English not a ?must pass? for SPM?

[Athersin]

Excerpted from The Star online.

KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is surprised to learn that English is not a ?must pass? subject for SPM and wants public feedback on the matter.
The Education Minister said it was a revelation to him as he had always thought that it was a prerequisite since students had to learn English in school.
He was also shocked to learn that national schools no longer taught English grammar.
?I don?t know how you can learn English without knowing grammar,? he told newsmen after launching the Kirkby College alumni association.
Muhyiddin said students were now merely learning communicative English.
?This means they are picking up the language for communication purposes only,? he said, adding that almost 70% of students who take English pass the subject.
The minister said he would seek public view on the matter.
?We may deliberate on it at the ministry level but as Education Minister, I want to give the public a chance to share their views,? he said.
(A pass in English has never been compulsory for SPM. Since 2000, a pass in Bahasa Malaysia was sufficient to get the SPM certificate. Previously, a credit was a must.)
Muhyiddin said he wondered if rural students would be at the losing end if a pass in English was required in SPM.
He also said he did not know if not having to pass English meant the standard of the language had gone down.
When announcing the SPM results in March, Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom said 89% of 178,751 candidates had opted to answer the Additional Mathematics Paper 1 fully in English.
Other subjects which students preferred to answer fully in English included Additional Mathematics Paper 2 at 86%, Biology Paper 3 (81.5%) and Chemistry Paper 3 (76.8%).
A retired lecturer and teacher trainer said the teaching of grammar was integrated into four main language skills ? listening, speaking, reading and writing in English lessons for students.




lets share our views on this issue.Our DPM urgently wanting to hear the precious opinion form our current Malaysian students.:))

[vseehua]

what a shocker, the minister himself don't know about the standards set by his own ministry

[Miracle_seed]

what a shocker, the minister himself don't know about the standards set by his own ministryThis is what happens when any politician may become Minister of Education, he could be in Ministry of Defence this month, and goes to Ministry of Education next month, we can never expect our ministers to master their departments, they are not professionals in the first place.

[nemosmknimh]

politics nowadays has gotten dirty and dirtier

hurm
it is hard id english is a must pass subject for SPM
for those who live in pedalaman area,not so many of them can do well in english
because english is a language that need to be practised
but their environment wont help them to do well in that language

[capablanca]

That's a shocker for me too. I remember the must pass are BM and Maths, correct me if I'm wrong cause I remembered last time when I'm taking my SPM, there are a couple errr senior aged people who took those two subjects, saying they need a SPM cert.

[VioPipe]

politics nowadays has gotten dirty and dirtier

hurm
it is hard id english is a must pass subject for SPM
for those who live in pedalaman area,not so many of them can do well in english
because english is a language that need to be practised
but their environment wont help them to do well in that language


yes, i agree with that. Different areas, different environments. DPM should turun padang to see the real scenario. :notrust

[Athersin]

words from Dr Mahathir

English was a necessary component for students to get good jobs once they leave school or for them to go overseas for further education nowadays.



if parents continued to reject the importance of the English language in their children’s education, then the future of the country would be at stake.



It is more like politics than education. They are not interested in education or acquiring knowledge. All they want to see is how many votes they can win. So I am afraid the country will go to the dogs,”


Asked about the possibility that the policy on the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English would be scrapped , Dr Mahathir said:

I feel very sorry. In future, all Malays and Malaysians will be stupid.”

[zaiy]

politics nowadays has gotten dirty and dirtier

hurm
it is hard id english is a must pass subject for SPM
for those who live in pedalaman area,not so many of them can do well in english
because english is a language that need to be practised
but their environment wont help them to do well in that language

IMO, the students from rural area might not face big problem on this; passing english for SPM. well, it's just an opinion based on my experience. I'm from Sarawak where lots of my friends come from rural area. and I often go to cityside/ rural area too. honestly,their english is very good. even my friends' english is much better than my schoolmates here in negri (sorry, i dont mean to offend anyone. it's just my case here) which is quite suprising since I always though students in town usually are good in english.
but this is real scenario. they didnt learn english seriously because it is not a must pass subject in spm. if the ministry of education emphasize english in education, students will work harder. this will benefit them in future.

just my 2 cents though.

[CourseConsultant]

IMHO, the ministry must relook into the whole education system, if we are to move forward, and not just getting polls on whether Maths & Science must be taught in English. In this world and age, successful education systems are no longer a secret, and it is available worldwide.

"EDUCATION IS KEY TO CHANGE FOR THE BETTER"

Just look at at the common denominator of an Industrialise Economy.

It's no longer just doing past year papers and getting A's in SPM or STPM.

Rather than asking for Polls, what is the direction of the Ministry, and how well are they implementing or executing, how the other relevant departments supporting this plan.

My only wish and prayer, is that All Ministers in our government would put the interests of the people first in everything and anything they do. I must add that it is a challenge however, if all work with that principle of service above self, the benefits would be abundant.

We all know that we are country that is rich in resource, literate workforce, multiracial society, but why do tourists, claim that this is still 3rd world?

[zheyan]

I would suggest that the policy to be set like this:

1) English is a compulsory subject in SPM.
2) English is not a "must pass" subject in SPM.
3) Teachers in all government schools to receive regular trainings to buck up their knowledge and teaching skills.

[vseehua]

I would suggest that the policy to be set like this:

1) English is a compulsory subject in SPM.
2) English is not a "must pass" subject in SPM.
3) Teachers in all government schools to receive regular trainings to buck up their knowledge and teaching skills.I would disagree with the "trainings" stuff. A lot of public servants were sent to "training" but came back same as before...

[mehul91]

Well I appreciate what the country has done for us all this years. But this is a shame that after more than 50 years of independence, we are fighting on which subject should maths and science be taught. Its a shame. We should instead fight for HOW should science and maths be taught. All I can say is that hope all the future students study by themselves. And about the minister, I'm not shock.Well in a country where chief ministers position change in a day, its not shock to know that they are not well aware of the current situation. All i can say is with all due respect to the minister, is either he is naive and should not be in politics, or this is sheer political gimmick. The problem with malaysian politics is the people. Since we constitute of different culture, therefore we demand different things. And the government instead of doing what is right is just making popular decision so that they can keep their seat. I thing its about time we need a MALAYSIAN BARACK OBAMA to turn things around. In that case, at times i wonder why most ministers send their kids overseas to study but preach the idea that our education system is good. Well, this is Malaysia.

[Scrmath]

I would disagree with the "trainings" stuff. A lot of public servants were sent to "training" but came back same as before...

I think they should be tested with speaking test for example speaking tests in ielts or muet,then tests of speaking in front of a bunch of ppl..and lastly,they would be distributed a topic(like integration) to "teach",and examiner would give marks to them..then,if they passed this test with flying colours,their salary would be increased a bit as an incentive..but if they failed,they would not be allowed to teach subjects that uses english as medium..

if those things are implemented,i think that training given would have helped much..because to be adept in speaking english,you yourself is very important,so that's why all the trainings have wasted in vain..

lastly,the above people i refer to are those who are not willing to improve their english,but still want to teach subjects that uses english as medium..

[Koschei]

Back to the topic, I'm surprised that English isn't a must pass, actually. Then again, it won't matter for the large majority of Malaysian students. I think the standard of the tests speak for themselves when a student who gets an A1 for English can't even string together a proper sentence without making numerous grammatical mistakes. If that is the quality of an A1 student, can you imagine what a person who got a D7 for English would sound like?

Making English a failing condition for SPM won't change a thing unless you make the test itself harder (or if you raise the grade).

[bluebelle]

Haiz...:notrust i think the government should rethink, and take firm actions! Not always making decisions, then changing their minds, such vacillation is really driving people crazy! Just like the PPSMI case! Ugh, if they really do care and have the heart to improve the education system in this country, they should not hesitate at all in taking drastic action (but only after thinking WISELY...), and most importantly stick to it!