Setting the right tone for learning
Petronas backs Trenglish programme in creating conducive English-speaking environment for Terengganu students.
APART from visiting Saudi Arabia to perform the umrah, Azrul Hakim Ahmad Tarmizi has never been to any other country. And he desperately wanted to see the world.
Thanks to Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas), the 18-year-old who studied at SM Imtiaz Yayasan Terengganu Kemaman will be travelling halfway around the world to pursue chemical engineering in Canada upon completion of his A-levels locally.
Azrul Hakim is a recipient of the prestigious Petronas scholarship. Students across the nation vie for a spot in the Petronas Education Sponsorship Programme (PESP).
This year, the PESP received more than 8,000 applications. From this total, 1,400 candidates were chosen to attend a test-cum-interview session known as Petronas Youngstars Day in mid-April. In the end, 300 were short-listed to receive the scholarships.
For Azrul Hakim, he attributed his success to the Trenglish programme, which stands for Transforming English in Terengganu.
The programme, currently involving 50 schools in the state, aims to increase English language proficiency among students.
“Trenglish has greatly helped me in pursuing my dreams. It helped me ace my interview with Petronas, which was in English, and bagged me this scholarship,” he said during the PESP 2018 prize-giving in Kuala Terengganu.
The event saw 43 scholarship recipients from the state. Eight of these recipients were participants of the Trenglish programme in their respective schools.
Petronas East Coast regional office head Wan Hasnan Wan Abdullah said that the company believes in investing in education and human capital development.
“This will help ensure the continuous and sustainable flow of edu-
cated and skilled workforce.
“The efforts by the state government in initiating the Trenglish programme is commendable.
“Due to our confidence in the programme, Petronas is collaborating with Yayasan Terengganu and the Terengganu state education department.
“As part of our efforts to support the state’s initiative, Petronas has been sponsoring Trenglish-related activities including the Trenglish camps,” he said.
As English is the most widely used language in the world, Wan Hasnan said that Petronas does not want to see any students left behind. “We are encouraging them by providing them a platform to express their ideas and discover their talents in an environment where the English language is freely spoken.
“We live in a modern world surrounded by technology and it has influenced many aspects of our life.
“By mastering English, it will definitely facilitate a student’s ability to stay connected and access information with ease.
“Hence, we want to address any learning gap by providing support to the teachers and students through this sponsorship,” he added.
Whether it was at home or at school, Azrul Hakim said that Terengganu students rarely get the chance to communicate in English.
“The Trenglish programme creates an environment where students can converse in English with teachers and friends. This helped increased our English proficiency as well as confidence in using the language.”
Petronas also sponsored RM150,000 worth of The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (NiE) pullout to supplement the Trenglish programme for the second year.
The pullout, which comes with a copy of the newspaper, is written by a team of experienced English language specialists. It is packed with engaging hands-on newspaper activities for the classroom.
This sponsorship also comes with four NiE workshops to help guide teachers when it comes to teaching with the newspapers.
Azrul Hakim recalled how the newspaper provided a window to the outside world.
“I studied in a residential school, so I rarely watched the television. I didn’t know much about what was happening around the globe.
“With the newspaper, I not only stayed abreast with current issues but also added to my vocabulary.
“In order to master a language, you have to read. There are many benefits when it comes to using the newspaper in class.
“My friends and I enjoyed the NiE activities. We were always studying for many subjects, so we saw NiE activities as a break when we could unwind and relax,” he added.
Beaming with pride and gratitude, he offered a nugget of wisdom for his juniors: “If you are given the chance to join any Trenglish or English improvement programme, volunteer yourselves for it. You will gain a lot of benefits from being proficient in the language, and you will only see how important it is after leaving school.”
Terengganu state education department English language head assistant director Wan Zuraidi Che Wan Zaid that said that students need the right environment where they can communicate in English, if they were to improve.
“Trenglish came about when we realised that students excelled in their English examinations but lacked skills when it came to speaking,” he said.
“Compared to 10 years ago, there is a marked difference in the way Terengganu youths speak in English. They used to be very shy – now they are no longer ashamed to converse in English. They have even entered international English language competitions and won.
“I find that the newspaper helps a lot because students become more interested in learning.
“NiE is a proven method that improves language proficiency, and we are very glad for this sponsorship by Petronas,” he said.
Agreeing, T-HELP (Terengganu Hired English Language Personnel) Mohamad Shazzvan Razali said that the NiE pullout makes it easy to incorporate newspaper activities into class lessons.
“Among all teaching aids, I would say that The Star newspaper is the most awaited one. Schools not only receive this material but are taught how to use it. NiE workshops were conducted to help teachers learn and explore the various activities that can be carried out with the newspaper.
“English activities in schools have increased since then. It has encouraged the T-HELP to think of new ways to do fun activities. We look forward to this year’s workshops.
“Teachers and fellow T-HELP should make full use of Star-NiE. This is a valuable resource provided free by Petronas and it should never go to waste!” he added.