THE Malaysian Ministry of Education is planning to make a series of changes to the teaching of English in primary schools in order to ensure that pupils get a better grasp of the language, The New Straits Times has reported.
The ministry is considering stretching the English lesson period by shortening the time for other subjects, increasing English reading materials as well as hiring teachers from English-speaking countries if there is a shortage.
The ministry has also called for more support from corporate and professional bodies to improve the teaching and learning of English, such as sponsoring English newspapers for NIE (Newspaper in Education) programs in schools, contributing English books to school libraries and providing scholarships to English language teachers.
A special committee will be established later this year to train and improve the capabilities and skills of English language teachers and students, focusing on narrowing the language mastery gap between urban and rural people.
"We will make an effort to ensure that the usage of the English language is strengthened," Malaysian Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said, adding that radical and bold steps needed to be adopted to enhance the learning of the language, especially among primary pupils.
At present, the ministry is re-evaluating the policy of using English for the teaching of Science and Mathematics in schools and gathering feedback from teachers and parent-teacher associations on the policy. All education stakeholders have been invited to give their views.
Pupils who will sit for the Primary School Assessment examination in September are the pioneer batch who started studying Science and Mathematics in English from Year One in 2003. A decision on whether the two subjects will continue to be taught in English will be made after the results are released at the end of the year. Hishammuddin stressed that whatever decision reached on the policy would not affect the ministry's resolve to ensure that students have a strong command of English.
