KUCHING: The emphasis on today’s education system should be on the continual upgrading and support for these teachers who are not proficient in English.
Rise of Sarawak Efforts (ROSE) chairwoman Ann Teo said this when commenting on Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Datuk Seri Michael Manyin’s statement that primary school teachers, who were not proficient in English, had been told to use ‘local English’ to teach students.
She said, “I agree that they have to start somewhere even with faltering English. It is a problem with the education system and not with the teachers.
“No one can deny standards of English generally have fallen. Thus, we should not compromise on standards as the emphasis should be on the continual upgrading and support for these teachers.”
The teachers, Teo added, must be supported by good textbooks and receive continual training in the teaching of these subjects instead of a one-off training.
“Hence, the challenge now is to provide continual training to these teachers and to do it intentionally. Hence, proper sustained budgeted training should be in place for the support and training to happen since Budget 2020 is already around the corner,” she said.
Teo hoped that a new Education Minister would not change things again.
“Yes, the challenge is to follow the policy that is already in place by the ministry,” she added.
