Lower English pass rate a cause for concern

KUCHING: SUPP Women Central shares Welfare, Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah’s concern about the overall lower pass rate for English language in the SPM.

“About a quarter of the students failed English in the SPM last year,” said a press release issued by SUPP Women Central chairperson Datin Jennifer Chee.

“We cannot overlook the fact that English remains a lingua franca between cross border communications, and is increasingly adopted in the global marketplace across the world.

“Malaysians need to realise by mastering the English language, our children will be equipped to compete on a level international playing field,” said Chee.

Chee stressed that quality of education must be given priority as it is the platform to enable the future generation to be globally competitive, especially in the IT Era where e- commerce and industries have become increasingly borderless.

In responding to recent claims on the lack of quality local teachers for schools, Chee urged the Sarawak Government to step in to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

On the needs of Sarawakians to achieve educational excellence, Chee said the government must evaluate the quality and suitability of the education system to ensure it can fulfill the needs of students in urban and rural Sarawak today.

“Moreover, it is imperative to recognise that demographic and ethnic diversity in Sarawk is very different from the rest of Malaysia, which calls for a unique approach to our education in the territory,” the release said.

She insisted that nobody in Sarawak of any ethnic group should be deprived of the right to study and to quality education system.

On the other hand, Chee said it is everyone’s responsibility to look for ways to help students excel by understanding issues affecting their studies today.

She hoped the state government would consider forming a workgroup to identify and address issues that could prevent our students from learning and studying effectively.

“As SUPP is a political party within BN for Sarawakian, we will not compromise when it comes to the prospects and wellbeing of our future generation. SUPP will always strive for the people’s rights to education and educational excellence,” Chee said.