PUTRAJAYA should give local publishers the chance to produce English textbooks that will meet the standards of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL), reported The Star. 

Malaysian Book Publishers Association (Mapoba) honorary secretary Sheikh Faisal Sheikh Mansor said they were confident of meeting CEFRL standards and should be given the opportunity by the Education Ministry to do so. 

 “If we were told to meet the new CEFRL standards, we could have done it. But give us the guidelines.

“We can produce high quality content at cheaper prices,” he said.

Starting next year, imported English textbooks will be used in schools for Year One and Two as well as Form One and Two, instead of locally produced ones as part of the Education Ministry’s reform. 

The curriculum will be aligned with the CEFRL, a guide developed by the Council of Europe to gauge foreign language proficiency.

Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan had said this was part of the ministry’s reforms to ensure students are proficient in English in line with international standards. 

Sheikh Faisal said it was important to use locally produced books, as the students would understand the subject better.  

“Big Ben, for example, will be very foreign to some of our students.

“Textbooks do more than just teach a language. They’re also meant to inculcate good values and teach students about culture,” he said.

Author Lau Hut Yee, who was trained as a teacher at the Malayan Teachers’ Training College Kirkby in Britain, said imported textbooks would not be suitable for local students.

“Our teachers want exercises on grammar and comprehension as students here learn English mainly through these exercises. Imported books aren’t written that way,” he said.

There are 40,000 government-hired English teachers nationwide.

National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Harry Tan said local writers would have to compete with those from the United Kingdom

The publishers were also concerned that the move would affect their income and profits. 

A spokesman from Percetakan Rina Sdn Bhd said the company published English textbooks for Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools for less than RM10 a book and they expected their profits to be slashed by RM1 million if foreign books were used.

Kamalanathan had said the ministry will buy off-the-shelf books to cater to schools because locally produced books are not able to meet the new CEFRL levels. 

He added that teachers were being trained and the books were already available in all schools. – October 6, 2017.