Poor English affects college students

While it is heartening to note the dimensions and resolutions highlighted for consideration by the (Melta) National Colloquium on the Role of English Language in Nation-Building (StarEducation, April 27), like Dr Kuldip, I’m concerned that “more needs to be done” and must be seen done or all efforts will once again come to naught. Malaysian English language educators will agree that in practice English needs to be redeemed before it can be rightly deemed as a second language, a status accorded to it in principle.  

Among the resolutions adopted for schools I applaud the resolve to make learning English fun as I’ve long been one such advocate. Making English fun to learn is not as simplistic as it sounds. It is an informed, challenging and creative endeavour for teachers to make it stimulating for learners. Teachers long steeped in conventional teaching modalities need help and convincing to see that learning can and does happily happen through fun activities that are thoughtfully conceived.