Boys should be taught cookery in school.

“Boys should be taught cookery in school.” Do you agree?

1. Briefly describe the stereotyped roles of boys and girls.
2. Describe the advantages of teaching boys how to cook.
It teaches boys to be independent.
Cooking is a creative and educational activity.
It prepares boys for married life.
3. Explain why it should not be made compulsory.
Boys might develop hatred for it if they are not interested in cooking.
Boys might not be serious about lessons.
4. Briefly conclude that knowing how to cook is a necessary basic skill.


Most Asian societies shun the idea of boys doing any household chores. This is because, for many generations, only girls helped their mothers in the kitchen. However, times and values have changed. Perhaps, boys could be taught cookery in schools as an elective. Unmarried men, single parent families and men living on their own are common in a modern society. Thus, teaching boys cookery in school would certainly ensure that they eat proper meals. This is especially important since employing maids and eating out are both becoming more expensive by the day.

More significantly, cooking is a creative, challenging and educational activity. Learning about food and nutrition is also an important step towards healthy living. For instance, not many boys know that a deficiency in calcium can cause bone and teeth problems. Once they are aware of things like this and they are able to cook, they will be able to ensure that the ingredients in the dishes they prepare contain the nutrients that they require.

Knowledge of cookery could also prepare boys for married life. Married man who are able and willing to cook, can help lessen the burden of their wives.

Despite their advantages however, I personally feel that cookery lessons should not be made compulsory for boys. This is because if boys do not have an interest in cookery, they might eventually hate cooking if they are forced into the kitchen. Moreover, young boys, by nature, tend to be playful. Thus, they may be unhygienic while handing food. This may lead to contamination of food resulting in food poisoning. Carelessness and playfulness may also result in accidents in the cookery room.

Thus, a good suggestion would be to teach older boys cookery on a voluntary basis. The main aim of education is to prepare the student for life, and teaching cookery is an invaluable step towards achieving that aim. It would be imparting a necessary basic skill to the student – the art of survival.

What career would you like to choose after leaving school

What career would you like to choose after leaving school

Today, it is not easy to choose a career. Hundreds of students pass various examinations every year and compete with one another for positions in the various professions which are not so many as there are applicants. I would, however, like to choose teaching as my career.

Teaching is an interesting career for several reasons. As a teacher I can learn many things, especially if I teach to an udder-secondary school. If I teach History or English, for example, I have to read many books to make my teaching lessons more interesting to my pupils. Thus, I can acquire more knowledge of the subjects that I teach than what I can learn from the class text books. It is indeed a fact that a teacher learns a lot from the class text books; but that is hardly enough to make the teacher's lessons interesting to pupils. A good teacher must therefore read many other books.

Again, as a teacher, I have to speak well so that my pupils will be able to understand my instructions well. In this way I can improve my powers of expression. Even my pronunciation of words will improve to great extent.

Further, as a teacher, I shall have enough leisure to read and prepare for various examinations. It is possible today to sit for many important examinations by studying entirely at home. Thus, I can acquire important qualifications.

Finally, as a teacher I will be respected as an educated person. People will assume that I have certain qualifications and show their regard for me and the opinions that I express. Thus, I shall be able to live a happy life.

What opportunities have you had at school or elsewhere of listening teacher and speaking English?

What opportunities have you had at school or elsewhere of listening teacher and speaking English? How far have they been helpful? What changes would you suggest?

All the subjects in school are taught in Bahasa Malaysia except for English Language. Thus the opportunity for using English in school is very limited. I do converse in English with some of my friends, but only with a few of them. This is because most of the others cannot converse in English.

Some of these others do not have ample command of the English Language. Yet there are other who are either too shy to speak English or they simply refuse to do so. The teachers are not much help either for some of them can hardly speak English. It is only outside school hours that I get to speak English to teachers who can do so. Such opportunities only come when we have to return to school for games or other activities.

It would be beneficial if the school could have special periods or days each weak where the students and teachers are encouraged to converse in English. In that way both sides benefit and we do not have to be at a disadvantage because of our poor command of English. My father’s generations are proficient in English because English was the medium of instruction then. I am not saying we should go back to their time. I am just saying that we should not lose our proficiency in English and thus become handicapped when we face the outside world.

However the mass media provide much opportunity for listening to English. Television especially is very helpful. Most of my favorite programs are in English and we hear it being spoken although mostly by Americans. I cannot complain though for I do learn a lot from them. In fact I can see how different spoken English can be in the U.S.A, England, Australia, India, Malaysia and other countries. Though it is basically English each speaks, the pronunciation, accent and local flavor are plainly discernible. I can, quite accurately, tell where a person is from by listening to the English he speaks.

Unfortunately while I can hear English being spoken via television or radio, I cannot speak back. So again the opportunity to speak English is limited.

I suppose I have to live with the fact that the number of opportunities for listening and speaking English is limited. That does not mean that I give up using English. I realize that English is a very important language in the world and it is definitely important that I become proficient in it. We all should be proficient in it because most of the important discoveries and advances in science, technology and other fields are available in English. So if our command of English is lacking, we lose out and always are left behind.