Articles

English may be made a must pass subject in SPM

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Feb 26, 2013

The government is considering to make English a compulsory pass subject in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.The proposal would only be carried out when the students and the learning system are ready, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Starting 2013, students must pass Bahasa Melayu and Sejarah to obtain an overall pass in SPM. In order to get First Grade, students must get a credit in Bahasa Melayu. 

Under the National Education Development Plan, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had allocated RM500 million to provide training to teachers in English, Bahasa Melayu, Mathematics and Science. "These four subjects are priority while the others will be implemented later. This is the great challenge facing Guru Muda 1Malaysia." revealed Muyiddin.He said 49.5% of teachers across the nation aged between 21 and 35. They have a pivotal role in determining the success of the education system.

In 2012, a report presented in parliament revealed that about 72,000 graduates nationwide were unemployed due to poor command in English. Malaysia’s top job portal Jobstreet carries out annual survey among employers to find out the reason for unemployment among graduates and the key reason each year is poor command of English.