English makes it easier to find jobs: Taib
By Lim How Pim & Samuel Aubrey
dipetik dari Borneo Post Online
KUCHING: Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud yesterday hoped undergraduates, especially those in Sarawak, would not neglect mastering English if they want to improve their “marketability”.
Stressing that English is the world’s working language, he said local undergraduates would risk being overlooked by prospective employers, especially those companies involved in international trade, if they do not have a good command of the language.
Alluding to the recent decision by the federal government to stop using English as the medium to teach and learn Mathematics and Science by 2012, he said this should not be a controversy anymore because there are still avenues for people to improve their command of the language.
“Students need to master English (to improve their marketability). Apart from our mother tongue and the national language, we need to have a good command of English to adapt to the present global situation.
“Even in China which is proud of its Mandarin language, citizens are encouraged to learn English, and they even have a 24-channel service to teach English. They know English is important in business.
“This is because English is the world’s working language. Therefore it is important for us to master it,” he said at a dialogue session during the Sarawak Islam Undergraduates Education Colloquium at Auditorium Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, Batu Lintang Teacher’s College.
Earlier, he answered a question from a student who wanted to know why graduates from foreign universities are preferred over local graduates by employers especially multi-national companies.
To this, Taib said this was because those who went to foreign universities especially in English speaking countries can speak and write English better, which are important when dealing with international clients.
“Just look at the Internet, what is the most used language? Obviously it is English. (Similarly,) the export-oriented industries and multinational companies will obviously look for those with good command of English,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, Taib said the state government would continue to extend Wi-Fi Internet facilities to rural schools in order to make it easier for the students to absorb new knowledge and have better command of subjects taught in class.
On behalf of the state government, he also thanked the Education Ministry in Kuala Lumpur for the pledge to improve the infrastructure of rural schools especially in Sarawak.
Nonetheless, he also called on the ministry to consider emulating other countries in providing innovative teaching aids so that the “learning of difficult subjects will be easier and fun”.
“When I was younger, I had no choice but to read books that were big when I wanted to learn about astronomy. It was not easy task because I had to imagine how the universe looked like.
“Nowadays, we have television networks such as Discovery Channel and National Geographic channels which regularly have programmes on astronomy. And it is much easier to learn about astronomy by watching TV programmes.
“Through teaching aids as well as Wi-Fi Internet, the delivery of information and learning of knowledge will be much easier,” he said.
With Sarawak expecting its gross domestic product (GDP) index to grow by five fold upon the realisation of Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), he said the state will need highly-skilled manpower for the new industries.
“And this will depend on the younger generation’s ability to absorb knowledge (especially those complicated subjects),” he said.
Meanwhile, the two-day colloquium saw the participation of Muslim students from selected schools and institutions of higher learning in Sarawak.
Among those present yesterday were Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Islamic Affairs) Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman and Islamic Information Centre (IIC) education bureau director Datu Dr Adi Badiozaman Tuah.
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Ulasan Penerangan: Bunyinya seolah-olah Sarawak ada pendirian yang berbeza mengenai pemansuhan PPSMI. Memanglah, siapa kata tidak mudah nak dapat kerja kalau Bahasa Inggeris itu dikuasai...tetapi apabila berpijak di dalam dunia penuh realiti, berapa ramai sangat yang betul-betul komited menguasai Bahasa Inggeris? Lagipun, ini seolah-olah tidak adil bagi yang berada di luar bandar.
Orang kata nak jadikan dasar PPSMI itu sebagai salah satu kaedah nak jadikan Bahasa Inggeris mudah dikuasai, tetapi ke mana pula perginya program-program yang mampu merealisasikan dasar seperti ini di luar bandar. Langkah yang paling bijak ialah menolak dahulu perasaan gah mahu memandaikan rakyat berbahasa Inggeris sedangkan hakikatnya masih jauh dari situ...
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