Assalamualaikum,

Recently the matriculation administration decided to revive the Buddy System, a system to improve the implementation of PPSMI in educating maths and science subjects in english. The system is quite simple. A group of identified people among the lecturer were identified through a series of tests and even public speaking. These selected ones will be given several understudies to improve on their English, particularly in their subject field.

A meeting was conducted hence the initiation. The selected ones will be known as 'Critical Friend' while the understudies will be called 'Buddies'.

This new 'title' however cause me to rethink their meanings and the relations with our role in the Buddy System.

critical
adjective

1. expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgements.
2. expressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults of a work of literature or art.
3. (of a situation or problem) at a point of crisis. Øextremely ill and at risk of death. Øhaving a decisive importance in the success or failure of something.
4. Mathematics & Physics relating to or denoting a point of transition from one state to another.
5. (of a nuclear reactor or fuel) maintaining a self-sustaining chain reaction.

I just hope that they mean like no 1 or no 2 in the dictionary. I can't imagine myself being in no 3. Hehe.

buddy informal, chiefly North American

1. noun (plural buddies) a close friend. Øa working companion with whom close cooperation is required. Øa person who befriends and helps an Aids sufferer.
2. verb (buddies, buddying, buddied) (often buddy up with/to) become friendly with.

I always thought buddy is more of a friendly title to give those who are helpful but in this Oxford dictionary, it seems that buddy is a person in dire need of help. Hiks.

A senior colleague of mine said that this system was once implemented but was a miserable failure. Let's just hope this time it will work better with some kind of observations in the process.