TEACHING ENGLISH BY USING BAHASA MALAYSIA

Last week i went to schools supervising my students doing their teaching practicum. There were seven of them all ladies. I managed to reflect on what they commented about teaching English and the challenges they went through. The common observation was that students wanted the teachers to use Malay while teaching English in English lessons.

Wow???I got the observation before when i went to Remove Classes(By the way the Remove Classes are still around ensuring a smooth transition from vernacular primary schools to non vernacular secondary schools) I remembered the teacher at the remove class saying : Girls "" Ini cherek=kettle""""Ini water=air" "Ini sejuk=cold""Ini panas = hot" I asked why ???She replied because if she did not use Malay the students would not be able to understand. They demanded that the teacher used the mother tongue (in this case Malay).

Thus this brings us to the pertinent question" Should the mother tongue be used or avoided in teaching English as a Second Language? And how frequent should you use it to ensure students understand what you are talking about? Sometimes?Half the time?frequently?Most of the time? And of course this phenomena always happened in the class where students are very low achievers and ill disciplined. There are of course many methods in second language teaching which include the Grammar Translation Approach.This approach was historically used in teaching Greek and Latin and later modern languages.

So what philosophy do we use? Experienced teachers told me that if they did not engage the help of the mother tongue well the lesson would involve a lot more time; the students were indifferent and psychologically were not there. Equally in teaching subjects such as Science the students will say "Tak Faham lah""Cik gu boleh pakai Bahasa Malaysia"(Translated "I do not understand" "Can you use Bahasa Malaysia")

At the university too a lecturer mentioned that in Engineering classes the students looked blank when explaining the terms in Engineering in English. Socio-economic status also relates to language proficiency.The former explains values and upbringing.My student also remarked the class she was teaching would be very dull and unresponsive if the students could not interpret what she was teaching.

And of course it was vey difficult to motivate them to participate in class.How did i learnt English? Wow we have to go back in memory lane. I remembered we learnt by doing. The teacher said "Stand up" (and she asked us to stand up after she demonstrated the action. So "sit down and thus we sat down" _) And i remembered using the series " A Man and a Pen"etc. Subject experts stated that we can use the mother tongue up to a certain extent on a restrictive basis to explain complex linguistic issues . Another teacher remarked it is advisabble to use the target language instead of the mother tongue so that the students have full initiative in learning the new language and is less dependent on the old.

But learning new things can be very challenging. When we learn new subjects or methods the old learning seeks to interfere with the rules of the new and vice versa. Thus my daughter Zuraidah was so capable of speaking English in Los Angeles to come back to Malaysia showing off her praiseworthy english but after two years started spelling according to BM 's spelling .Thats where new learnings attacked the old learnings acquired.

What do we do here? Teachers suggested that we should explore the different methods of teaching so that it is more creative and meaningful because learners learn in different modes and styles. Diversified and differentiated teaching is the slogan to effective teaching of second language. This would help overcome the "Use the mother tongue "approach and uphold "We use English only approach "plus some interesting teaching techniques. Still we have diehards who still believe we should use the mother tongue as a viable teaching aid. One rematked "Well students dont understand and they were frustrated and this leads to your frustration" "And we need students to understand because it reflects on us as the teachers' which also means Teaching equals learning.

I guess translation is needed here to help clarify terms and glossaries and to expediate teaching. So what is our verdict? Use MT (mother tongue or Not?) The answer very much depends on the socio cultural context of the learners one have whether low IQ or not, from high SES or not, proficiency in two languages or not as well as the teacher variables such as teacher confidence and self efficacy and knowledge on teaching techniques.

THE MAKING OF CHILD PORN QUEEN : WHAT MAKETH A MAN OR WOMAN?

I was taken aback when an enthusiast who loves to examine human development asked me recently why a Muslim loves t0 be a porn queen or model. And more so a Muslim by name or religion . And more so a child. Human development is irrefutably a very very prominent component in social engineering. Society has within its fold all types of characters for there's diversity in this universe in which we live. I remember a famous psychologist who said"Give me how many babies i can turn them into doctors, lawyers,engineers or what"" And equally the famous quote that children are blank slates to be written upon. That is definitely the behaviorist theory that ones character and achievement can be molded or re enforced by the environment. Environment would encompass the physical, social, intellectual, spiritual , emotional or sexual? environment.

My friend asked me why so many appearances for this said porn queen? I mentioned about motivation, arousal, sustainability .So one success leads to another and to another success just like one failure will lead to another failure in a vicious cycle or in BM lingkaran setan(setan= devil)And that the only way is to break the evil cycle or as i mentioned some behavior intervention or the presence of God Given warnings. The latter refers to challenges given to make one aware of what one is and where one should be and the wrongs one is doing. The formerrefers to some concrete programs to modify behavior into the leading desirable behavior.Well what make's a man.

We talk about the towering personality all in one with the composite scores of noble values.That s where society normally sets its antenna on. Maybe as an analogy a Robot's Mr Bug can help detect the obstacles obstructing its path to goodness to ensure the right way the right path (So said a Robocon contestant) People would ponder why someone does not become the way we want them to become. Parents want their kids to achieve success but they may turn out to become Mat Rempit Daredevils or so.

Another reason for the birth of porn queens or child becoming adult porn queen can be the ambiance she was brought up. A child can be intelligent with high IQ but landed in the world of prostitution or pornography. Whom do you want to blame? The child must have got alienated initially for the lack of support and understanding from significant others around in his or her life. There must have been no one to confide in to express one's soul. Pressure mounting with high unmanageable expectations from parents. What nake the porn queen so proud? And not guilty as one would expect? Well proud because she finds satisfaction in being so famous having power as people put her on a world wide limelight.

My enthusiatic friend remarked that such porno queen are promised the world at her feet wealth, luxury etc etc and also she must have felt she needs the rewards in a short span of time to acieve and easily(imagine labouring for your job with little pay)Another remarked lack of religion or moral values which may account for submission into pornography.But at times the most religious of men succumb to the temptations of this universe right ?

I remember reading a book Qadak and Qadar which stresses that indeed men can choose what he or she wants in life and God knows what the decision shall be positive or negative . Kholberg said that you may be cognitively knowledgeable about good or bad but on the practical plane you are just the opposite. That is why one can easily know that corruption is wrong but still one ends up in that lane. The porn queen is also approved by society itself (contradictory??? ) as we can see in many big cities of the world the prostitutes survived to execute their roles professionally or unprofessionally whatever. It is a classical age old tradition.

Prostitution is not new. So children need good models around in the house not thrown in an ambiance where drunkards return at 3 am in the morning . Social learning has its power as one observe whats happening around and thus consciously or unconsciously approves it. But child prostitution is definitely a NO NO.

That would be one of the ills of society and we as educators should ensure that it is not here or rampant to affect future peace and stability.Children are the future leaders of tomorrow. Thus it is indeed a grievous social ill to be arrested and niped in the bud. Big role for ALL educators all over the world. So shall we ask agents of social change such as schools, mosques, homes and NGO's to address this???

GODAAN INTERNET DAN ONLINE DENGAN TUHAN OLEH ZULKIFLI KHAIR

Sesungguhnya kita mengakui bahawa kemajuan tekonoloji yang termasuk didalamnya kuasa pengunaan internet amat mengakagumkan . Semasa saya di universiti mengikuti ijazah Sarjana Muda dahulu kami mahasiswa mahasiswa terpaksa bertungkus lumus dengan penaip yang manual dan usang atau yang baru tetapi mekanikal. Saya masih mengingati bahawa kami pelajar sekalian bersungguh sungguh ke perpustakaan untuk meminjam buku teks rujukan yang di kenalpasti oleh pensyarah.

Buku tanda merah atau RED SPOT itu adalah sukar diperolehi kerana ramai yang akan berpusu pusu memohon untuk meminjamnya.Kami tidak ada komputer untuk menaip yang terbaik tanpa memadam kesilapan. Kami bersungguh membaca buku teks untuk membuat assigmen. Tetapi dengan timbul dan berkembang nya internet maka segalanya berubah untuk membantu proses pembelajaran pelajar. Sesungguhnya pelajar era ICT ini amat senang hidup mereka merisik pengetahuan dan mempunyai pengetahuan itu walaupun ownership pengetahuan bukan lah mereka pemilik yang asal.

Wujud plagarisma yang ketara bila mahasiswa menceduk bulat bulat bahan dari internet untuk tesis atau disertasi mereka.Dengan lain perkataan kecendrungan mengambil bahan dari internet lumrah hidup zaman siber ini dan memudahkan proses pembelajaran .Tetapi yang mendukacitakan adalah mahasiswa sekarang sukar untuk berfikir secara serius kerana bahan senang didapati dan pengarang bahan bahan itu telah sedia berfikir untuk mereka.Apakah ini satu malapetaka?

Mahasiswa perlu berfikir secara mendalam dan perlu tahu bagaimana membezakan secara kritis kesahihan yang dibaca.Bukanlah maksud saya melabel semua mahasiswa sedemikian adanya. Putarbelit dunia siber dan tarikannya amat kuat sekali sehingga semua golongan masyarakat turut tergoda terpikat dan terpesona.Ambil sahaja kaum muda mudi yang menjadi peminat blog yang sensasi dengan mudah terpengaruh tanpa mengetahui yang sah dan tidak sah yang hak dan yang batil.


Juga terdapat individu dewasa yang kononnya buat kerja dipejabat tetapi sambil selam minum air mengambil kesempatan melayani selera seksual dengan menonton pornografi pada masa yang tidak diizinkan.Kita semua terharu dengan dunia siber dan kehebatanya dan kuasanya. Rasanya jika sehari tidak melihat internet kita merasa patah sayap engin mengaksess maklumat dan kita ras ada satu macam kekosongan dan vakuum dalam situasi tersebut.Keadaan ini merupakan satu dilema dan konflik yang perlu diatas

.Dalam memikirkan dilema tersebut anak saya Maisarah Muhammad Rais menghadiahkan saya buku Online dengan Tuhan karangan Zulkifli Khair. Buku ini bukanklah cerita fasal mahasiswa tetapi releven untuk semua kaum Muslim.Pada mulanya saya ingat buku ini adalah saperti maksud judulnya tetapi setelah mengikuti nya saya dapati Zulkifli ingin kita"" berhubung dengan Tuhan tanpa wayar.""

Saya merasa kagum juga dengan penulis ini yang menulis secara rengkas padat tetapi informatif dan berkesan sekali..Mesej yang ingin disampaikan nya berteraskan pegangan agama dan mendemonstrasikan perhubungan atau online yang sebenarnya dengan Allah swt. Izinkan saya memetik beberapa konsep dari buku ini. Zulkifli Khair menegaskan bahawa sesungguhnya internet itu makhluk sesuatu yang dicipta dan Allah itu sebenarnya Pencipta. Sayangnya manusia lupa tentang hakikat demikian.

Kita kagum dengan teknoloji yang canggih tetapi lupa semua itu akan berakhir juga.Zulkifli Khair juga mengingati manusia bahawa browser yang sebenarnya adalah Al Quran dan manusia perlu meletakanya ke pedestal yang tertinggi dan terpuji kerana mencakupi soal jiwa, agama, sains dan sains sosial. Online dengan Tuhan memerangsangklan kita supaya mengamalkan kesyukuran dan mengamalkan alhamdulilah. Zulkifli juga mencabar manusia supaya menghayati Islam dengan sebenarnya mengingati supaya jangan lupa untuk mendirikan sembahyang. Dan masa yang dihadiahkan kepada internet dajal (katanya) sehingga pengurusan masa menjadi tidak terkawal akibahnya manusia kerugian.

Rakan saya Wan Ahmad Jailani Wan Ngah( yang berminat mengenai portfolio yang sedang saya bincangkan) juga ada membayangkan sesungguhnya manusia itu bersolat tetapi wayar perhubungan solat itu kadangkala terganggu kerana tidak khusyuk .Disini saya hanya sempat bercerita beberapa gagasan idea yang timbul dari buku ini .Apa yang menjadi buku ini menarik kerana illustrasi dan surah surah yang dikemukakan. Sub headingh yang digunakan menarik saperti "Wahyu tanpa Wayar""""Hantu Internet Vs Hantu Perempuan""""Klik Connect umtuk Cinta""""Klik Makruf Delete Mungkar""Kata tak nak untuk Porno"" istilah istilah internet yang lazim di gunakan

.Saya berpendapat pesanan Zulkifli senang difahami dan dikuti. Saya akhirnya bertanya pada diri saya iaitu Apakah dunia siber dan spiritualiti dan agama itu perlu bertentangan?Apakah kedua elemen teknologi dan agamaitu bukan saling ber kollaborasi untuk kebaikan sejagat? Dan apakah manusia itu tidak berupaya membuat pertimbangan rasional dalam menghadapi dua stimulasi yang kuat pengaruhnya?

Saya berpendapat melalui penghayatan pendidikan matlamat buku ini boleh direalisasikan kerana bagi saya Khair manusia itu insan yang boleh berfikir dan memahami. Biarlah kita berakhir dengan nada optimistik supaya kita yakin tentang nilai yang diterapkan dalam buku ini dan kita yakin bahawa kemurnian sesuatu matlamat direstui Illahi.

The DEVIL OR ANGEL OF A FATHER?

The Father's Day is celebrated throughout the world to appreciate fatherhood and the good deeds that fathers do or to remind fathers of the good deeds they should do as fathers. I remembered when my daughter Zuraidah Muhammad Rais or nicknamed Azu was born in a University of Southern California Hospital in Los Angeles during winter, immediately after that the gyneacologist and hospital who attended to me gave a Certificate of Fatherhood to my husband. I was indeed amused then because i have never seen such token before.

Thats a token of appreciation for the role of fathers. But fatherhood does not stop at the birth of a child. It begins and does not end till forever more even after the bride is given away by the father.That reminds me i attended several weddings whereby several fathers became so sad and emotional giving away their darling daughters to their sons in laws. The truth then shows that fathers too love their sugar and spice very much as daughters can be close to fathers just as sons are. But Kent Nerburn said that it is much easier to become a father than to be one. It is easy for a father to have children than for children to have a real father .Fathers have to be good role models modeling the goodness to be emulated by their children. They must be the family's tower of strength indeed.

I remembered my father who is a doting patient man who cared for us. I believe i inherited his patience till today. My father used to sit with me on the swing made of gunny sack and lullaby me to sleep. He was company when my very busy politically tuned mother went around doing her campaigns during the election rallies. But my father died young at the age of 62 when i was away at USA doing my PHD. I managed to see him three months in Malaysia before he died. When i left to fly back to USA i remembered the sad moments at the ward. He knew he was going to die and said he wished to send me to the airport. But he was then so thin and fragile and i felt so sick to see his bony structures left from suffering gout complications.When i gave birth through a Cesaearan at the hospital he gave endless prayers for me and assured my mother i would be alright.

I am sure your fathers have been the source of inspiration too. Malaysian fathers are pretty aware of Happy Fathers Day but it is hope they will respond concretely to the more active meaningful role of fathers other than being a disciplinarian or money provider. Fathers can be more active by interacting more with their children. Like when the baby goes to sleep a father can sing a song or read a book till the child fall asleeps. Fathers can be friends too like joing the children in family games such as golf or attending to the school activities. Fathers tend to protect and be the protector which is quite normal in todays "untrusted" world.

Fathers and mothers have to be consistent on the parenting style for their children. Sometimes the father will oppose a plan but the mother will agree and the child will get confused. There are such things nowadays such as father abscence. A man can disappear for six months (outstation, on duty ) and return home only to reenforce his role of disciplining a child while the mother has employed a less disciplinarian role during his abscence. So much confusion indeed

.Are you a good father? How does one measure such claim? Our prime minister Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak stated that a father's true love is when he touches the child's heart. Dato Seri Najib reminded fathers that fathering is not about lavishing gifts and material wealth but rather it is about equipping the child with the right tools, values and upbringing to manage their well being after they leave the comfort of the parents' care.

A sound advice i may say. But there are several who are disappointed about their fathers and recalled that their fathers were not around their single mothers. I attended the Workshop on Keluarga Sakinah (Sakinah's Family) rather an Islamic perspective on family upbringing stressing the important role of fathers and mothers at each stage of child development. Research has shown that without fathers as positive role models their sons' development will be affected. The latter would either be too aggressive or too timid and would also be rebellious. Thus a divorce may affect sons if the father is not around to give both moral , emotional support and companionship.

Should fathers also receive the Award called "Ibu Mithali" and the equivalent for fathers to be called "Bapa Mithali"?? I guess so in appreciation of fathers.And President Barrach Obama 's Dreams from My Father stated that Obama organized his life on the ideals given to him by his Kenyan father although of course Obama might have missed a lot more from his father. Fathers are important to develop stable families in the community. It is sad when fathers do not become the role models that their families envisage.

A friend stated he has known friends who did not have the blessing of having fathers. They grew up lost and helpless and always regretted their fathers were not available.Another told me its better then to have a father who is a devil but is indeed around than to have no father at all????Wow whats your response to that? To end with an optimistic note: Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest richest inheritance-Renkel

HAPPY FATHERS' DAY TO ALL FATHERS

STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES ALONG THE WAY

Ever felt a lump in your throat ,a big headache, some stomach cramps , a dont know what to do syndrome , stuck in a limbo, a continuous disappointment and a day when nothing was right??"Ever felt a sense of helplessness and boredom?Ever felt the world was against you and you were just nobody?Perhaps you were really stressed and conquered by all the stressors around you. Modern living and its demands will strangle you with stress.The traffic jam with the cars all neck top neck crawling and the inconsiderate drivers who overtook you right or left made you angry right?Look at those motorcyclists whose sense of space is completely distorted just waiting to knock or be knocked by your car.And you reached your office with piles of unattended or uncompleted work to be accomplished.In schools if you are a good teacher you will graciously accept all the directives from your boss or senior regardless of whether you are burnt out with never ending expectation.

What about life stressors like health., inadequate income, failure at your job, no promotion ,separation from your beloved ones and debts to be paid? Even the arrival of a new baby causes stress or a promotion.Yes indeed the causes of stress are numerous.You cannot delete these stressors but you can avoid some encounter with them or reduce the possibility of a head on collision. Ever looked a stressful face? No smile no light no plesantness just plain bored look and one of full of apathy or indifference.To be constructive or motivated one need a bit a reasonable amount of stress. However stress overload for a continuous period spells disaster for your mental health.Thus everyday you should examine your attitude, soul and strengths. Everday check your moods and whether the moods are negative and consistently low. To begin with develop a healthy self concept and self esteem.

You got to reward yourself and have a pat on your back. No one will reward you most of the time and so you should be kind to your honored and esteemed self. Being kind to yourself means acknowledging your eccentricity. Remember the famous quote ""Dont worry because worry is a great killer"Norman Vincent Peale once reflected on a question asked by one of the participants in his seminar . The question was "Sir I am indeed so depressed: Can you tell me where i can have no stress?"To this query Peale showed the curious man the cemetry and he told the man that indeed in that cemetry lies the dead who are no longer living and therefore logically have no stress.(Of course we are not talking about the hereafter here)

The effects of overloaded stress are numerous such as psychosomatic illness, lack of productivity at work , poor interpersonal relationships and a distorted view of yourself and life .Therefore look at every disappointment as a challenge and as an opportunity to become better for it is not the failure that counts but the step you undertake to stand up after each fall to become a stronger person. Since the environment we live in contains stress try to eliminate stress by identifying the stressors.

If you have a nasty poisonous character in the workplace ignore or aviod him because he will be a wet blanket minifying your dreams. Avoid pessimists who nwill tell you it is going rain everyday although you know sunshine will come out and the day will be bright. My friend Psychologist Dato Dr Mat Saat Baki once mentioned if you are stressed change your moods . He said he whistles everytime he walks because that makes him very happy. Of course Mr Bean will keep your stress level down by making you laugh.

Maybe we should honor Steven Covey 's principles such as do your planning early because its mighty important for the long run. One who likes to wipe out fires and get cramed at the deadline will face stress. Everyday first thing in the morning list your gratitude to God for the whole world at your feet. I remarked to a counselor recently that i feel that i am just doing so many things and am not certain at times where i am heading. He responded "Live your life to the fullest and count the roses along the way "

There is this song by Mac Davis which one should look into and appreciate the lyrics. We need thus to be in the right mental frame to be able to appreciate life and to find meaningfulness in everthing that we do. We need the coping skills to manage stress such as cognitive restructuring, a sense of belonging , humbleness , gratitude to God , a healthy body, great self esteem and support. In his book The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari Robin S Sharma said "When one consistently direct one's mind to live in the present one will always have boundless energy , no matter what time the clock reflects" and many of my friends including a bright young engineer Wan Ahmad Jailani Wan Ngah agreed to this mainly "Yesterday has gone so live for today and tomorrow and be a better person" .


And to quote Maureen stress is not what happens to us . It is our response to what happens and response is something we can CHOOSE. For me personally i have faced several challenges in my life but i am grateful i have met those challenges to make me more experienced and perhaps wiser today.

Remember what Mareen Pace said" Stress is the trash of modern life; we all generate it but if you dont dispose it properly it will pile up"

BOOK HIGHLIGHTS:- The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

This is a powerful book on human motivation. The Secret describes the law of attraction in the universe. This magnificent law governs all energy attracting energy to like energy.According to the author, everything in the universe is energy and that one's thoughts , feelings and beliefs determine the vibration and frequency of your energy. The energy of gratitude attract further positive things in life.The secret is one of the most powerful tools one can use to transform life into joy. List the things you are grateful for in life and you are maximizing your magnetic power to attract your wildest dreams and wishes. A
new book entitled "The Quranic Law of Attraction" has appeared in the market . The latter also talks about the Law of Attraction but from the Quranic perspective.

IS IT VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND BOYS??

The present research i am conducting is exactly this topic that relates to boys underachievement.We have all known that girls in Malaysia excel in all subjects in SPM exam compared to boys and the former has been the winner.This is not just in Malaysia but it is universal occurring all over the world. Scared? Panicky? Indifferent? What feelings do you have right now? Future mothers may feel a bit of fear you know because if they have sons they will have to address this issue.

Boys who later equals MEN traditionally were the bulwark of society or in Malay idiom the ayam tambatan.(someone who you can depend upon) What happen to all the boys? This reminds me of a song . Are you familiar with the song.?Forgive me my long term memory just fails at this point in time. Yes if boys fail miserably in the academic setup they will be shun from the mainstream. The mainstream is where all converge to contest, to fight , to struggle to prove their worth in society.You fail thus you go out of the mainstream to the sideline.

I am not being harsh or pessimistic just being factual. Face it !!This society adores and identifies with academic excellence so do our good neighbors Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan. One of the previous Minister of Education stated that he was afraid that entrance to the university in terms of boy-girls ratio would have social implications. University helps adolescents socialized to get their life partners. However this cannot happen if the number of boys is far below the number of girls with the 65% (boys) and 35% girls.

Although this is a social issue but it is urgent to address. Research has shown how boys differ from girls in managing studying. Girls are said to be more dedicated in studying and giving more attention. They are more disciplined and less distracted in their studying.Boys are easily influenced by their peer groups especially if the peer groups are negative or show anti social behaviors. Then there was this question about the psycho motor body kinesthetic characteristics of boys who are always active or agile. Boys need challenges in studying such as doing projects instead of sitting patiently mugging.

The exam system does not seem to favor boys they said. Exams favor the girls as girls tend to like memory work more than boys.Boys love to use their big muscles and swing their arms . Another reason put forward is that some boys prefer to stop schooling and go to work to support their families.As such they do not have long term ambition or that they are able to postpone need gratification till a future date. Then there is the gender stereotyping upbringing of boys and girls. Boys can leave the house and may return home a bit late or late.Thus parents give boys the freedom to go out because they feel they are boys and can possibly take care of their physical self. Parents are so fearful of daughters getting into trouble outside of home so they are more strict

.Thus girls can focus on their studies much better. Another opinion is that boys claim they work smart but not hard and that masculinity means working smart not hard.They claimed they do not want to be called or identified as sissy.Another claimed that the controversy about boy-girl seems to be an attempt to favor boys more , to help them more and evade the girls. Thus educational enhancement should be fairly given regardless of gender.Educational opportunity must be equitable for all boys and girls.

Some universities attempt silently to accept boys into the universities by lowering the entrance requirements.Although this may not be substantiated by research evidence, however these have been observational information. We therefore ask whether such practice is necessary or biased or unethical. Whatever the issues in this discussion about gender underachievement or achievement we cannot sweep issues under the carpet.

In this case in depth interviews to examine the psyche of boys are deemed highly important for such qualitative feedback can spill so many "'beans "out of the cans or open the pandora box or clean cobwebs out of the closet. Interestingly an opinion testifies that boys do not have male role models to identify with. Right after birth till university females are their mentors whereas boys need these role models from male teachers to emulate. In this case the education industry must address this dilema.

Hopefully the Ministry of Education can encourage more males in the teaching industry.Fathers told me boys refuse to listen to female teachers although they do not explicitly testify to that argument.Well i hope this discussion receives the attention of all so that we can take steps to counter the boy-girl dilema