Fulbright teaching programme extended to 2020
PUTRAJAYA: The Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETA) programme will be extended to 2020.
The programme, which aims to assist teachers and students in Malaysia with the English language, will see 100 of America’s brightest and most enthusiastic individuals stationing themselves in selected rural schools for the next three years.
Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (Macee) executive director Dr James Coffman said annually, some 40,000 students benefit from the programme which provides American college graduates an opportunity to teach English in Terengganu, Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Kedah, Perlis, Sabah and Sarawak for a full academic year.
The Fulbright ETA programme, which started in Malaysia in 2005 with just 15 volunteers, became a federal programme funded by the US and Malaysian governments after a meeting between then US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in 2010.
“This is the largest exchange programme run by Macee. This year, 98 ETAs from all across the United States served in Malaysia as teaching assistants in national secondary schools,” he said during an ETA showcase event held here yesterday.
Dr Coffman said the new batch of ETAs will arrive on Jan 3 next year.
“The schools and the teachers have been selected. The ETAs will start their postings by the end of January,” he said, adding that the programme was more than just about language.
“It’s about bridging cultures.” The best way to learn English, he said, was to make it part of the students’ lives.
Education deputy director-general (education operations sector) Aminudin Adam said students were more confident in speaking the language after participating in the programme.
“The programme is based on learning through activities. When they enjoy it, their proficiency improves.
“Our teachers also benefit from co-teaching with the ETAs because they sing along and participate in the activities together with the students,” he said.
ETAs are selected through a rigorous annual competition among America’s brightest young universi- ty graduates.
They are assigned to schools for 10 months where they work under the supervision of qualified Malaysian teachers in order to enrich the schools’ English language instruction.
They also take responsibility for organising school clubs, sports teams, English camps and other extracurricular activities, all geared towards helping students develop greater interest and ability in using spoken English to express themselves.