Ministry to improve English proficiency
THE Education Ministry is looking to improve the teaching of English to enhance the proficiency of teachers and students.
This, said Education Minister Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin, is necessary for the country’s future.
“Many programmes have already been planned and carried out to strengthen the command of the language,” he said in reply to Datuk Hasbullah Osman (BN-Gerik) in Dewan Rakyat last Tuesday.
Although the Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) will not be reintroduced, the number of schools offering the Dual Language Programme (DLP) has increased, he said.
He said there are 2,291 schools – 737 primary schools and 1,554 secondary schools – offering the DLP this year.
The programme began in 2016 with 132 primary schools and 245 secondary schools.
Introduced in 2003, the PPSMI policy was replaced by the Upholding Bahasa Malaysia and Strengthening the English Language (MBMBI) policy in 2009.
As part of the MBMBI, the DLP allows selected schools to teach Mathematics and Science in English.
Separately, Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Noraini Ahmad said the MyBrain programme, which was suspended by the Pakatan Harapan government in 2018, will be reinstated subject to approval from the Economic Planning Unit (EPU).
She said a new version of MyBrain15 is being planned.
The ministry, she said, intends to implement a new MyBrain programme that focuses on sponsoring postgraduate students as a continuation of MyBrain15.
The decision was made after taking into account the achievements of the previous programme, she said.
Implemented under the 10th and 11th Malaysia Plans, MyBrain15 was introduced in 2008 with the aim of producing 60,000 PhD holders by 2023.
“A total of 56,910 postgraduate students are in the programme, which is under the ministry.
“A total of 34,207 students have successfully graduated,” she said in her ministerial reply during the committee stage of the Supply (Reallocation of Appropriated Expenditure) Bill 2020 winding-up session.