Training and Upgrading of Malay Language Teachers

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim asked the Minister for Education if he will provide an update on the initiatives to train Malay teachers and the development of infrastructure to enhance the teaching of Malay Language at different levels of the education journey of students who wish to specialise in the Malay Language.

Mr Heng Swee Keat: MOE constantly updates and improves the teaching of the Mother Tongue Languages (MTL) for the different groups of learners. To encourage students with the interest and aptitude to learn mother tongue languages at a higher level, MOE has introduced Higher Mother Tongue at the primary, secondary and pre-university levels. In addition, there are special programmes like the Malay Language Elective Programme (MLEP) offered to Junior College students who would like to pursue Malay Language and Literature at H2 level and the Elective Malay for Secondary Schools (EMAS), an enrichment programme offered to students taking Higher Malay.

These programmes have helped produce a pipeline of Malay Language (ML) teachers. To date, about 50 former MLEP students have chosen to join the Teaching Service, with the majority of them teaching Malay Language (ML) in our schools.

Aspiring Malay Language teachers can also join the Diploma in Education programme and the degree programme at the National Institute of Education (NIE). Those with degrees from other institutions, like the National University of Singapore (NUS), who have an interest to teach Malay Language may also join the Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) programme at NIE.

MOE also supports the professional development and upgrading of serving teachers. Non-graduate ML teachers keen to obtain a part-time Bachelor of Arts programme in Malay Language and Literature may take this up at UniSIM or at NIE. Full-time Bachelor of Arts programmes are also available at NIE. Graduate ML teachers keen to obtain a masters degree from local institutions could consider offering a Masters of Education in Malay Language (MEd (ML)) at NIE. Teachers can leverage on professional development packages, like the MTL awards and scholarship, to pursue their further studies.

In addition, ML teachers are also provided with in-service training programmes conducted by MOE's Malay Language Unit (MLU), the Malay Language Centre of Singapore (MLCS) and the Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST). In addition, MLCS also organises an annual ML Seminar and the bi-annual Arif Budiman Lecture Series to enable teachers to learn the latest pedagogy in the teaching and learning of the language. These have been well received by teachers.

Teachers also appreciate the provision of the overseas study-cum-immersion programme on teaching and learning of language and culture. For instance, in 2010, 21 teachers participated in a 21-day immersion programme in Indonesia. In 2011, 12 teachers participated and presented papers in three regional conferences in Brunei and Malaysia.

To create a more conducive environment for the learning of ML, the Malay Language Learning and Promotion Committee also supports and provides funding for several other initiatives. These include:

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a) debates organised by 4PM (Youth Literary Organisation) and Malay Language Students' Society by NTU/NIE for Secondary and JC students.

b) Cepat Tepat Quiz organised by MediaCorp and MOE annually for ML students at the Primary level.

c) inter-school ML vodcast competitions for Primary, Secondary and JC students and teachers organised by CPDD.

d) Malay Language Theatre Competition for Primary, Secondary and JC students organised by Youth Network of People's Association.

In short, a multi-pronged approach has been taken to train Malay teachers and to develop the infrastructure to enhance the teaching of Malay Language at different levels so as to better support our students to acquire proficiency in the Malay Language.