| English Curriculum To Be Revamped - Hishammuddin |
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PUTRAJAYA, April 18 (Bernama) -- The Education Ministry is looking into radical measures to strengthen the command of English among students, including revamping the curriculum.
Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said today the measures included a more comprehensive teacher training programme and introducing English literature as a subject as early as during primary school.
"This is for the experts to advise me (the introduction of English literature). I personally would like to see that it at the primary school level because this is where the children are able to master many languages.
"I think this will be advantageous to our children in a world that is so diverse and global right now," he told reporters after the ministry's post-Cabinet meeting here .
Hishammuddin said the move to revamp the English curriculum was made because of the importance of English in a globalised world as stated by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak recently.
"Poor command of English will hold us back as 75 percent of telex messages, 80 per cent of computer data, most satellite communication, and 5,000 newspapers or more than half the newspapers in the world are in English."
"The process (to strengthen English usage) is going on according to the programmes. However, I feel that the ministry has to do more because the focus is on English and there are no compromises on this."
Hishammuddin said the radical measures were not linked to the decision on the use of English in the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics which will be made after studying results of the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) this year.
He added the UPSR candidates this year would be the first batch since English was used as a medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics six years ago and would be the reference to chart future policies.
"We have to base on facts not assumptions, not from the emotional and other aspects as the education policy will have long-term effects and cannot be changed as we please. It must be based on reality.
"The use of English calls for radical and committed efforts which must be done immediately."
Hishammuddin, who is also president of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (Seameo), is scheduled to open the International Seminar on Language Teaching in a Multilingual World: Challenges and Opportunity at the Seameo Regional English Language Centre (RELC) in Singapore on Monday.
-- BERNAMA
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