Our deteriorating level of English among students, and as a result, among our working population, has caused enough panic to recruit native speakers from Britain at naturally higher remunerations, not only because of the high exchange rate (though dropped substantially) but because they are expatriates. They will be paid up to Rm15,000 a month whereas a local equivalent is worth only Rm4,000. This is our problem: we rather employ foreigners than locals because of discrimination. There is also a further distinction between a foreigner termed as expat (paid higher) and another termed as workers (paid lower than locals).
Below, is an example, though a minor one (multiplied thousands of times), but it shows how our discriminating policies have contributed to brain drain:
"The above article reminded me of the time when I just came back from completion of my tertiary education at the University of Alberta. I visited my eldest sister in Kuching, Sarawak and had the intention of finding perhaps a temporary teaching job to while away my time while on a three months' vacation. To my surprise, the Malaysian Government did not recognise my B.A. degree, and as I had only completed my studies up to Form Five with a Malaysian Certificate of Education, the government would only recognise the MCE and the pay offered to me was a paltry sum. I told my sister I might as well enjoy my vacation .
When I visited my eldest brother in Singapore, I was surprised the Regional English Language Centre immediately gave me a part time teaching post and the pay was attractive. When I applied for training with the then Insitute of Education, I was immediately accepted and a year after graduation, the government offered me citizenship! Malaysia has not welcomed her own physicians; can she blame the brain drain of her people.? The standard of English in the country is so weak, and now Malaysia has to spend so much money to employ English teachers from England and the West!"
Thanks to Gan Chau for sharing her experience.
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