Putting an end to the English provision in the elementary schools sounds right if the consideration is based on the equity of the basic educational service all over the country. It is understandable if the top priority is still to give equal educational opportunity for all Indonesian children at the age of the elementary schools. The government does have lot homework on this case. Therefore, problems and constraints in the provision of English to our elementary schoolchildren can wait.In other words; nationally the policy can be regarded as a luxury.
If they hold decision making positions, it will not be too difficult to understand when they decide not to support the English provision in the elementary levels. This paper presents the reasons why we still need to take the stance that our children should learn English in the elementary schools.
The reasons why the children need to keep learning English in the elementary schools
1. Other children in other countries in the world start learning English in the elementary schools
As reported by the British Council in collaboration with University of Aston (2011), there are 144 countries from all the continents the education systems of which include English as a school subject in elementary schools. Elementary schoolchildren in Hungary, Poland and Spain as the representatives of European countries learn English in schools. Would be more likely to compare our elementary schoolchildrenwith those in Asia. All countries in Asia, from Japan to India, children learn English in the elementary school. To be more specific, in the South East Asian countries, all countries offer English in the elementary level. Things of course are not similar from country to country; however. We only need the information that children in other countries in the world learn English in the elementary schools so that we can also say why the Indonesian children cannot and do not do the same thing. If they are not introduced to English as early as their other fellow children in the world they will be left behind. They will not know English as well as other children in the world when they grow up.
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2. The children’s learning time in schools increases due to several factors
Children today start school earlier than children in the old days. The reasons vary, some parents send their children at very young ages because they want their children to have more systematic education from the very beginning of their childhood. In the past Indonesian children only started having their school at the age of six or seven. Today, however, children have to start schooling at the age of four or even three due to the fact that their parents have to leave them to work. In the past children of those ages might stay at home with their extended families. Today, when parents are no longer backed up by the extended families and getting help for the babysitting is not as easily as it used to be. Therefore, they tend to send the children earlier to the schooling system. That will make the children have earlier and longer systematic learning They need more things to learn. Traditionally, educating children in some societies may cover music, sports, dances, craft, and religious teachings. Today, foreign languages need to be added, so naturally, English will be there to be chosen.
3. The demand of the society to the children is getting higher and higher each day
Even though the children and the parents do not want to put much pressure on them, they could not afford to be just ordinary school leavers. It is due to the fact that they have to compete with other fellow school leavers. Therefore, they need to equip themselves with things they need to be successful in the job market. They need to have knowledge and skills in information technology, entrepreneurships, communication, arts, music which, if not learned in school, are learned when the children are still in schools. When they leave secondary schools, parents and society expect that they have with them more than just mastery of all the subjects offered in schools. English is one of the knowledge and skills required by the school leavers which will make them ready for other challenges for their future.
4. The computer age
It has spoilt teachers of young learners of English with such an easy and wonderful access to information on how to teach children whether individually at home or in the school system. Children can also have thousand ways of learning English as long as they are interested and want it. Plenty of most interactive media and endless wonderful resources can be downloaded from the internet. Without the instrumental need to learn, our children would not see the need to learn English. When they learn English at school, the door will open to them so that they can walk in on their own and learn further.
5. Most of them will never meet English during their elementary school time
If the children in the elementary schools, the number of whose is so great are no longer to learn English at schools, most of them will never meet English during their elementary school time. Some might continue learning English in courses or in other ways, but the number will not significantly count if compared to those who will stop learning. This will put a great number of teachers out of jobs, Moreover, book writers and publishers will no longer work on the business of English coursebooks for elementary schools which has been good these years. In the era of computers, program designers will not have their interactive language programmes for children easily sold.
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