Should English be made compulsory?

Should a pass in English be made compulsory to pass SPM?
KUALA LUMPUR: Should a pass in the English language be made compulsory for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Certificate?

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin threw this question to the public to discuss, and for the government to obtain feedback.

He said he was informed that many rural students would fail the SPM if English was made a compulsory subject to pass.

"Then, I do not think it (not making English a compulsory subject to pass) serves any purpose because English is a very important language that we use in daily life," he said when officiating the setting up of the new Kirby College Alumni Association here .

To improve the quality of English language proficiency among students, qualified teachers must be involved in teaching English, he said.

"Maybe, it is a good idea to revisit the Kirby College concept, sending teachers to learn English in an English-speaking environment," Muhyiddin said.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin paid a glowing tribute to Kirby College-trained teachers in the 1950s and 1960s, as they brought changes to the education system despite the country not being fully developed and the schools lacking the necessary facilities.

He said, Kirby College was multiracial and multi-religious, likening it to a 'miniature Malaysia' where, at the time, the '1Malaya' and 'Malaya Boleh' concepts were imbibed by society.

Kirby-trained teachers became a yardstick of excellence in the profession and this was proven when four eminent teachers (tokoh guru) between 1988 and 1998 were from the college.
They were Harith Laiki, Idris Tain, Lau Hut Yee and Dr Yahya Ibrahim.

Earlier, Muhyiddin launched a book, 'Kirby College-A Heritage' written by Dr Shaari Isa and opened the Kirby College Exhibition organised by the Education Muzium of the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.

The Kirby College was operated between 1952 and 1956 in Kirby, Liverpool. It trained 1,500 Malaysian teachers and 405 teacher-trainers. - Bernama