decent conversation in English? Makes me wonder how they cope with their lessons which are supposedly in English.

Which got me thinking.... if these students who are supposed to be studying their subject matters in English don't seem to be making much headway in English in normal everyday English usage, is it safe to assume that tutors, teachers and lecturers are not using English as the medium of instruction which they are supposed to. Hence the continued deplorable state of our English. PPSMI was actually doomed by those entrusted to execute it.

Anyway, just walk into any of our polytechnics today... you'd be surprised at how weak majority of the students are in English... this after 7 years of English being used. My two sen for the day...