KUCHING, Feb 22: What concerns a Sarawakian deputy chief minister is not so much of the “poor” English used in explaining human reproductive system but the explanation itself.
On the issue of the poor English pronunciation of a primary teacher who tried to explain human reproduction system on DidikTV, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing’s main concern is her “haphazard explanation” and not the English.
“Her English pronouncement is not my concern. Hers may not be an Oxford English but she could be understood by the listeners.
“What concerns me was the way Ministry of Education (MoE) explains the human reproduction system – a person gets married and bang, pregnancy! MoE should explain the reproduction system in greater details.
“Because of the haphazard approach in teaching human reproduction process, Malaysia has large numbers of teenage pregnancy and substantial numbers of child pregnancy,” said Masing.
A primary teacher Rafidah Rahman found herself in the house of fame after her 88-second video clip appeared on DidikTV. In the video clip of national education channel, Rafidah was explaining the reproduction system in English.
Rafidah however, was later criticised and mocked for her “poor” English pronunciation.
The issue had attracted much attention. Even though there were some who criticised her for her English, there were also others who praised her for her courage and effort.
Education experts had come to her defence, arguing that she was not an English teacher and should not be criticised for her English.
Leaders of NGOs also explained that what Rafidah did was volunteer work so as to be able to provide education for those who have no access to online lessons. — DayakDaily
