English ‘must pass’ subject from 2016
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin also said that vernacular schools will receive equal support as public schools from the government.
(FMT) – Muhyiddin also said that English teachers will be made to undergo the Cambridge Placement Test (CPT) to gauge their knowledge in the language.
English will be made a mandatory passing subject for all students sitting for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) from 2016, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Education Minister announced today.
He said the government has placed emphasis on English to strengthen students’ grasp of the subject, with an intention of producing a globalised generation.
“English will be given emphasis and as announced earlier this year, it will be made a compulsory passing subject for SPM students by 2016,” Muhyiddin said today during the launch of the National Education Blueprint (PPPM) 2013-2025 here.
“To realise this, the ministry is currently in the process of increasing contact hours (between teachers and students) in classes so deeper immersion in the English language for the students,” he added.
Muhyiddin also said that English teachers will be made to undergo the Cambridge Placement Test (CPT) to gauge their knowledge in the language.
“The first batch of 5,000 teachers have participated in the training by the British Council. Nine thousand English teachers will undergo the same training in October,” he said.
Along with English, Muhyiddin said that the government will continue to place strong emphasis on the Malay language to uphold unity and national identity among the people.
“To strengthen both languages, the PPPM has highlighted a few initiatives. Among those are to improve the Malay curriculum in vernacular schools.
“For students who are weak, additional classes will be conducted outside schooling hours and this will not affect teaching time and their other classes,” he said.
‘More hours in vernacular schools’
