Monday 8 June 2009

Dear reader,

What do you think about this?

Patutkah bahasa Inggeris dijadikan mata pelajaran wajib?

KUALA LUMPUR: Sasterawan ulung Inggeris, William Shakespeare pernah berkata: 'to be or not to be, that is the question'.

Petikan pujangga itu bermain di fikiran apabila merujuk kepada sama ada bahasa Inggeris patut dijadikan mata pelajaran wajib untuk lulus peperiksaan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).

Timbalan Perdana Menteri yang juga Menteri Pelajaran, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin melontarkan persoalan itu untuk dibincangkan oleh orang ramai dan bagi kerajaan mendapatkan maklum balas.

Katanya beliau dimaklumkan bahawa ramai pelajar di luar bandar akan gagal SPM jika bahasa Inggeris dijadikan mata pelajaran wajib untuk lulus.

"Dengan itu, saya tidak fikir ia (tidak menjadikan mata pelajaran bahasa Inggeris sebagai mata pelajaran wajib untuk lulus) memenuhi tujuan kerana bahasa Inggeris adalah bahasa yang amat penting yang kita gunakan dalam kehidupan seharian kita," katanya semasa merasmikan penubuhan Persatuan Alumni Maktab Kirby yang baru di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata untuk meningkatkan kualiti kemahiran dan penguasaan bahasa Inggeris di kalangan pelajar, pengajaran mata pelajaran bahasa Inggeris perlu dilakukan oleh guru berkelayakan.

"Mungkin idea yang baik ialah mencontohi konsep Maktab Kirby, (iaitu) menghantar guru belajar bahasa Inggeris di persekitaran yang bertutur dalam bahasa Inggeris," katanya.

Sementara itu, Muhyiddin berkata sumbangan guru lepasan Maktab Kirby adalah amat besar dan mereka telah berkhidmat dengan penuh dedikasi pada tahun 1950-an dan 1960-an iaitu ketika sekolah-sekolah masih daif dan kemudahan pelajaran masih kurang.

"Walaupun negara kita masih mundur dan tahap keselamatan agak membimbangkan pada ketika itu, kehadiran guru-guru Maktab Kirby yang terlatih dalam bilik-bilik darjah telah membawa pembaharuan kepada sistem pelajaran negara.

"Saya juga dimaklumkan bahawa Maktab Kirby yang (melahirkan guru) berbilang bangsa dan agama ini merupakan ''miniature Malaysia'' di mana semangat ''1Malaya'' dan ''Malaya Boleh'' mula disemai," katanya.

Beliau berkata guru lepasan Maktab Kirby juga menjadi kayu ukur kepada kecemerlangan profesion perguruan di negara ini, dan ini terbukti dengan pemilihan empat bekas pelajar Maktab Kirby sebagai Tokoh Guru Kebangsaan dari tahun 1988 hingga 1998 iaitu Harith Laiki, Idris Tain, Lau Hut Yee dan Dr Yahya Ibrahim.

Muhyiddin turut melancarkan buku "Kirby College-A Heritage" hasil tulisan Dr Shaari Isa serta merasmikan Pameran Maktab Kirby anjuran Muzium Pendidikan Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.

Maktab Kirby merupakan satu eksperimen pendidikan yang unik dengan sebuah negara asing iaitu Malaya (kini Malaysia) dibenarkan membuka sebuah Maktab Latihan Guru di England pada 1951.

Maktab itu beroperasi selama sepuluh tahun iaitu dari 1952 hingga 1962 dan telah berjaya melahirkan lebih 1,500 guru pelatih dan 405 pelatih guru, dengan bantuan pakar daripada Institute of Education, University of Liverpool. - Bernama



Taken from : Berita Harian Online (2009) http://www.bharian.com.my/Current_News/BH/Monday/Mutakhir/20090608161134/Article.

5 comments:

hafiz CHouJi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
hafiz CHouJi said...

My opinion is, English should be a compulsory subject for primary schools. The rationale is to allow children an early exposure of the language. English should be a compulsory subject for secondary level of education too. Rationale? To maintain the language learnt. And especially because, most tertiary levels of education are in English.

However, there should be some kind of programmes before they enter tertiary level. I'd say, the teaching of English for Specific Purpose (ESP). Example, those who will further their study in science field will learn English of that field. Sounds difficult and costly, what with having to prepare teaching force etc.

But I think that's what is important. We emphasise the acquisition of English among our learners but we had been, so far, too general. This results in incompetency of our learner when entering their specific field.

We do want general competency in English, but don't we want to produce experts in certain fields too?

mfn said...

being able to acquire languages at an early stage would really help students to develop themselves in future. I agree that English should be compulsory in primary. I also believe that in order to create an English speaking environment, you don't really have to send your kids to an international school. English day should be more frequent, and everyone should speak in English on that day. And I don't really agree with the idea that grammar should be emphasised because it would be developed over time. Learning grammar is a thing in the past to show quality and status. It will downgrade students who are living in a place where english is not something that is common to them, or those who are slow learners. Maybe if they were to learn grammar, they should learn it a bit later, like in secondary schools or something. What;s important is to get everyone to speak English first. Just a matter of opinion though.

www.caribuku.com said...

Salam,

Mr. Suhaimi, may Allah bless you.

Just some thought about english that may be soon compulsary for SPM.

They are a lot of things need to be consider:

1) English Option teacher
2) Rural areas student concern

For me as an educator, these critical factor need further attention if new policy want to applied. Do not talked much about yes or no for compulsary the english language. For this moment after PPSMI six year applied, there a lot of problem just because PPSMI so called maggi policy that ruin the potential of student expecially rural areas.

Fadzli
cikgumalaysia.com

Anonymous said...

salam suhaimi.
thanks sbb sharing artikel ni.sy pn br saja bincang dgn ayah sy psl mende ni br2 ni.

pdpt sy yg hanya ade seciput ilmu ini:
Susah kalau wajib lulus English dilaksanakan di Msia. Bdk2 pendlmn yg krg access English mungkin bermasalah nanti.Risau kalau2 xdpt further course yg spatutnya semata2 xlulus english.Sedngkan semua berhak mdptkan pendidikan itu.
Apapun, sedikit sbyk takut juga sy rase sbb mende ni mmg ade kaitan dgn kita yg bakal mengajar english pd masa depan. Wallahualam.Moga Allah permudahkan urusan kita semua.Ameen.

Mitak maaf Suhaimi. Pjg pula komen sy.