Effective 1st January 2020, primary schools in Sarawak will begin teaching Mathematics and Science in English. State Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Dato Seri Michael Manyin Jawong was quoted by Utusan Borneo as saying,
“This is a big challenge for us and I hope everyone, especially parents and teachers, works hard to make this programme successful.”
“We cannot fail because we are the first state to take this step and we’ll become an example for other states in the country.”
The minister added that in order to ensure this transition is successful, other factors need to be considered. Among these factors include the number of teachers in the state that can teach Maths and Science in the English language, as well as the availability of textbooks and other relevant teaching resources.
Dato Seri Manyin also stated that parents along with teachers should cooperate to successfully transition into using English as a teaching medium for Science and Mathematics. These teachers will also undergo training to effectively teach these subjects in the English language.
Earlier in April this year, Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik first announced that Sarawak would be the first state to implement this in primary schools. He was quoted by Free Malaysia Today as saying,
“The Sarawak government has implemented several initiatives through the state education department and universities to ensure that the teachers are capable of teaching the subjects in English.”
What do you think about this change? Let us know in the comments section!
Also read: Education Ministry Cancels Subscriptions to Utusan Malaysia for All Schools & Varsities Immediately