I WOULD like to give my views on the teaching of Science and Mathematics. I am still in secondary school and my opinions are from a student's perspective having lived in Ipoh and in a village in the interior of Sabah.

The teaching of Science and Maths in English has in no way adversely affected myself or my classmates in both schools.

While my friends and I acknowledge that our proficiency in English is average, the language used in the Science and Maths textbooks is easy enough for us to understand.

Science and Maths teachers have also been criticised for their poor English proficiency.

Despite their weak grasp of the language, many of my teachers in my previous and present school are dedicated and try their best to use scientific or mathematical terms correctly and precisely and impart knowledge to the best of their abilities.

The naysayers have said that the teaching of both the subjects in English will not make us experts in the language. This may be true to some extent, but my schoolmates and I have now become much more confident in voicing an opinion or even having a conversation in English.

Those using ICT in education would also benefit greatly as one need only key in an English term to get information on a particular term or topic, which cannot be done if both these core subjects were taught in Bahasa Malaysia.

English must be retained for these subjects, if the country wants to move forward and be a global player.

BOON TEONG Y