Despite the initiatives by the Ministry of Education to improve the proficiency in English, many still perceived the standard of English among students is declining.
“I understand that one of the constraints faced by the Education Department of Sarawak is that the budget allocated is often insufficient because of the wide geographic distribution of schools and the remote location of many of these schools in Sarawak,” said the Sarawak Chief Minister in his speech during the opening ceremony of Sarawak English Language Education Symposium (SELES) 2017 on October 23rd.
To enhance and complement the efforts as well as the policy by the federal government in improving the standard of English of students, YAB Datuk Patinggi (DR) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg said that the State can intervene and support the education department in critical areas.
This includes providing training to teacher to be more proficient in the language as well as to be creative and innovative.
Besides that, the State can also provide teaching and learning resources, as well as supporting extra-curricular activities such as debates, drama, elocution contests and essay competitions.
“Effort must be made to raise the awareness of the working population, and encourage them to improve their mastery of the language even after they have left school,” he said.
As of now, among the latest initiatives by the Ministry of Education includes the Dual Language Program and the Highly Immersive Program.
“Both these programs have yet to be fully implemented in all schools in Sarawak and it is too early to assess the effectiveness of the programs,” said Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research, YB Datuk Sri Michael Manyin Jawong.
