Tuesday June 9, 2009
DPM: English not a ‘must pass’ for SPM?
By KAREN CHAPMAN
KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is surprised to learn that English is not a “must pass” subject for SPM and wants public feedback on the matter.
The Education Minister said it was a revelation to him as he had always thought that it was a prerequisite since students had to learn English in school.
He was also shocked to learn that national schools no longer taught English grammar.
Central role: Muhyiddin looking at the Chinese calligraphy art presented to him by several Chinese-based organisations which reads ‘Zhong Yong’ (to take the middle road). Looking on are (from left) Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia committee member Pau Chew Sing, Deputy Foreign Minister Senator Kohilan Pillay, Dr Wee, Dr Koh and Malaysian Translation and Creative Writing Association president Goh Hin San. “I don’t know how you can learn English without knowing grammar,” he told newsmen after launching the Kirkby College alumni association.
Muhyiddin said students were now merely learning communicative English.
“This means they are picking up the language for communication purposes only,” he said, adding that almost 70% of students who take English pass the subject.
The minister said he would seek public view on the matter.
“We may deliberate on it at the ministry level but as Education Minister, I want to give the public a chance to share their views,” he said.
(A pass in English has never been compulsory for SPM. Since 2000, a pass in Bahasa Malaysia was sufficient to get the SPM certificate. Previously, a credit was a must.)
Muhyiddin said he wondered if rural students would be at the losing end if a pass in English was required in SPM.
He also said he did not know if not having to pass English meant the standard of the language had gone down.
When announcing the SPM results in March, Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom said 89% of 178,751 candidates had opted to answer the Additional Mathematics Paper 1 fully in English.
Other subjects which students preferred to answer fully in English included Additional Mathematics Paper 2 at 86%, Biology Paper 3 (81.5%) and Chemistry Paper 3 (76.8%).
A retired lecturer and teacher trainer said the teaching of grammar was integrated into four main language skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing in English lessons for students.
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