|
EDUN N25-02-004
00500
31 Jan 2000
MOE ANNOUNCES MEASURES TO ENHANCE LEARNING OF MALAY LANGUAGE IN SCHOOLS
Background
1. In April last year, the Ministry of Education set up a Malay Language Review Steering Committee, chaired by Minister Teo Chee Hean, to study how the learning of Malay Language in schools could be enhanced. The Steering Committee comprised the Minister for Community Development, other Malay political leaders, and MOE officials. The Steering Committee has now completed its work.
2. MOE’s policy objective is to have every Malay Singaporean study the Malay Language for as long as possible, and to as high a level as he is capable of. Recognising that not all students have the same natural ability, home language environment and motivation, the Committee has adopted a mass customised approach.
3. In drawing up the recommendations, MOE has taken into consideration, feedback from the Malay Language Advisory Group chaired by Mr Hawazi Daipi, which was set up to elicit views from the community, findings from a survey carried out by independent consultants, and a comprehensive review of the present and previous set of textbooks by academics and practitioners.
Feedback and Findings
4. The feedback received and findings indicate that the majority of students studying standard ML are able to cope with the subject. On average, students taking ML spend less time per week on tuition and self-study for the subject, compared to the corresponding amount of time they spend on studying English and Mathematics. The findings from the review of the textbooks also show that the difficulty level of the present set of primary and secondary ML textbooks is appropriate and, on the whole, similar to that of the previous set. However, the present set of primary ML textbooks has a higher starting point at Primary 1 than the previous set, as it assumes that students have learnt Malay phonics at the pre-primary level. It also has a heavier learning load at Primary 5 and 6, as lessons focusing on grammar items are taught mainly at the upper primary level. In the previous textbooks, grammar items were introduced from Primary 1 onwards. MOE will therefore make minor adjustments to the primary ML textbooks to ensure that the learning load of students at Primary 1 is appropriately set. The progression from one level to the next will be made gradual and manageable.
5. For those who have the talent and inclination, we want to encourage them to offer Higher ML, and eventually take on the role of cultural transmitters in areas such as teaching, journalism and the arts. MOE will introduce special programmes at the secondary and pre-university level to encourage them to do so. At the tertiary level, a new Honours degree programme will be introduced in NIE to help produce more graduate ML teachers.
6. There is also a small minority of students today who face exceptional difficulties in coping with standard ML. Most of these students are non-Malays. Some of them have high cognitive ability and do well in their other subjects. In the 1999 PSLE, 65 (or 11%) of those students taking ML who were within the top 30% for English, Mathematics and Science, scored within the bottom 30% for ML. Of these 65 students, 49 or three-quarters were non-Malays. We should guard against turning these students off the learning of ML.
Detailed Recommendations
7. The detailed recommendations of the Committee, their implementation timeframe and transitional arrangements (where applicable) are summarised in Annex 1.
Annex 1
| RECOMMENDATIONS |
IMPLEMENTATION
TIMEFRAME
(& TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS WHERE APPLICABLE)
|
REMARKS |
| (I) Majority of Students Studying Malay Language |
|
|
| Instructional Materials
There will be no major adjustment to the level of difficulty of the primary and secondary ML textbooks.
However, the primary ML textbooks will be revised such that the learning load for students at P1 will be set appropriately. The progression from one level to the next will be made gradual and manageable.
Greater emphasis will be given to aural and oral skills in both the new primary and secondary ML textbooks, to be introduced from 2002.
|
Revised textbooks will be introduced based on the following schedule:
2002 - P1, P2, S1(N)
2003 - P3, S1(E/S) & S2(N)
2004 - P4, S2(E/S) & S3(N)
2005 - P5, S3(E/S) & S4(N)
2006 - P6, S4(E/S) & S5(N)
In the interim, students will continue to use the existing ML textbooks, but primary school teachers will be issued with guidelines by Term 2 of 2000 to help them even out the learning load of primary school students, and teach the current packages more effectively. Corresponding adjustments will be made to the ML examinations from 2000 to make them consistent with the interim revisions to the ML textbooks.
|
|
| Examinations
In line with the review of the syllabuses of all the Mother Tongue Languages (MTLs) to place greater emphasis on aural and oral skills, adjustments will be made to the examination format for ML.
|
New examination format to be ready from 2002.
|
|
| (II) Students who have the Aptitude and Interest to Study Malay Language at a Higher Level |
|
|
| Elective Programme in Malay Language for Secondary Schools (EMAS)
MOE has recently announced a scheme for talent development in autonomous schools which allows them to select a niche area, and to set aside up to 5% of their planned Secondary 1 places each year for admitting students who do not meet their cut-off PSLE aggregate score but have talents in the niche area and meet other minimum criteria. As an autonomous school, Bukit Panjang Government High (BPGH) will be allowed to develop a niche area.
MOE will, in addition, allow BPGH to designate the teaching and learning of Malay Language as a second niche area. An Elective Programme in Malay Language for Secondary School (EMAS) will be introduced in BPGH. The 4-year enrichment programme will be offered to students who take up Higher ML, and aims to deepen their understanding and appreciation of Malay history and culture.
BPGH, currently a HML centre, will also operate as a centre for hosting EMAS. Eligible students from other schools taking Higher ML in BPGH will also be eligible for EMAS.
|
First intake into the programme will commence from 2001 if there are at least 5 students per intake.
|
The introduction of EMAS will complement measures announced last year to relax the criteria to allow students in the top 21-30% in PSLE who meet certain language criteria, to offer Higher ML at Sec 1.
|
|
Malay Language Elective Programme (MLEP)
A Malay Language Elective Programme (MLEP) will be introduced in Tampines Junior College (TPJC).
Students in the MLEP will offer Higher ML at ‘A’ level. The MLEP students will be exposed to specially enriched programmes and be eligible for the Malay Language Elective Scholarship. To be eligible for MLEP, a student must meet certain language criteria at ‘O’ level, namely:
· At least a B3 in Higher ML; or
· B4 in Higher ML and at least a B3 in Malay Literature; or
· At least an A2 in ML.
|
First intake into the programme will commence from 2001 if there are at least 5 students per intake.
|
Two bonus points for admission to TPJC will be awarded to students who are admitted to the MLEP.
Up to 10 scholarships will also be made available to students taking up the MLEP.
|
| Honours degree programme in Malay Language and Literature
A new 4-year Honours degree programme in Malay Language and Literature (MLL) will be introduced in NIE.
Students from the Malay Studies (MS) programme in NUS who are interested in becoming ML teachers and would like to be considered for the MLL (with Honours) programme can complete their first 2 years in NUS and transfer to NIE to complete Years 3 and 4, subject to them meeting certain criteria. They will be awarded an honours degree if they perform well.
|
From AY 2001/2002
|
Details will be announced at a later date. The programme is set up specifically to provide MOE with another source of graduate ML teachers, and to meet the upgrading needs of serving ML teachers.
In October last year, MOE announced that a Bonus Point Scheme for university admission will be introduced from AY 2002/2003 to encourage those who are strong in Higher ML or ML at ‘A’ or ‘AO’ level to pursue Malay Studies in NUS and Communications Studies in NTU. The Bonus Point Scheme will likewise apply to this new Honours degree programme.
|
| (III) Students who face Exceptional Difficulties in coping with Standard ML |
|
|
| ML’B’
An ML‘B’ programme will be introduced at the upper secondary level for pupils who face exceptional difficulties in learning ML. Students who meet the criteria in Annex 2will be allowed to offer the ML’B’ programme in Secondary 3.
As the number of students who need an ML ‘B’ programme at the JC level is very small, it is not practical to introduce such a programme in JC. Instead, an ML’B’ examination paper will be made available in the ‘A’ level examinations for eligible students. These students will attend the same ML classes as those who offer the standard ML paper, but they will be given additional assistance by their teachers to help them prepare for the ML’B’ paper.
|
From 2002
Although the ML ‘B’ programme will only be introduced in Secondary 3 in 2002, to help students with exceptional difficulties in ML, an ML’B’ examination paper will be made available in the ‘O’ and ‘A’ level examinations from 2001 for eligible students.
|
As in the case of CL ‘B’, strong disincentives will be put in place to discourage students who are able to cope with standard ML from offering ML ‘B’.
For example, performance in ML ‘B’ will fetch zero point in the computation of points for JC and university admission. A student who achieves a pass in ML’B’ will only be deemed as having met the threshold requirement for entry into JC/university.
|
Annex 2
Eligibility Criteria for Malay Language ‘B’
1. To ensure that ML `B’ will not become a soft option for students, only students who have encountered exceptional difficulties coping with the ML syllabus, will be allowed to switch to the ML `B’ syllabus. Principals will decide on students’ eligibility for ML `B’ based on the criteria listed below:
Eligibility for ML `B’ Programme at Sec 3
2. Only pupils who had obtained Grade C or below in ML in PSLE will be considered.
Eligibility for ML `B’ Paper in the `O’ Level Examinations
3. Students who are not eligible for ML `B’ at Sec 3 but fail ML at Sec 3 (49% or below) or obtain E8 or below in the Sec 4 Mid-year `O’ level examination, or fail ML at the `N’ level examination (ungraded), will be considered for eligibility to offer the ML `B’ paper in the `O’ level examinations.
Eligibility for ML `B’ Paper in the `A’ Level Examinations
4. There will be no special instructional programme for ML `B’ at the JC level. Pre-U students will attend the normal ML lessons. But those who fail to obtain the minimum grade of D7 in the mid-year ML examination at the `AO’ level, plus those who are eligible to take the ML`B’ paper in the `O’ level examinations will be allowed to offer the ML`B’ paper in the `A’ level examinations.
Others
5. Students who re-enter our education system and are unable to cope with the ML syllabus will be considered for the ML `B’ syllabus (e.g. students who return from overseas).
6. Students who are eligible for the ML `B’ programme but opt not to offer it, may continue with standard ML. Students who had opted for ML ‘B’ but wish to switch back to ML in the `O’ or `A’ level examinations will, in general, be allowed to do so.
|
Printer-friendly page 
