EDUCATORS, students, parents and the community in Sarawak are generally in support of the teaching of science and mathematics in English programme, said Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg.

He said this was revealed in a recent UiTM Sarawak study on the controversial programme.

To kick-start the teaching of the two subjects in English was a challenge thrown by former education minister Maszlee Malik in making Sarawak the first state in Malaysia then to do so.

The programme never took off in the peninsula due to stiff opposition from Malay rights groups who feared the Malay language could end up in the backburners.

The chief minister, in a virtual opening of the two-day Sarawak English Language Education Symposium Seles 2020 this afternoon, told educationists who are attending the symposium virtually online that he accepted the challenge because he understood the importance of the English language and the advantage it gives to Sarawak students who are proficient in the language.

He said he has numerous reasons why it was easy for him to accept the challenge.

“It is advantageous for each and every one of us to be exposed to multiple languages and to be multilingual.

“In order to be able to make sense of, and keep up with rapid technological advancements, a good understanding and command of the English language is crucial.

“The English language is the international language of communication and is the most common second language in the world.

“Without an understanding of the language, we would have trouble learning (to use online web discussions) applications and adapting to our new (Covid-19) norms.”

He said reference books, and scientific and academic journals were mainly written and presented in the English language for ease of understanding across the globe.

He also pointed to the state policy of adopting English as an official language besides Bahasa Malaysia.

To top it all, Abang Johari said employers too have long expressed their preference for graduates who are able to communicate in English.

He also appealed to educators and teachers attending the symposium to continuously emphasise to their students the need to confidently communicate in the English language and create an awareness that proficiency in the language is essential for accessing information, and in understanding and adopting new technologies and advancements as they go about their daily lives.

He said it was important to ensure that Sarawakians were able to participate effectively in the new digital economy that was replacing the traditional economy.

“It is crucial that we equip young Sarawakians with essential ICT and digital skills.”

To facilitate that, he said the state government will be providing all primary schools in the state with Raspberry Pi, a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. – December 10, 2020.