Indonesia plans to omit English subject in primary school. A good move? [QUICK NOTE]

International Business Times (Australia, Oct. 15) reported that Indonesia plans to omit the English language subject in primary school to allow students to master Bahasa Indonesia first.

Deputy Education and Culture Minister Musliar Kaslim was quoted in The Jakarta Post: "Now, even some kindergarten students take English courses. I pity the kids."

"It is not good to imitate the Western education system in a way that would kill our Indonesian values," said "Commission X" member Dedi Gumelar to the Jakarta Globe.

My thought: It's definitely a different scenario here in Malaysia where many parents want their children to master English as soon as possible. In fact, most parents, especially in the urban areas, speak to their newborn babies in English.

In a globalized world, we can't deny the importance of English (and maybe soon Mandarin, as China strengthen its economy).

Back to Indonesia scenario. Should English be scrapped at the primary level? Is it too late to start learn English at the secondary school level?

It would be cool to have our Indonesian friends share their thoughts!