See supports efforts to encourage usage of English in schools
I hope that everybody in the society will contribute to make the study and learning of English language amongst our Sarawakian students a success. The parents, siblings, teachers and everyone have a role to play to give encouragements.
KUCHING: Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How has expressed appreciation and support for Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Dato Sri Michael Manyin for announcing the first reform step to encourage usage of English in all schools by displaying English language signboards and notices alongside the Bahasa Malaysia ones.
According to See, exposure to the language will certainly encourage its usage and learning in the schools.
“I hope that everybody in the society will contribute to make the study and learning of English language amongst our Sarawakian students a success. The parents, siblings, teachers and everyone have a role to play to give encouragements.
“All the businesses in Sarawak should and may contribute by, through their CSR (corporate social responsibility) programmes, donating English reading books to school libraries and subscribing English language newspapers to schools nearby, according to their capacities, regularly,” he said yesterday.
See, who is also state PKR vice chairman, added that those who have left school may consider returning at weekends or after school hours to help give English tuition classes.
“Any little help will go a long way to cultivate interests in the English language amongst our
See Chee How, Batu Lintang assemblyman
students and help them to learn and understand this language which will expand their opportunities for further studies and even in their employment opportunities later.”
In announcing that Sarawak will see its first reform in education with a shift to promote greater usage of English in schools, Manyin said bi-lingual signboards in Bahasa Malaysia and English, including English translation of the Rukun Negara, will be installed in all schools throughout Sarawak.
Manyin, who was appointed to the post two weeks ago, said the move was to familiarise students and even their parents with the English language, so that they would be more interested to learn and eventually master this global lingua franca.
As a start, he said the bi-lingual signboards would be installed in three schools in Serian Division; namely SMK Taee, SMK Tebakang and SMK Tebedu next month before moving to other schools across the state.
“I want the signboards in these schools to be dual-language, starting next month. I’m going to inspect the signboards by August. Later on, I will give similar directive to all schools in Sarawak. I will tell this to the Director of Education,” Manyin was quoted as saying on Saturday.
Manyin, who is Sarawak’s first minister in charge of education, said enhancing English standard in Sarawak schools is a priority, in addition to improving infrastructure in schools and creation of centralised schools to replace ‘ Sekolah Kurang Murid’ ( SKM) or low enrolment schools.