Sarawak stands firm on English language usage in schools

KUCHING: Sarawak will not bow to any pressure to reduce the use of English language in schools, says Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development, Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee.

He stressed that this stance is a firm decision of the Sarawak government aimed at benefiting Sarawakians.

“Sarawak has always been proud that we use English more than the rest in the country.

“We have been branded a lot of things, terms and references, why Sarawak emphasises so much on English. However, we understand the importance of English.

“I don’t want to be involved anymore with all the debates, with all the arguments on the importance of English. Let them criticise us, but more importantly we know the importance of English. Let them keep arguing and criticising among themselves.”

He said this during the closing ceremony of the Sarawak English Language Education Symposium (SELES) held at Raia Hotel and Convention Centre Kuching here on Friday (July 12).

Dr Annuar noted Sarawak’s proactive approach in embracing the Dual Language Programme (DLP) under the leadership of Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.

He said Sarawak was offered to implement the full DLP, in which it agreed despite the lack of federal funding.

“It’s okay, money we can look for. The future is more important than what we have now.”

Commenting further, he stressed the need for a holistic approach to mastering English, focusing on the importance of listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills.

“If you don’t know how to listen, you don’t know how to learn. Listening is very important. We need to improve our methodologies for teaching listening skills to our students.

“This is followed by reading, writing, and speaking. We must master these four skills to achieve proficiency in English,” he explained.

He added that unemployment among students and graduates is a frequent topic of discussion, with the most common factor being their inability to command English well.

“Everybody knows that, which is why the Ministry of Education launched a highly immersive programme with a clear objective: to improve English proficiency by creating an environment that enhances students’ language skills.”