PRESS STATEMENT
10 MARCH 2015
I support the move to make English a
must-pass subject in the SPM but I have to agree with Malaysian
English Language Teaching Association president Associate Prof Dr Ganakumaran
Subramaniam and Sarawak Teachers Union president Mr Jisin Nyud that it is too
soon to start implementing this in 2016. The failure rate for English has been
increasing, and according to Minister of Welfare, Women and Family Development Datuk Fatimah
Abdullah, for Sarawak, the failure rate increased from 19.4 per cent in 2013 to
23.16 percent in 2014. The minister described the results as ‘scary’. It is
unrealistic to expect that next year’s results will be much different.
If students throughout
the country are struggling with English, then the situation is far more
critical in Sarawak, especially in the rural areas where schools lack
everything, from infrastructure and equipment to human resources. We appreciate
that there are dedicated teachers in these schools but they are struggling with
the lack of facilities. The students in these areas are already disadvantaged,
and if the requirement for a pass in English is implemented next year, they
would be at an even greater disadvantage.
It is good that
there is the English Language Teacher Development Programme (ELTDP) with the
British Council but more needs to be done to lift the standard of English to
what it was before the decline started. Teaching Maths and Science in English
will be a good start, but more than that, we need to encourage an English
speaking and reading culture among the young, by providing a good supply of
books for school libraries. In many rural schools, there are not enough books
for the students to read – I was told that each primary school is given RM300
per year to buy books for their library. If this is true, it is a ridiculously
low amount, which is totally inadequate. For this reason I have tried my very
best to assist by distributing more than 8000 books in English, to some
Pre-schools, Kindergartens and all the Primary School in my Constituency of
Ba’Kelalan.
The most
important factor is a good foundation in English, which must be provided when
students are still in primary school. In the 60s and 70s, Radio Sarawak ran an
excellent Schools Broadcasting Service which was used by teachers in schools
throughout Sarawak as an aid in teaching English. I believe that we can do this
again. Internet connection is sadly inadequate in many rural schools, and even
television sets and reception may be a problem, but radio broadcasts are easily
received throughout Sarawak. Such a programme will be relatively easy to
implement, as radios are cheap and readily available. I hope the Minister will
look into this suggestion.
In my November
2011 DUN speech, I spoke about the excellent academic performance by the
students of SK Ba’ Kelalan. Due to the efforts of the dedicated headmaster and
teachers, the school managed to move from a 20+ % passing rate in the UPSR in
the 1990s to consistently surpass 90% in the past few years. The school has won
many awards including the Commonwealth Education Good Practices Award in 2009
together with SK Lubai in Limbang. This shows that given the sufficient
facilities and financial support and with teachers who are determined to
succeed, rural schools can outperform urban schools.
At one time,
Sarawakians were known for their proficiency in English. Our forefathers who
signed the Malaysia Agreement placed such high importance on this that we
maintained the right to have English as one of our official languages. This
right has never been relinquished and rightly so. I repeat my call for the
State to take back the responsibility for the education of our younger
generation as it appears that the standard began dropping when the late Rahman
Yaakob handed control over to the federal government. We will be able to do
much better than the Federal Education Ministry, which has only succeeded in
producing 2 or 3 generations of Malaysians with poor English skills.
Baru Bian
ADUN N70 Ba’
Kelalan/
Chairman, PKR
Sarawak
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