Education Ministry welcomes involvement of Retired Teachers to teach English
KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Education (KPM) welcomes the involvement of retired teachers in efforts to create an environment that will help improve English proficiency in rural areas.
According to Berita Harian, the Minister, Fadhlina Sidek, stated that retired teachers have already made significant contributions to KPM’s efforts to enhance teaching and learning (PdP) in English.
However, she, who is also the Member of Parliament for Nibong Tebal, said the government is open to volunteers from Singapore who wish to assist Malaysia in achieving the same goals.
“We indeed welcome volunteers (from) Singapore or retired teachers who want to participate (in helping to improve English proficiency in rural areas).
“There is no problem as this (involvement of retired teachers) already exists. The HIP Mentor Program is already in place with retired teachers helping to create an English-language environment in schools through various approaches and engaging activities.
“This program allows retired teachers and English lecturers to support and assist in creating an immersive environment in schools, aligning with the objective of enhancing English proficiency,” she said during the Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
She was responding to an additional question from Jimmy Puah Wee Tse (PH-Tebrau) about the possibility of retired teachers helping to create an environment to improve English proficiency in rural areas.
Previously, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim clarified that the proposal to bring English teachers from Singapore was only as volunteers to help improve English proficiency in rural areas.
The Prime Minister was reported to have said that this proposal is akin to a diplomatic assistance scheme between countries and does not mean Malaysia intends to appoint English teachers from Singapore.
Meanwhile, Fadhlina said that KPM will monitor the involvement of English teachers from Singapore in the program.
“KPM will review this proposal and ensure that all aspects are monitored to achieve the objectives of this program,” she said, responding to an additional question from Kalam Salan (PN-Sabak Bernam).
In response to the original question, Fadhlina stated that KPM will identify volunteers with specific qualifications to ensure the quality of PdP, adding that similar initiatives have been implemented by KPM involving teachers from Australia, the United States, and Korea.
“This scheme aims to help improve English proficiency among students in urban poor, suburban, and rural areas, including Sabah and Sarawak,” she said.