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The Road Map 2015 - 2025

The Road Map 2015 - 2025

Keywords: road map

I

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

ISBN: 978-967-5387-45-6
© Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2015.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
ii

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Forewords

iii

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia FOREWORD

The Roadmap 2015-2025 Minister of Education, Malaysia
iv
T he Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025 highlights the need
to ensure that every child is proficient in at least two languages:
bahasa Malaysia and English. Fundamental to this goal is the
provision of the necessary resources required for language learning,
reflected in the various language-based initiatives within the Malaysian
education system. While the medium of instruction in our education
system remains bahasa Malaysia, the Ministry of Education believes that
the goal of bilingual capacity will be achieved if a concerted effort is made
to upskill teachers and students in English proficiency.

It gives me great pleasure to convey my congratulations to the English
Language Standards and Quality Council (ELSQC) in coming up with
the English Language Education Roadmap document. This document
is timely as it provides a roadmap for the main stakeholders on how to
move forward in addressing the challenges facing the nation in producing
human capital that is proficient in the English language, an undeniable pre-
requisite for Malaysia to succeed in this globalised world. The Common

European Framework of Reference (CEFR) that we plan to adopt will I am very hopeful that this plan will succeed as it has taken a
allow us to charter our course of action in improving the English language comprehensive and holistic approach that includes the whole educational
proficiency of our students and teachers in terms of curriculum, teaching spectrum right from preschool to higher education, as well as the very
and learning as well as assessment. important lynchpin of teacher education. It is also my hope that everyone
will give their undivided support to the adoption and implementation of
The Ministry of Education as the main driver of educational this roadmap, just as it will be supported by the Ministry of Education.
innovation in the country, acknowledges the fact that change is inevitable
if we intend to move with the times. We must strive to ensure that all “PENDIDIKAN ITU KEGEMBIRAAN, PENDIDIKAN ITU
our students are given the opportunity to realise their full potential and KEBAJIKAN, PENDIDIKAN ITU KETERBUKAAN”
equip them with competitive edge skills to become global players. Change
in the education system involves the introduction of new materials and YB DATO’ SERI MAHDZIR BIN KHALID
pedagogies as well as the change in mind-set and attitudes. The roadmap Minister of Education, Malaysia
will involve both types of changes while serving as a guiding force to
impact change at all levels of education. In order for the roadmap to
succeed, it is of utmost importance that all stakeholders take ownership of
this plan.

v

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia FOREWORD

The Roadmap 2015-2025 Minister of Higher Education, Malaysia
vi
T he English language plays an important role in higher education. It
enables students to access information and engage in intellectual
discourse. Its role has become even more significant in today’s
increasingly borderless world as education becomes more globalised and
economies more multinational. This then calls for stronger and more
concerted efforts by universities to equip their students with a good
command of English.

Pressure to raise student English proficiency levels is driven by the
need to perform academic tasks in the language, as well as from the rapid
development of a global system of higher education. Mobility programmes
and the international exchange of resources and personnel bring the world
to Malaysian campuses, requiring universities to ensure that their students
are capable of communicating effectively in English.

The Graduate Employability (GE) Blueprint (2012) views universities
as “the cornerstone of a country’s supply of quality and talented human
resource”. Therefore, developing competence in English for the workplace

has also become an imperative role of universities in today’s complex global European Framework of Reference (CEFR) as a move to firstly, allow
employment market. Universities are now expected to ensure that their us to view the English proficiency levels of Malaysian graduates on an
graduates are more employable by being linguistically competent in the international scale and to set appropriate targets for the next decade.
English language. Secondly, the CEFR provides a common denominator for reviewing
and aligning English Language curricula, pedagogy and assessment in
To do so, universities need to nurture learner-autonomy and self- universities, while still allowing individual universities to maintain their
directed learning for graduates to continue developing as life-long language autonomy.
learners. The ability to be self-aware, self-driven and independent will
stand them in good stead as entry-level employees and in the long term.
A paradigm shift is thus required for undergraduates to move away
from a culture of passive formulaic learning to embracing self-directed,
autonomous learning.

Thus this urgent need to develop English-proficient and self-directed YB DATO’ SERI IDRIS JUSOH
graduates is being given due attention in the English Language Education Minister of Higher Education, Malaysia
Roadmap developed by the English Language Standards and Quality
Council (ELSQC). The Roadmap proposes the adoption of the Common

vii

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia FOREWORD

The Roadmap 2015-2025 Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education
viii
Iwould like to congratulate the English Language Standards and
Quality Council (ELSQC) for delivering this Roadmap for English
language education. The Council was commissioned to chart the way
forward for the teaching and learning of English in our education system,
and was given the autonomy to formulate a comprehensive plan to drive
English Language Teaching (ELT) development in the country.

I note with interest that the Roadmap takes forward the thinking that
has been developing over the last five years at the Ministry of Education.
Firstly, the Roadmap formalises the Ministry’s on-going efforts to
strengthen ELT, as encapsulated in the Memartabatkan Bahasa Malaysia
Memperkukuh Bahasa Inggeris (MBMMBI) policy. Secondly, the
Roadmap provides the framework for the execution of the plans proposed
in the Malaysia Education Blueprint (MEB) 2013-2025, for the future of
our education system, specifically in the area of ELT. It is also significant
to note that the Roadmap has utilised the findings of the Cambridge
baseline study on the teaching of English language in our schools. We now

have a clearly focused plan for English language teaching which fully aligns provided with an education that enables them to develop the English
with the Ministry’s language teaching policy. language skills they would need to boost their future employability, as
well as their roles as responsible, productive citizens who could contribute
Our efforts in the past have been largely directed towards the effectively to the well-being of the nation. This is in congruence with the
expansion of our education system to ensure equal access to education call to “maximise student outcomes for every ringgit spent” as expressed
for all children from preschool to post-secondary, and tertiary level. Our in the MEB 2013-2025.
concern now is on establishing and sustaining a system of high quality
education that stands among the best in the region and beyond. A key I look forward to significant improvements in English language
factor to attaining quality education, and ensuring its sustainability, is on- teaching that will follow the implementation of the Roadmap. I hope and
going first-rate capacity building for our teachers. Investing in our teachers expect that this will be an important step towards the transformation of
is vital as we strive towards becoming a national provider of high quality our education system.
English language education.

A message that comes across very clearly from the Roadmap is that YBHG. TAN SRI DR. MADINAH BT MOHAMAD
a high performing education system combines equity in education with Secretary-General
its quality. In the case of English, we have to ensure that, irrespective of
gender, family background and socio-economic status, all children are Ministry of Education, Malaysia

ix

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia FOREWORD

The Roadmap 2015-2025 Director-General of the Ministry of Education
x
Bismillahhirahmanirrahim.
Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

T he Ministry of Education Malaysia strives to ensure that
Malaysian students are proficient in both languages, namely
bahasa Malaysia and the English language. This aspiration
is underpinned in Shift 2 of the Malaysia Education Blueprint
2013-2025 which focuses on developing students who are at
least operationally proficient in bahasa malaysia and the English
language, and at the same time providing opportunities for students
to learn an additional third language. The Ministry’s aim is for all
students leaving the education system to be independent users of
the English language.

The English Language Education Roadmap is a timely and
worthwhile effort that is intended to ascertain harmony and
continuity in the teaching and learning of the English language at all
levels of education in Malaysia. This Roadmap is a comprehensive
and holistic plan as it not only emphasises the skills and abilities
needed by students to become proficient and independent users of the
English language, but also the competencies required by the English

teachers of the language in order for the plan to succeed. Alignment I take this opportunity to thank the English Language Standards
to the Common Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and Quality Council (ELSQC) for producing this document. It is
has also made this Roadmap a more credible plan with international my hope that all stakeholders involved will ensure the successful
relevance. implementation of the roadmap for the betterment of our present and
future generations.
The Roadmap provides comprehensive guidelines for all
stakeholders to gauge the targeted proficiency levels of students from .
preschool right up to tertiary education. This document will serve
as a guide for teachers to ensure students achieve the proficiency Dato’ Sri Dr. Khair Bin Mohamad Yusof
levels set against international standards. Students will benefit from Director-General
the roadmap in which they will be equipped with the language skills
to be global players and positioned to be part of the workforce in a Ministry of Education, Malaysia
globalised world.

It is also hoped that all initiatives encapsulated in the Malaysia
Education Blueprint 2013 – 2025 and all English Language Education
programmes use this Roadmap as a reference so that a concerted plan
of action is carried out with respect to the teaching and learning of
English in Malaysia.

xi

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia FOREWORD

The Roadmap 2015-2025 Chair of the English Language Standards and Quality Council
xii
Bismillahhirahmanirrahim.
Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

r eforming education is an enormous undertaking. We have
to start with a clear idea of what has to be done to make
an improvement, and we have to ensure that the planned
improvement can be carried out in practice in the real world. We
also have to convince the different stakeholders – including teachers,
administrators, parents, employers and the general public – that the
benefits will outweigh the cost and effort involved.

When the English Language Standards and Quality Council
(ELSQC) was asked to produce a roadmap for English language
education, the key decisions had already been taken. The Malaysian
Education Blueprint (MEB) had been published in line with the
MBMMBI policy, and Cambridge English had been commissioned
to benchmark our existing provision for English teaching, and their
baseline report had been submitted. Our task has been to complete
the preparations, and produce a timetabled plan to be implemented by
2025, or in the case of universities, by 2028.

To create a top-performing education system, it is first necessary The interests of these and other stakeholders have been taken into
to create a high-calibre teaching workforce. Intending English account in the preparation of this Roadmap, and it is presented in the
teachers must be provided with world class education to give them hope and belief that it is within our grasp to make substantial and
not only the English proficiency, but also the content knowledge continuing improvements in our English language education in the
and the pedagogical skills they will need to achieve excellence in the course of the next decade.
classroom. Teachers already in post need the means to improve their
proficiency, knowledge and skills, and to catch up on advances made The most important of our stakeholders are the nation’s children.
since they were themselves trained. The point is made several times in The prosperity and international standing of our country by the
the course of this document that teachers need support, and this is a middle of the present century will depend in very large measure on
point that cannot be made too often or too strongly. the start in life given to the children who are already progressing
through our education system or who are about to enter it. For the
Employers can reasonably expect the national education system foreseeable future, educational success for our children will include
to provide them with recruits who already have the basic knowledge of proficiency in English.
English they will need, and who are ready for the more specific training
required for different kinds of employment. Education administrators Implementing the plan put forward here will be difficult, it will
want a national education system of which they can feel proud, and require sustained effort, and it will be expensive; but these efforts
which makes a substantial contribution to national well-being and and costs are as nothing compared to the costs and reparatory efforts
advancement. Parents want their children to be given the English that will otherwise be required, not to mention the waste of talent
proficiency they will need to find employment and advance in their and the losses to national economic development. This Roadmap is
careers, and in some cases to bring their families out of poverty. offered in accordance with the principles of good housekeeping and as

xiii

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

a contribution to national advancement and the realisation of national
aspirations; but the most important consideration of all is that it has
been prepared for the benefit of the present generation of Malaysians
and the next.

PROF. DR ZURAIDAH MOHD DON
Chair of the ELSQC

Ministry of Education, Malaysia

xiv

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Acknowledgements

xv

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025
Acknowledgements

T his project was supported and funded by the Ministry their part in turning the initial inchoate ideas into a comprehensive and
of Education with the aim of creating a timetabled inclusive plan ready for implementation.
implementation plan for the systemic reform of English
language education in Malaysia. The intended reform is part of a Having commissioned the Roadmap, the Ministry has given
wider initiative to bring about the transformation of the existing the support which is so essential to see the preparation and writing
English language education system not only in Malaysian schools from through to completion. Sincere gratitude for support goes to Dr
preschool to post-secondary, but also at tertiary level, and in teacher Ranjit Singh Gill, the former ELTC Director, who participated in the
education. initial development of this Roadmap, and to the current Director
Dr Mohamed Abu Bakar, and to the Deputy Director, Pn Zainab
The Roadmap completes for the special case of English plans for Yusof. Among the individuals from the ELSQC Secretariat that
the future of our education system that have been under development I wish to thank are Dr Suraya Sulyman, Dr Sivabala Naidu and Pn
at the Ministry of Education since 2010. I would like to thank the Sarina Salim. I would like to say a special thank you to my colleagues,
Ministry for having the confidence in the English Language Standards especially my closest collaborators, who have worked tirelessly to
and Quality Council to commission it to take the next essential step in make success possible, and who have been admirably patient in
developing English language education. putting up with telephone calls at unsocial hours, and carrying out
essential work at short notice, or indeed no notice at all.
The preparation of this Roadmap has been a huge undertaking
and the writing of this document has constituted an enormous I would also like to thank my present and previous colleagues on
amount of work. It would not have been possible without the help the ELSQC for their contributions. Chapters 4 to 9 in Section B were
and support of the many bodies and individuals who have each played delegated to groups of writers each headed by an ELSQC member

xvi

and reviewed by members of the ELSQC and Puan Hooi Moon This document is the result of input and insights provided by
Yee. The chapters submitted have been edited as far as possible, numerous people, including the different stakeholders, over the last
but the credit is due to the writers and the responsibility for the two years, who have made a substantial contribution to the shaping of
content of the chapters remains theirs. I also wish to thank those the final document. Finally, I wish to thank those whose constructive
of my colleagues who kindly volunteered to review and improve the feedback, critical input and continuous help and support got us
text, and also the former members of the ELSQC who were with through the final stages and enabled us to complete the document on
me during the initial stages of the development of the Roadmap. The schedule.
whole of Sections A and C, and the editorial introduction to Section B
have been written centrally.

When the separate manuscripts are in, the work begins on Zuraidah Mohd Don
bringing them together in the form of a coherent document.
This would have been impossible on top of everyday academic Chief Editor and Principal Writer
responsibilities, and I was fortunate in that the last three months Professor, University of Malaya
coincided with the beginning of my sabbatical leave. I wish to
express my appreciation to the Vice Chancellor of the University of
Malaya for granting me the sabbatical leave which made possible the
completion of the whole document.

xvii

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025
English Language Standards and Quality Council

Prof. Dr Zuraidah Mohd Don Prof. Dr Anna Christina Abdullah Assoc. Prof. Dr Arshad Abd Samad Assoc. Prof. Datin Dr. Dr Kuldip Kaur Karam Singh
Mardziah Hayati Abdullah
CHAIRPERSON PANEL MEMBER PANEL MEMBER PANEL MEMBER
Universiti Malaya Universiti Sains Malaysia Universiti Putra Malaysia PANEL MEMBER LeapEd Services
Universiti Putra Malaysia

Dato’ Dr Lee Boon Hua Ms Janet Pillai@Liyana Pillai Dr Mohamed Abu Bakar Ms Sarina Salim Mr Mohamed Khaidir Alias

PANEL MEMBER PANEL MEMBER S EC R E TA RY SECRE TARIAT OFFICER ACTING SECRETARIAT OFFICER
LeapEd Services Independent Consultant English Language Teaching Centre English Language Teaching Centre English Language Teaching Centre

xviii

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Editor, Writers and Reviewers

xix

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Editor, Writers and Reviewers

Chief Editor Zuraidah Mohd Don Content of document Writers/Authors

Reviewers Zuraidah Mohd Don, Anna Christina Abdullah, Acknowledgements Zuraidah Mohd Don
Mardziah Hayati Abdullah, Arshad Abd Samad, Zuraidah Mohd Don
Lee Boon Hua, Kuldip Kaur Karam Singh, Overview Zuraidah Mohd Don
Janet Pillai, Hooi Moon Yee, Gurnam Kaur Sidhu,
Choong Kam Foong, Saidatul Zainal Abidin, Editorial Introduction Zuraidah Mohd Don
Lim Peck Choo, Stefanie Pillai, Hawa Rohany, to Section A Zuraidah Mohd Don, Sivabala Naidu,
Zainab Yusof, Cheok Oy Lin, Sarina Salim Sarina Salim
Chapter 1
Proofreaders Zuraidah Mohd Don, Hooi Moon Yee,
Mardziah Hayati Abdullah, Tan Kok Eng, Chapter 2
Chandrakala Raman, Pamela Devadason,
Marina Abu Bakar, Saidatul Zainal Abidin,
Malek Baseri, Jayanthi Sothinathan, Cheok Oy Lin,
Zainab Yusof, Audrey Lim Bee Yoke, Kamariah
Samsuddin, Kalminder Kaur, Mohamed Khaidir
Alias, Farah Mardhy Aman

xx

Chapter 3 Zuraidah Mohd Don, Ranjit Singh Gill, Chapter 6: Secondary Arshad Abd Samad, Hawa Rohany,
Suraya Sulyman, Sarina Salim Ramesh Nair, Leela James Dass,
Pamela Devadason
Editorial Introduction Zuraidah Mohd Don
to Section B Chapter 7: Kuldip Kaur Karam Singh, Gurnam Kaur
Anna Christina Abdullah, Tan Kok Eng, Post-secondary Sidhu, Lim Peck Choo, Mazlina
Chapter 4: Preschool Chithra K.M.Krishnan Adiyodi, Mohamad Aris, Marina Abu Bakar
Yeoh Phaik Kin, Regina Joseph Cyril
Chapter 8: University Zuraidah Mohd Don, Mardziah Hayati
Lee Boon Hua, Mardziah Hayati Abdullah, Hooi Moon Yee, Saidatul
Chapter 5: Primary Abdullah, Aspalila Shapii, Yong Wai Yee, Akmar Zainal Abidin
Chandrakala Raman, Mohamad Najib
Omar, Regina Joseph Cyril Chapter 9: Choong Kam Foong, Stefanie Pillai,

Teacher Education Terry Yap, Cheok Oy Lin, Amar Shobha

Sarna

xxi

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Editorial Introduction Zuraidah Mohd Don
to Section C

The Roadmap Zuraidah Mohd Don, Anna Christina
Abdullah, Lee Boon Hua, Arshad Abd
Samad, Kuldip Kaur Karam Singh,
Hooi Moon Yee, Mardziah Hayati
Abdullah, Choong Kam Foong,
Sarina Salim

Overall design Zuraidah Mohd Don, Hooi Moon Yee,
of the document Sarina Salim, Mardziah Hayati Abdullah



xxii

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Table of Contents

xxiii

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Table of Contents

Forewords iii

Acknowledgements xv
English Language Standards and Quality Council xviii

Editor, Writers and Reviewers xix

Overview xxv

Section A - Context and International Standards 1
Chapter 1 - The Provenance of the English Language Roadmap 5
Chapter 2 - The Historical Background to English Language Education in Malaysia 35
Chapter 3 - The CEFR 55

Section B - Looking Back and Moving Forward 83
Chapter 4 - Preschool 113
Chapter 5 - PrImary 157
Chapter 6 - Secondary 189
Chapter 7 - Post-secondary 227
Chapter 8 - University 245
Chapter 9 - Teacher Education 271

Section C - The Roadmap 315

Appendices 381
Glossary 397
List of Abbreviations 403
References 409
Contributors 423

xxiv

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Overview

xxv

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia The purpose of this document is to propose a Roadmap for
English Language Education from preschool to university to
The Roadmap 2015-2025 enable us to embark on the reform of our English language
education system aligned to international standards. The Roadmap is
Overview concerned for the most part with the English language programme,
which includes three components, namely curriculum, teaching and
xxvi learning, and assessment. The programme is part of the wider English
language education system, which includes the whole infrastructure
for the teaching and learning of English. While the proposals put
forward have implications for the English language education system
as a whole, the only part of the system other than the English language
programme that is considered in detail here is teacher education.

The document is divided into three sections, A, B and C. Section A
contains preparatory and background material, and deals with general
considerations that encompass the more specific issues that are dealt
with in Sections B and C. The chapters of Section B undertake a
critical evaluation of the current English language programme at
each stage of education from preschool to tertiary education and
including teacher education, and make recommendations for reform
and sustainable improvement. Section C presents the Roadmap in the
form of a set of tables based on the findings and recommendations
emerging from sections A and B, together with recommendations for
the formulation of policy. Aspirational targets are set for 2025 (see
Chapter 1 and the Roadmap) according to the CEFR global scale in
order to make explicit what we want to achieve in principle by 2025.
These will be supplemented by staged targets before the end of 2015,
so that we can track our performance and check that we are on course.

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

ASEC TION

1

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025
2

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

A

Context and International Standards

3

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Context and International Standards

Section A introduces the Roadmap document, and sets the
scene for Sections B and C.

The first chapter is concerned with what we are trying to
achieve, and where we want to go. It deals with the provenance of the
Roadmap itself, and picks up ideas that have long been “in the air” – such
as transforming our education system and making our English language
education system one of the best in the region and beyond – and shows
how these ideas can potentially be turned into reality by 2025.

Chapter 2 traces the historical development of our education
system, and the changing position of English within it. The chapter ends
with lessons to be learned from our history, which need to be taken
into account in future plans. Chapter 3 is concerned with the Common
European Framework of Reference for Languages (“CEFR”1), which
has been selected to benchmark the performance of our current English
language education system against international standards, and monitor
developments in the years to 2025. The chapter includes the reasons
why the CEFR is the obvious choice for Malaysia.

Looking ahead, this section summarises the many different factors
and considerations that must be taken into account as we begin the task
of reform. Having benchmarked the current performance in English of
students and teachers from preschool to post-secondary level, we are
in a position to go on to align our English language education system to
international standards in the form of the CEFR. Detailed discussion
of the general points raised in this section – including matters that go
beyond alignment to the CEFR – are left to Sections B and C.

1 The acronym generally used is “CEFR”, although the shorter and possibly more appropriate
“CEF” is also used, but less frequently.

4

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

1

The Provenance of the
English Language Roadmap

5

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Chapter 1: The Provenance of the English Language Roadmap

T his opening chapter outlines the circumstances which led
to the writing of a Roadmap for English language education
in Malaysia. The Roadmap has been made possible by
previous work which has been commissioned or undertaken by
the Ministry of Education, and which enables us to complete the
task of developing policy into a plan for English. This is discussed
in Section 1.1, which relates our work to developments in the
Ministry of Education since 2010. Section 1.2 is concerned with the
connection between the reform of our English language education
system and the achievement of our national goals. Section 1.3
responds to the aspiration to transform our education system,
and links transformation to reform and the creation of a quality
culture. The achievement of excellence in education is known to
depend on excellence in the teaching workforce, and this is the
topic of Section 1.4. The section that completes the chapter looks
ahead to the implementation of the Roadmap.

1.1 Developing policy into a plan

This Roadmap completes the preparatory stages of an
unfolding government plan for language teaching and learning in
Malaysia. The starting point is the new MBMMBI policy, which
was introduced in 2010, and defines the respective roles of
English and Malay in the education system. The next important
landmark was the appearance in 2013 of the Malaysian Education
Blueprint (“MEB”), which sets out a general plan for the reform
and development of the education system to 2025.

6

The Cambridge Baseline Results Report, which also appeared At the same time, the MBMMBI policy strives to strengthen
in 2013, investigated the present state of English teaching and proficiency in English as the international language of
learning, and provided hard evidence of where we are now in communication and knowledge, thus enabling the exploration of
relation to the state of affairs envisaged in the MEB with respect knowledge so vital to compete at national and global levels. The
to English. This document picks up the baton, and presents MBMMBI policy views English as a means to empower the nation’s
in some detail exactly what we have to do to bring our present citizens to compete in today’s era of globalisation. This Roadmap
English language education system up to the standard outlined in is concerned with the English part of the MBMMBI policy, and is
the MEB. The next stage is to put the plans into effect. expected to complement a corresponding roadmap for Malay.

1.1.1 The MBMMBI policy 1.1.2 The Malaysian Education Blueprint

The Roadmap is drafted in accordance with the new language The MEB appeared in 2013, and is concerned with the
policy Memartabatkan Bahasa Malaysia Memperkukuh Bahasa development of Malaysian education as a whole to 2025, with the
Inggeris ‘to uphold Malay and to strengthen English’. The new aim of transforming the existing education system and making it
policy took an important step forward in repositioning Malay and one of the top third of education systems in the world. It contains
English as respectively the national language and the language of a brief sketch of the place of English in the wider educational plan,
international communication. and this sketch has now been elaborated in the form of a plan for
the reform of the English language education system (see Section
The MBMMBI policy aims to uphold the rightful position of C). Although the proposed reform applies specifically to English,
Malay not only as the national language but also as “the main many of the proposals apply mutatis mutandis to the teaching and
language of communication, the language of knowledge, and learning of other languages in Malaysia, so that English has the
the language for nation-building crucial towards achieving the potential to act as the trailblazer for other languages.
objectives of 1Malaysia” (Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2010, p.
6). Malay is thus seen as crucial for national identity and nation- A major decision which has already been made (MEB, p. 4-1),
building, and as having the potential to produce its own body of and which affects a large number of consequent decisions, is to align
knowledge. curriculum and assessment to the Common European Framework of

7

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Reference (“CEFR”), which is mentioned briefly below and discussed This evidence is provided by a baseline study commissioned
at greater length in Chapter 3. Having an existing framework to by the Ministry of Education and undertaken by Cambridge
work with not only saves an enormous amount of time and effort, English1, which led to a Results Report submitted in 2013 and
but since it has been developed over a long period of time by scholars entitled “Cambridge Baseline 2013” (henceforth “the Cambridge
from many different countries, we can also be confident that it will Baseline”)2. This baseline study used the CEFR to evaluate the
cater for our specific needs in Malaysia. current state of English teaching and learning in Malaysia according
to prevailing international standards, and assessed the proficiency
The MEB identifies eleven fundamental shifts which need to be of samples of students from preschool to post-secondary education,
undertaken in order to reform the education system. Seven of these and also the proficiency of a sample of English teachers.
shifts – 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 10 – are relevant to English language
education in particular, and are discussed separately in the Editorial The comparative evaluation is known as benchmarking (see
Introduction to Section C. The programme of reform is timetabled, Chapter 3), and its value is that it gives us a clear idea of how
and is planned to be implemented in three Waves. The Waves are our current performance matches that of other countries. The
discussed in the Editorial Introduction to Section C, and referred to report leaves us in no doubt whatsoever that although our current
several times elsewhere in this document. In order to synchronise the English language education system may be sufficient for the
reform programme outlined here with the original Waves, reference needs of the past, it is not at all sufficient for us to succeed as a
is made in Sections B and C to three “phases” which come into line nation in a globalised world that requires English for international
with the Waves at the end of Wave 2 in 2020. communications of all kinds.

1.1.3 The Cambridge Baseline 2013 1.1.4 The Roadmap for English Language Education

In order to apply the general education planning put forward The essence of the problem that this Roadmap sets out to solve
in the MEB to the special case of English, we first have to know is that we have an English language education programme that has
where we are now. We have to ascertain our starting position in evolved since independence in 1957 to satisfy our national needs
order to measure the gap to be crossed by 2025. It is essential as they were in the second half of the last century. In the present
to proceed not on the basis of opinion and hearsay but as far as century we find ourselves in a very different situation, and in order
possible on the basis of hard evidence. to fulfill our national aspirations, we have to come to terms with

1 Part of Cambridge Language Assessment, which is itself part of Cambridge University.

2 Also informally “the baseline report” or “the baseline study”. References
unless otherwise stated are made to the Results Report.

8

the challenge not only of global English but also of ICT which uses Plans for reform have to begin with three fundamental questions.
English as its resident language. What are we trying to achieve? Where are we now and how did
we get here? How are we going to get to where we want to be?
The reform is timely, because increasing global mobility,
including developments in ASEAN, adds urgency to the need to The first of these questions is addressed in Section A, the second
reform our English language education system, and provide our is addressed with respect to the different stages of education in
young people from all social backgrounds, school leavers and Section B, and the third question is addressed in Section C. We
graduates, with the means to compete successfully. have to start with a clear idea of what we are trying to achieve
and of our present position in order to coordinate and integrate
We have to create a programme that provides our young people the many different activities involved in the reform of our English
with the English proficiency that will enable them to communicate language education system.
effectively in social and professional contexts – which for those
going on to tertiary education includes coping with the English 1.2 Creating an agenda-driven English language programme
requirements of their academic courses – and to find suitable
employment when they complete their education, and to succeed If we are to improve the existing English language programme,
in their careers. Our key aims are: we have to adopt and consistently maintain a clearly defined high
level principle of organisation that guides decisions made at lower
1. to produce an English language programme of international levels. The principle adopted for this Roadmap is here called agenda-
standard supported by a quality delivery system; driven planning, and the aim is to create an agenda-driven English
language programme.
2. to make available quality English language education to all
students, and as far as possible narrow or close achievement Our starting point is to observe what happens when there is
gaps irrespective of ability, gender, socio-economic background, no clearly defined guiding principle. It is well known, for example,
and geographical location; that examinations have a washback3 effect on classroom teaching,
and perhaps on the curriculum and even on the perceived purpose
3. to produce a timetabled implementation plan or “roadmap” of learning. The effect of uncontrolled washback can be that the
supported by a dedicated team to oversee its effective delivery. students learn very little of any real value. Teachers understandably

3 Also known as a backwash effect. In using the term washback, we here follow the usage
adopted for the Cambridge Baseline Study.

9

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

concentrate their efforts on getting their students through the Examinations Teaching Student
examinations, and if the examinations do not test the right things, Learning
much of this effort is – as far as the outside world is concerned –
entirely wasted. Figure 1.1a The architecture of the current English
language programme- Examination-driven
The MEB deals at some length (pp. 4-2 – 4-4) with the three
dimensions of the curriculum, namely the written curriculum, Curriculum Textbooks Student
the taught curriculum and the examined curriculum, and draws and learning Learning
attention to problems (p. 4-3) in that the (written) curriculum
“has not always been brought to life in the classroom” and materials
“examinations do not currently test the full range of skills that the
education system aspires to produce”. The executive summary of Figure 1.1b The architecture of the current English
the Cambridge Baseline Study also identifies a problem of this kind language programme – Curriculum-driven
in Malaysian schools (p. 15).

When teachers teach for examinations, much of the curriculum
not included in the examining process will be perceived as
irrelevant, however well thought out and pedagogically desirable
it may be. For the same reason, textbooks may be regarded as
useless or irrelevant. According to the Cambridge Baseline (p.
16), 87% of teachers felt the textbook was “inadequate”. In these
circumstances it is not surprising if students do not quite understand
why they are learning English, or as the Cambridge Baseline puts
it “lack motivation and do not recognise the importance of English
for their future” (p. 8).

10

The current situation is represented in Figures 1.1a and 1.1b. targets. For this to be possible, the targets must be clear and
(see above). The first of these represents a situation in which explicit, and there has to be an implementation strategy in
the examination system effectively controls what teachers do in place to make it happen.
the classroom, and ultimately what students learn. Figure 1.1b
represents the relationship between curriculum and learning 2. The programme needs to be driven in a beneficial manner.
materials, and reflects the fact that textbook writers are required Although the examination system is in practice the usual
to design materials according to the curriculum. driver, it is not an appropriate driver and creates problems. The
curriculum must be in the driving position.
The situation represented in the figures is found in many
countries across the world, and it is by no means unique to Malaysia. This creates a new situation as illustrated in Figure 1.2 (see below).
The problem that immediately becomes obvious on inspection of
Figure 1.1 is that examinations and curriculum do not have much to In an integrated curriculum-driven programme, the curriculum
do with each other. Figure 1.1b represents what is officially going provides teachers with appropriate content to teach at appropriate
on in classrooms in principle, and Figure 1.1a what is happening in times, while textbooks and other learning materials support the
reality and in practice. No education programme can succeed with teachers and the students, and forms of assessment evaluate
conflicting goals. student performance in accordance with the aims of the curriculum.
It is important not to pre-judge the issue of assessment, and it
The first step is therefore to reconcile the conflicting goals. It must not be taken for granted that student performance is best
is not possible in reality to negate the washback effect, but what measured by conventional examinations.
we can do is to harness it, so that instead of being a source of
problems, it becomes a source of strength. To do this, it is essential Examinations have an important place, but it must be clear
to take two related steps: what that place is, and how examinations relate to other forms of
assessment. A curriculum-driven programme provides a natural focus
1. The different components of the English language programme for teacher training, which is geared towards producing teachers to
– curriculum, teaching and learning, assessment, and teacher contribute effectively to the programme.
training – must be very closely integrated, so that all parties
involved in the programme work in harmony towards the same A question prompted by the inspection of Figure 1.2 is where
the curriculum comes from. The obvious answer is that an English

11

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Teaching & Textbooks Assessment
Learning and learning

materials

Curriculum Student
Learning

Figure 1 .2 A curriculum-driven programme

Curriculum Teaching & Assessment
Learning

International Student
standards Learning

Figure 1.3 A programme driven by international standards

12

curriculum is designed to teach English; but the fact is that there of the CEFR, and a further advantage of the CEFR is that we in
are many different ways of teaching and learning a language. In an Malaysia are fully in control of what we take from it, and how we
interconnected and globalised world, it is essential to take account of make use of it for our own national advantage.
international best practice.
A further consideration in the design of the programme is people’s
The problems that our English teachers encounter are faced by motivation to learn languages, and people learn languages for many
language teachers and administrators the world over. By taking the different reasons. A traditional motivation is to read literature in the
decision to use the CEFR as the guiding framework for curriculum original language, and the study of English at university level in Malaysia
development, we also face the challenge of international standards. was formerly closely related to the study of English literature.
The benchmarking which we have already begun evaluates our
curriculum and other aspects of our English language programme Another motivation is to communicate with people in a
according to the standards set by international best practice. country in which one spends a long period of time, and for many
International benchmarking enables us to develop our English language Malaysians this remains a powerful motivation to learn English.
programme in a principled manner. This leads to a programme driven However, it would appear from the baseline study (pp. 7-8) that
by international standards, as illustrated in Figure 1.3 (see above). many Malaysians spend a lot of time learning English without quite
knowing why they are doing it.
The adoption of international standards brings with it a number
of advantages. For example, the use of a common framework will There has to be a motivation for learning English that applies
ensure that our programme in Malaysia is fully up to date with equally to students from rural and urban areas, to boys and girls,
what is known globally about language teaching and learning and and to students studying the Arts and the Sciences. This motivation
about best practice. It is difficult under present conditions for comes directly from national aspirations. Malaysia has long aspired
international employers or university admissions officers to evaluate to be recognised internationally as an advanced high-income nation
examination results indicating a level of success in relation to a by 2020, and in order to turn aspiration into reality, there are certain
curriculum unique to Malaysia. Common international standards things we have to do, which means we have to have a clearly defined
will enable an informed comparison of levels of achievement in all agenda. For example, we need to increase the contribution to the
countries that use them. These will in practice be the standards nation of our school leavers and graduates by making them more
employable4.
4 The National Graduate Employability Blueprint, MoHE.

13

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Curriculum Teaching & Assessment
Learning

National Quality student
Aspirations outcomes
by 2025
International
standards In the case of the English language programme, this translates
into the need for graduates with sufficient English language skills
Figure 1.4 to obtain suitable employment, and at a lower level for school
leavers with the English proficiency necessary for jobs that require
An aGENDA-driven contact with English speakers. It is in the national interest to
programme create a workforce with the necessary English language skills;
but it is also very much in the interests of individual graduates
14 and school leavers to develop these skills for themselves, whether
they work for an international corporation, or serve in a shop,
restaurant or hotel. Linking the English language programme to
national aspirations leads to the situation illustrated in Figure 1.4.

National aspirations have already motivated the decision to This subsection ends with a brief summary:
benchmark our English language programme. A consequence of
benchmarking is that it brings to light ways in which the curriculum 1. The English language programme must be driven not by
needs to be modified in order to bring our English language examinations but by our national agenda, which is itself based
programme fully up to prevailing international standards. The on our aspirations as a nation, and which amounts to what we
curriculum in turn drives teaching and learning, and teaching and as a nation want to achieve by making all our young people
learning together drive the development of learning materials and learn English.
ultimately assessment and teacher training.
2. The different components of the programme – curriculum,
Note that in Figure 1.4, the international standards bubble is teaching and learning, learning materials, and assessment –
placed below the line, because being international they are not must be fully integrated, and we need a strategy in place to
under Malaysian control. The other three, namely curriculum, ensure that this integration is achieved and maintained.
teaching and learning, and assessment are placed above the
line. The identification of national aspirations, along with the 3. The development and implementation of the programme have
curriculum, teaching and learning, and methods of assessment all to keep to the timetable outlined in the MEB in the form of
belong to Malaysia. Waves 1 to 3.

Benchmarking, by contrast, gives us information on how our 1.3 Bringing about transformation
provision compares with international standards, and we can use
this information and exploit it to our own advantage. Although A term which is currently in widespread use in the MoE is
benchmarking cannot of course control what we do, it can help us transformation5. Something is transformed when it is changed
decide what goes into our national curriculum in order to achieve from a less desirable state to a significantly more desirable state.
our national aspirations. Transformation is not an action but the perceived outcome of
positive action. The positive action we need to take is to reform
our existing English language system. We resolve to undertake a

5 Government Transformation Programme: The Roadmap. The Prime Minister’s Office, 2010.

15

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Figure 1.5 Establishing Reviewing Producing and Transformation
National the existing Implementing of the English
the
reform Aspirations English a Roadmap Language
Process Language Education
Education
System and System
Measuring its
Performance

programme of reform in the hope and expectation that it will lead areas in need of reform. Several such areas have been identified in
to transformation (see Figure 1.5). the baseline study and in Section B, and they include the spoken
proficiency of students and teachers, and teacher education.
The national aspirations have already been established (see
the MEB, p. E-1), and the review of the existing system has been Having been identified, these problem areas have to be
undertaken by Cambridge English. The findings of the Cambridge attended to as matters of priority, for otherwise we will not carry
Baseline will have to be followed up with a more detailed positive out a worthwhile reform, we will not reach the goals set by the
critical evaluation, the aim of which is not to destroy, but rather to national agenda, and the transformation will not take place. Our
identify shortcomings with a view to putting them right. task is not only to identify areas in need of reform, but also to
show how reform can be implemented so that the aspiration for
While the outcome may be negative in the short term, this transformation becomes a reality.
is ultimately a positive process that leads to positive outcomes.
In the case of English language education, we have to identify

16

Quality Quality Quality
English Delivery Learning
Language System Outcomes
Programme

Quality Culture in
English Language Education

Figure1.6 ACHIEVING A QUALITY CULTURE

17

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

1.3.1 Creating a quality culture and make successful transitions from preschool to primary school
and then secondary school, and perhaps on to tertiary education.
The mechanism of reform by means of which we can bring
about transformation is the creation of a quality culture. Our Quality in the programme itself needs to be matched by the
English language education system must bear the hallmark way it is delivered to learners in the classroom. A quality delivery
of quality, which means that quality must be sustained and system includes:
maintained throughout, making the system “comparable to high-
performing education systems” (MEB, p. 2-2). To create a quality 1. a continuous and sufficient supply of high-calibre teachers;
culture “(see Figure 1.6), we need
2. the provision of high quality learning materials including online
1. Quality in our English language programme; learning resources;

2. A quality delivery system; 3. the creation of a high quality learning environment.

3. Quality in learning outcomes. Quality would appear already to have been achieved in the
selection of recruits for teaching. The MEB reports (p. 5-3) rising
The achievement of quality in the English language programme academic standards among applicants for teacher training, and a
begins with the alignment of our programme to international ratio of no fewer than 38 applicants per place. The Cambridge
standards, so that we know how it compares with the rest of the Baseline draws attention to the high level of commitment on the
world, and the rest of the world knows how to evaluate Malaysian part of Malaysian English language teachers.
educational qualifications. The different components of the
programme need to be integrated and aligned so that the curriculum However, the Cambridge Baseline also makes clear that
specifies the right things to be taught at the right time and in the although Malaysia has a number of high-calibre teachers, the general
right order, and assessments test what students have been taught standard of performance in the classroom, both with respect to
and provide them with qualifications that indicate what they are able English proficiency and professional skills, is disappointingly low.
to do in English when they have left the education system. Students The quest for quality in this case has to begin by ascertaining why
need to progress in a systematic fashion through the programme, the early promise of teaching recruits is not followed through to
their later performance in the classroom.

18

Quality teachers need quality tools, and these include reaches all our young people, and that they are given a chance to
textbooks and other learning materials of international standard, succeed in learning English irrespective of their social background
and classroom equipment to enable them to make the most or geographical location.
effective use of class time, including where appropriate the use
of ICT for teaching and learning. The time of quality teachers is a Opportunity goes beyond the classroom experience, and covers the
resource that needs to be well managed, and teachers should spend whole learning environment. Equality of opportunity for all, including
their time doing things that only teachers can do. For example, the rich and poor, boys and girls, and for those from urban and rural areas
introduction of school-based assessment could be undermined if will not only give young people from less advantaged backgrounds a
teachers are already overloaded with other work, and they need better chance in life, but also take advantage of hitherto underutilised
to be relieved of work that could in principle be done by others. talent and potential for the benefit of the nation.
The acquisition of quality textbooks would itself relieve teachers
at least in part of the need to produce basic learning materials. The English Language Standards and Quality Council
(henceforth “ELSQC”) has been established as the overseer of
A high quality learning environment is one that optimises the standards and quality in our English language education system.
conditions for student learning. This includes not only textbooks What is clearly needed is a hallmarking system for taught courses,
and other formal learning materials, but also reading materials that teacher training programmes, assessments, and other ventures in
the students enjoy reading, and films and other video materials the field of English language.
that they enjoy watching. The rich environment needs to be
extended beyond the classroom, so that students are exposed to Such a task would require resources far beyond those of the
English and can use English in situations relevant to their everyday ELSQC, and so much of the quality control would have to be
lives. Parents and others with sufficient English can be actively delegated to bodies answerable to the ELSQC whose members have
involved in the children’s learning, and can even help in the school. been ascertained to be of the right calibre. Procedures for assessing
teachers, for example, would themselves have to be hallmarked.
Quality in learning outcomes means that students achieve
what they are capable of achieving, and no students are left Hallmarking would also address another practical problem
behind for lack of opportunity. In accordance with the principle facing our education system as a whole. Despite huge expenditure
of equity, we have to ensure that an improved English programme on education, we are underperforming in relation to our national
wealth (MEB, p. 3-27), and we are obtaining a poor return on our

19

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

investment and expenditure. We need to get value for every ringgit Integrating the system
(MEB, p. 6-11). Hallmarking would save expenditure on poor quality
ventures unlikely to lead to improvements, and concentrate spending The need to integrate the English language education system can
on high quality ventures more likely to yield positive results. perhaps best be highlighted by drawing attention to problems that
arise when integration is lacking. The examples cited briefly here are
1.3.2 Integration discussed at greater length in the relevant chapters of Section B. If
speaking proficiency is set as a top priority for the English language
Among the most important ingredients of quality is integration. programme but the assessment is limited to the testing of reading and
All the different components have to work together as a single writing, then the assessment is not integrated with the rest of the
integrated functioning system. Decisions taken at one stage have programme.
consequences for decisions to be taken further downstream. The
MBMMBI policy leads to the MEB, and the MEB leads to the If the learning materials used do not match the curriculum,
commissioning of this Roadmap. The Roadmap needs to include or if they do not enable students to achieve the learning goals
the design of an internally consistent English language programme associated with the curriculum, then there is a lack integration
that can be implemented in practice. within the programme itself. If students are expected to learn to
communicate in English, but teachers are not trained to enable
The inclusion in the programme of a national curriculum students to develop communicative competence, then there is a
aligned to international standards creates the need for teachers lack of integration in the English language education system as a
to be trained to teach it. The different bodies that train teachers whole. Problems of this kind manifest themselves at the same time,
have to be brought together to ensure that teachers are trained and give students a flawed learning experience which may make it
to teach the right things in the classroom. In order to make the difficult for them to learn at all, or at least to maintain morale.
teaching of the curriculum effective, students need access to
appropriate learning materials, and assessment procedures need Progress
to test the right things and measure the extent to which students
are achieving the intended learning outcomes. All parties involved Lack of integration causes problems of a rather different kind
must be working together towards common goals. as the student progresses through the education programme. For
example, if beginning readers are required to read whole sentences
before developing basic word recognition skills, or if learners are

20

expected to use grammatical forms in writing before recognising understanding English grammar. In both cases, it appears that
them in reading, then there is a lack of integration that can only children are expected to learn the same content at least twice in
hamper their progress. the course of their education.

It is essential that as students progress through the learning For example, according to the national curriculum, much of
programme the things they are given to learn are appropriate Year 1 is concerned with letter recognition, and phonics teaching
for their present stage of development – in accordance with the proper begins in Year 2 and continues until Form 5. Children who
principle of developmentally appropriate practice – and presented have already learnt the letters of the alphabet in preschool will not
in the right order, so that the programme is integrated when viewed have much to learn in Year 1, and primary school children who have
through time. learnt to use phonics methods to recognise words will be doing it
all again in secondary school.
Progression
Perhaps the most difficult handover problem involves the transition
A consequence of the division of the programme into largely from school to university. The transition is particularly problematical
independent modules is that particular attention needs to be in view of the different routes to university entrance and the different
paid to the management of student transfer from preschool to kinds and amounts of tuition available, if any, to prepare students for
primary school, and then on to secondary school and perhaps the English language demands of their university courses.
tertiary education. Students entering primary school will have
very different experiences of learning English at preschool level, The consequence of the current lack of integration is that the
ranging from nothing at all to a good start in speaking and reading; standard of English of many students coming up to university is
and similarly secondary schools take in students from primary inadequate for their needs, and for these students it is probably
school with a range of ability in English. already too late to bring their English up to the necessary standard.
This situation has prompted remedial action at university level,
Since children spend different lengths of time in preschool, the which is reported elsewhere in this document. The integration
handover between preschool and primary school can be expected of the English language programme includes the establishment of
to be problematical. A problem which is discussed elsewhere in handover procedures to ensure that students make the transfer
this document concerns the teaching of beginning literacy. Among successfully at each stage.
the problems children face are recognising English words, and

21

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

Classroom teaching and
learning is an area which will
require a thorough reform in
order to be made compatible
with the philosophy of teaching

and learning which is built
into the CEFR and described

in the baseline study.

The ability range The figures provided in the Cambridge Baseline give cause
for concern in connection with the extremes between Year 6 and
A modern integrated education system is expected to cater for Form 3. The CEFR measures language proficiency on a scale
all children across the ability range. Although aspirational targets beginning with A1, and progressing through A2, B1, B2, and C1
express the hope that all students will achieve a certain level of to C2. The percentage of students below CEFR A1 falls from 32
proficiency in English at the end of each stage of their education, in Year 6 to 12 in Form 3, while at the upper end, the percentage
the reality is that some students will not achieve this level, while above A2 rises from 13 to 31. The percentage in A1 or A2 remains
others will advance far beyond it. virtually unchanged, from 56 in Year 6 to 57 in Form 3. There is
a small amount of improvement, for the figure for A1 falls from
The different needs of above average students, average 34% to 28%, while the figure for A2 rises from 22% to 29%. If we
students and the weaker students need to be taken into account. now compare the figures for Form 3 and Form 5, we find that the
Intervention programmes will in some cases be required to provide largest single group is the 29% in A2 in both cases.
the above average students with a real challenge, and to prevent
the weaker students from being left behind.

22

The number below A2 falls from 30% in Form 3 to 27% in Form raised in the Executive Summary of the Cambridge Baseline on
5, while the number of those above A2 rises from 31% to 35%. page 12, where in the upper picture the children are sitting in
Although these figures do indicate some progress, this progress is rows listening to the teacher talking, although one child is more
slow, especially in the middle of the range; and even in the extremes, interested in the photographer, while in the lower picture, children
the progress slows down between Form 3 and Form 5. are actively involved in learning.

There are many possible explanations for these figures, but The approach to teaching must be based on what is known
one possibility that needs investigation concerns the transfer from about how children learn in general, and how they learn languages
primary school to secondary school. How is it that weak students in particular. Special attention has to be paid to early learning,
make more progress than average students? What is the favourable because this is when the foundations are laid for lifelong learning.
circumstance that enables the more able students to flourish in the Shaky foundations in English will make it difficult for the child ever
first years of secondary school? to develop a high level of competence in English later on; while on
the other hand firm foundations provide the child with the means
1.3.3 Quality in the programme to achieve excellence. Although the framework does not lay down
either how languages should be taught, or how communicative
Quality in the programme begins with a quality curriculum, proficiency should be assessed, “there is no doubt that task-based
which is then followed through by quality in teaching and learning, teaching and learning are strongly reinforced” (Little, 2006, p. 169).
in learning materials, and in assessment. The focus here is on these
last three components. Teaching at all levels has to take into account what the learners
are expected to do. Traditional language teaching does not always
Teaching and learning make a clear distinction between learning about a language and
Classroom teaching and learning is an area which will require learning to use it in communication. Since the development of the
communicative approach to language teaching and learning from
a thorough reform in order to be made compatible with the the early 1970s, the emphasis has been on using the language, and
philosophy of teaching and learning which is built into the CEFR this approach is reflected, for example, in the “can do” statements
and described in the baseline study (pp. 9-14). The problem is associated with each level of proficiency of the CEFR.

23

English Language Education Reform in Malaysia

The Roadmap 2015-2025

The adoption of a communicative approach to the learning of • Language learning should as far as possible emulate authentic
English does not mean that acquiring the forms of English – including classroom use;
pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary – is unimportant. This
is because communication skills are based on the knowledge and • The goal of language learning is using the language rather than
understanding of the forms of a language, and so learners need to knowing about it;
know the forms of the language in order to develop these skills.
The forms of the language must be taught not for their own sake, • Language learning is not additively sequential but recursive
but in order to enable the learner to communicate. This requires and paced differently at different stages of acquisition;
of the teacher a much deeper understanding of linguistic form than
for the mere teaching of such things as plurals, tense forms and • Language learning is not the accumulation of perfectly
irregular verbs. mastered elements of grammar and vocabulary, and learner
errors are to be expected;
The baseline study draws attention (p. 5) to the wide range of
achievement at different stages of school education. For example, • Language proficiency involves both comprehension and production
Form 3 is described as at level A2 on average. In fact this accounts which come together in interaction, although comprehension
only for about 28% of students, for about 41% of students are abilities tend to precede and exceed productive abilities;
below this level, and about 31% above it. In order to be effective,
teaching will have to include “differentiation strategies” (p. 13) • Language use requires an understanding of the cultural context
providing support for the weaker students and suitable activities in which communication takes place;
for the more advanced students.
• The ability to perform is facilitated when learners are actively
If our goal is to develop in learners the ability to communicate engaged in meaningful, authentic, and purposeful learning tasks;
in English, then our approach to learning must be guided by certain
principles including the following: • Assessment reflects instructional goals and is based on
performance;

24


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