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KUALA LUMPUR:  – The government plans to implement the Bahasa Malaysia curriculum for national schools (SK) at national type Chinese schools (SJKC) and national type Tamil Schools (SJKT) starting with fourth year cohort pupils in 2014.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said with improved command of Bahasa Malaysia among SJKC and SJKT pupils, transition classes can be abolished by 2017.

The proposal will be implemented via the Education Development Plan 2013-2025 that will shorten the schooling period of SJKC and and SJKT pupils who choose to study at national secondary schools (SMK).

“The ministry will ensure that SJKC and SJKT pupils with problems in learning Bahasa Malaysia are given adequate support through remedial classes of up to five hours weekly.

“The ministry will ensure that implementation of this curriculum will not burden SJKC and SJKT pupils and the use of Chinese and Tamil as the medium of instruction for other subjects,” he said when closing Language and Literature Festival 2012 here Thursday.

The Education Minister said the ministry would also provide adequate training to Bahasa Malaysia teachers in SJKC and SJKT so that they can teach effectively.

Focus will be on the teachers’ ability to practice pupil-centric teaching and learning to meet the different needs of pupils.

BERNAMA.

Read more @ http://education.bernama.com/index.php?sid=news_content&id=697887

KOTA KINABALU: The Malay language is an interesting, beautiful and ancient language that deserves to be loved.

An authority in the Malay language, Professor James T. Collins said during an interview with press members following his talk on the sustainability of dialects on the Isle of Borneo yesterday that he loves the Malay language because it has been an important language in his own academic career.

“My Phd was about the local language in East Indonesia but my language of investigation was the local Malay dialect, so it has been very influential in my life since I was 21. That was a long time ago, and I have a lifetime commitment to Malay,” he said.

Collins also said that the Malay language is prevalent throughout Southeast Asia and is spoken by 28 million Malaysians, 280 million Indonesians as well as some communities in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Burma.

The professor added that the Indonesian language is also considered as under one tree as the Malay language, despite certain differences.

“The Malays understand the Indonesians and vice versa, so in actual fact, Malay and Indonesian fall under one language. There are slight differences. I’ve had a student who was studying under me for one year at NIU and then he went to study in Pahang for six weeks prior to coming to Sabah. When he first arrived, he was a bit confused because people use the language differently in Sabah, but after a week or two, he was fine … if Indonesian (language) and Malay (language) were not similar, there won’t be so many Indonesians coming into Malaysia to work, and Malaysians won’t want to listen to Indonesian songs,” he said.

During the interview, Collins also mentioned the online Malaysian Malay dictionary he was working on with his team at the Northern Illinois University (NIU) where he is attached to as the director of the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies.

by Jenne Lajiun.

Read more @ http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/12/16/malay-language-deserves-to-be-loved-professor/

LANGUAGE PURIST…Universiti Putra Malaysia lecturer in Malay Literature, Associate Prof Dr Lim Swee Tin says those who combine Malay and English words are corrupting the Malay Language. This habit is not confined to the younger generation; the print and electronic media contribute to this problem too. He believes there should be no compromise in maintaining the immaculateness of the language.Pic: Melati Mohd Ariff

SERDANG:  Listen to the language spoken casually by youngsters, or read their abbreviated text messages (SMS), and it soon becomes clear they are ignoring the rules of the language.

There is no consistency in the syntax and grammar used. Abbreviated texts have replaced paragraphs, with punctuation omitted deliberately.

Today, the emphasis is on high-speed communication at one’s fingertips. The younger generation prefers to communicate its thoughts and emotions with dots and dashes, or images, rather than expressive language.

The corruption of language has far-reaching consequences, as it becomes the norm with the passage of time.

It is, therefore, not surprising to find people using what is referred to as ‘SMS language’ in school, as well as university studies.

A BIG SHIFT

The Malay language is also being corrupted.

Associate Prof, Dr Lim Swee Tin, a Malay literature lecturer at Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Modern Language and Communication Faculty, said there was ‘a big shift’ in the way language was being used.

“The younger generation will certainly want to use the language that they are comfortable with, and which suits them.

“However, I see a tendency to contract words, eliminate prefixes, and what is most evident now is the habit of eliminating vowels in writing,” said Dr Lim.

He was responding to a question on his views on the younger generation’s command of Malay, during an interview with Bernama here, recently.

Dr Lim is a language purist, and loathes the usage of abbreviated English words, such as ‘Ori’ (Original) and ‘Otai’ (Old Timer).

BAHASA ROJAK

In addition, there are those who combine Malay and English, giving rise to the ‘bahasa rojak’ that is frowned upon by linguists.

Dr Lim believes users of ‘bahasa rojak’ should be made aware that they are corrupting Malay.

However, Dr Lim is aware that this development is unavoidable, as ‘bahasa rojak’ is increasingly being accepted by language experts and the media.

“The younger generation does not care about the old ways. They quietly want to adapt the language with the aspirations of their generation,” said Dr Lim.

LANGUAGE DEGRADED

Dr Lim also noted that the corruption of Malay is not limited to the younger generation. Print and electronic media, too, contribute to this problem.

Dr Lim said radio programmes were the biggest culprits in corrupting the Malay language.

He cited the example of a radio station with a large following that has been using the ‘bahasa rojak’. Unfortunately, the language would be learnt by listeners, he said.

“The programme is accessed all over the country; thus, the implication is far-reaching. Therefore there is no compromise for me in maintaining the immaculateness of the language.

“These radio stations, in fact, compete with one another to win a greater share of the audience, and a bigger share of advertisement revenue, at the expense of sub-standard language,” explained Dr Lim.

ETHICS AND RESPONSIBILITY

Given their powerful influence, radio and television should be at the forefront in protecting the Malay language.

In an environment of rapid changes, this would help mitigate the problem of corruption of Malay, said Dr Lim.

Dr Lim also criticised English-Malay translators who were incompetent.

“We cannot translate as we like, or coin terms as we like.

“Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka has a system for translation and borrowing words. This has been long in practice.

“If this system is ignored, this will further degrade the language system, and if this continues it will be detrimental to our language,” he lamented.

MONITORING MAGAZINES

Some entertainment magazines also add to the corruption of the language, especially when they are not monitored.

In the midst of the debate on ‘bahasa rojak’ several years ago, Dr Lim attempted to monitor magazines on sale.

According to him, out of the many magazines he examined, two used sub-standard language with abbreviations.

Both these were entertainment magazines, published fortnightly, and seemed to be well-received by people.

“It is mind boggling how magazines like this are published in the first place.

“The same problem is also reflected in comics for children and the youth, where the language is appalling.

“And one should never forget that when this language is used, day in day out, it soon becomes a norm, widely-accepted,” stressed Dr Lim.

SURVIVAL OF THE LANGUAGE

But language is dynamic, and its evolution cannot be stopped.

Taking this into consideration, Dr Lim suggested that language champions and experts find a balance between the purity of a language and the aspirations of its users.

The younger generation should, especially, be counseled that such changes may affect the integrity of the language.

by Melati Mohd. Ariff.

Read more @ http://education.bernama.com/index.php?sid=news_content&id=597233

KUALA LUMPUR:  The Education Ministry targets to train 10,000 English language teachers this year to raise their competency in teaching the subject.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the move was in line with the implementation of the “Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening Command of English” (MBMMBI) policy for Year One primary school pupils starting from next year.

“Although the ‘Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English’ (PPSMI) has been abolished, the government is undertaking various efforts and and strategies to raise proficiency in English.

“Almost 12,000 teachers teaching English had attended the special training programme held last year, and this year the ministry targets another 10,000 teachers to undergo the same programme,” he said in reply to Senator Ng Fook Heng at the Dewan Negara sitting today.

Ng wanted to know the measures to be taken by the government to improve English proficiency of primary and secondary schoool students, considering that PPSMI would be abolished for Year One pupils from next year.

MBMMBI was introduced to replace PPSMI from 2012, after if was found that the policy failed to achieve its objective of raising students’ proficiency in English, which have affected their performance in the two subjects, especially among rural students.

Muhyiddin who is also Education Minister, said besides setting up the MBMMBI Implementation Main Committee which was chaired by him, the ministry targeted to hire 600 retired English language teachers on a contract basis from this year until 2013.

He said until March this year, 168 of such teachers had taken up the offer, while the government had also brought in 375 English native speakers from abroad to improve the professionalism of English language lecturers and teachers, with 360 of these experts appointed as mentors for the English language teachers at 1,800 primary schools.

Muhyiddin said the capacity of the computers rooms in schools had also been raised to also serve as English language labs, with 20 primary schools chosen as the pioneer group last year and another 700 schools targeted for this year.

BERNAMA.

Read more @ http://education.bernama.com/index.php?sid=news_content&id=581566

KUALA TERENGGANU:  The hit animation series “Upin dan Ipin” which is much loved by Malaysian children is now being used as an educactional tool to teach Bahasa Malaysia in China especially at Beijing Foreign Studies University(BFSU) and University of Peking.

Acting dean of Malay studies faculty at BFSU, Profesor Dr Awang Sariyan said the series was very popular among the faculty students and that each of them had a collection of CDs of the cartoon.

Speaking to Bernama after attending the International Bahasa Malaysia Education Seminar which concluded here today, he said the students had sourced the CDs directly from Malaysia.

He urged Malaysians to take advantage of the development by coming up with more such educational tools as there was a ready market for them abroad.

BERNAMA

Read more @ http://education.bernama.com/index.php?sid=news_content&id=571630

KUALA TERENGGANU: The 2011 International Seminar on Malay Language Education, which ended Wednesday, passed seven resolutions in efforts to uphold the Malay language as the national language and the government’s official language.

Malaysian Malay Language Education Association (PPBMM) president Assoc Prof Dr Hashim Othman said the seminar, organised by the Terengganu PPBMM, with cooperation from the state government and Terengganu Education Department, focused on the improvement of language policy and the enculturation of the Malay language.

He said among the resolutions were to ask the government to bring back the Malay language as a medium of instruction for all subjects in schools and public institutions of higher learning.

The Education Ministry also needs to continuously carry out workshops and courses to come up with appealing way of learning the language at the primary and secondary school levels, as well as sharpen language skills at tertiary level.

In addition, he said the Education Ministry also needs to provide teachers with on-the-job training to allow them to master the language at a higher level, as well as strategies on how to realise the Malay language as a language for unity in Malaysia.

“The government is also urged to mobilise the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) as a publisher of academic books and support the National Istitute of Translation in importing knowledge through translation.

“Efforts to produce computer software, comics, videos and such is necessary for knowledge, while arts is carried out to expand the learning culture through communication and information technology,” he told Bernama here.

BERNAMA.

Read more @ http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=571529

PETALING JAYA: The Education Ministry has issued a circular to all state education departments that Year One and Year Two pupils should be taught Bahasa Malaysia by bilingual teachers.

The policy was first agreed to by the Cabinet in 2000, but no circular was ever issued on its implementation.

Sin Chew Daily earlier this month reported that the United Chinese School Teachers Association (Jiao Zong) had received complaints from Chinese primary schools that still had non-Mandarin-speaking Bahasa Malaysia teachers.

According to Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, the Cabinet in late November agreed to implement the policy.

“The circular will take effect on Jan 1 and I hope this will clear any confusion on the matter,” he said.

Dated Dec 9 and signed by Education director-general Datuk Abd Ghafar Mahmud, the new circular states that those teaching Bahasa Malaysia to Year One and Year Two pupils in vernacular primary schools must be able to speak Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin or Tamil, and possess an SPM credit in Bahasa Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Years Three to Six pupils must be taught by Bahasa Malaysia option teachers.

For under-enrolled vernacular schools, the subject should be taught by experienced bilingual teachers who have an SPM credit in Bahasa Malaysia.

The circular also calls on state departments to carry out the redeployment of teachers in line with the Upholding Bahasa Malaysia and Strengthening English (MBMMBI) policy.

National Tamil School Headmasters Council president P. Doraisamy said the policy would ensure that Year One and Year Two pupils are able to learn the national language effectively.

“Some of these pupils have not been exposed to languages other than their mother tongue, and struggle to keep up with learning Bahasa Malaysia.”

A headmaster of a Chinese primary school in Perak said he hoped that the policy would be implemented without any problem.

Jiao Zong chairman Ong Chiow Chuen said he was glad the circular was sent before the start of the new school term.

Read more @ http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/12/23/nation/7674037&sec=nation

National laureate says the works of the nation’s literary figures must be given prominence.

THERE IS a tendency among Malaysians to overlook the works of local literary figures in favour of those from the West, says national laureate Datuk Abdul Samad Mohammad Said, better known as A. Samad Said.

The works of local writers and authors should not be dismissed as they are of a high standard, he said when addressing students of SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4) in Petaling Jaya recently, after the launching of its National Laureate Corner, the first to be set up in a national school.

The idea mooted by school principal Tay Keng Lee, was co-organised by Kumpulan Sasterawan Kavyan and Assoc Prof Dr Lim Swee Tin of Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Young fans: Samad (left) and Dr Lim signing books for students at the event.

“Our local literature is just as deep and beautiful. It indirectly influences us and instils good values and the spirit of patriotism in us,” said the laureate, who is fondly referred to as Pak Samad.

He added that teachers and parents had a role to play in promoting local literary figures or sasterawan to children.

“They need to exemplify how the reading of literature enhances their lives and the world around them.”

Samad stressed the importance of reading saying it had the ability to expand minds enabling people to think, criticise and analyse.

“For example, is it not ironic that people these days take away the forests to pave way for development. Then, we sit and talk about global warming?”

by Sharon Ovinis and G. K. Cheryl Brenda.

Read More @ http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2010/10/17/education/7207229&sec=education