Best Teachers To Teach English From 2012, Says Muhyiddin

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 (Bernama) -- Starting 2012, not only will the English language hours in schools be extended but the best teachers will be teaching the subject, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Saturday.

"Our students will then have experience to communicate with English native teachers and we hope that this will further improve their command of the language," Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said in his speech at the RHB-New Straits Times Spell-it-Right National Challenge competition here.

His speech was delivered by Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi.

"We can no longer ignore the importance of English as a factor in lending quality to our education system.

"Proficiency in English will give us a greater competitive advantage in our quest to become a major trading nation, and the time has now come to make the difference," he said.

Touching on the competition, he said it complemented the effort to promote the English language and he hoped that the teachers would incorporate spelling contests into their academic and extra-curricular calendars, which would raise the bar on language acquisition and set higher proficiency standards across the country.

"Our students will then have experience to communicate with English native teachers and we hope that this will further improve their command of the language," Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said in his speech at the RHB-New Straits Times Spell-it-Right National Challenge competition here.

His speech was delivered by Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi.

"We can no longer ignore the importance of English as a factor in lending quality to our education system.

"Proficiency in English will give us a greater competitive advantage in our quest to become a major trading nation, and the time has now come to make the difference," he said.

Touching on the competition, he said it complemented the effort to promote the English language and he hoped that the teachers would incorporate spelling contests into their academic and extra-curricular calendars, which would raise the bar on language acquisition and set higher proficiency standards across the country.