In your opinion, is it important for everyone to learn English? Should we try to ensure the survival of local languages and, if so, how?
In the last few decades, the English language has become a key component of many schools’ educational systems. In some countries, the increasing concentration of teaching students English has started to affect the local languages. From my perspective, I unwaveringly believe that schools’ language systems should focus on teaching students an equivalent amount of English and the local languages.
To begin with, many countries acknowledge the significance of learning English in our modern world. Because it opens many substantial prospects in many fields, such as science and technology. Consequently, some of them have decided to teach students English young ages. For instance, Malaysia is one of these countries that thoroughly rely on English in its educational system. Starting from elementary school to tertiary education. Therefore, most adult Malaysians are considered fluent in English.
However, this total reliance on a foreign language can cause many catastrophic issues. According to some studies which have indicated that teenagers and children rely on a foreign language can cause them to lose their identity and culture. For instance, since Malaysia has started relying on English in schools. Malaysian people have become less sticked to their culture and their norms. Consequently, they’ve started ignoring their local language as long as they don’t need it.
To sum up, although English is tremendously significant in today’s world, upholding local languages is not less important. The key is to balance between the local language and English in schools.