PUTRAJAYA: A month-long pilot project for the Malaysia-Singapore English Volunteers Programme (MSEVP), involving several schools in the Klang Valley, will be implemented in the middle of the year, says the Education Ministry.
In Tuesday's (Jan 7) statement, the ministry said it will implement a pilot programme to conduct preliminary studies on the MSEVP before its full implementation.
"The selection of schools is being carefully conducted, considering all aspects, including the programme's impact on the involved schools and students," read the statement.
It said the pilot project will kick off following the exchange of a Letter of Intent (LOI) between the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and Yayasan Guru Tun Hussein Onn.
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Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong witnessed the exchange of documents for the programme between Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Singapore's Education Minister Chan Chun Sing on Tuesday following the 11th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders' Retreat.
During a joint press conference, Wong said Singapore and Malaysia had established various cooperation agreements, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on higher education and the exchange of English teachers through MSEVP.
He said this initiative was discussed with Anwar during his first visit on June 11 last year.
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On June 14, Anwar clarified the proposal to bring in English language teachers from Singapore as volunteers to improve language proficiency in rural areas.
He added that the proposal was a diplomatic aid initiative between the two countries and did not mean Malaysia intended to appoint English teachers from the republic. - Bernama
