27% of SPM students in Terengganu failed in English language subject

Twenty-seven per cent or about 5,500 of students who sat for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination in Terengganu failed in the English language subject.

According to the Terengganu Education Department this downward trend has been happening for the past five years. Its a serious situation that needs to be addressed before English finally becomes a compulsory subject to pass.

In 2013, the Education Ministry proposed to make English a compulsory subject to pass for SPM candidates beginning 2016. Full certificates will not be awarded to students who fail English. However, they will have the chance to re-sit the paper in July the following year, not long after the SPM results are announced.

To help SPM students, a programme called 'Terengganu English or Trenglish" was developed by the state education department with the cooperation of Terengganu Foundation. The programme helps primary and secondary students master the English language.

Thirty-two selected schools will be taking part of this programme, which focuses on Form 3, 4 and 5 students.

Related news:

• Graduates of private universities or colleges are better, says Malaysian Employers Federation
• Teachers need 5 years training for making English compulsory pass in SPM
• Over one-third of Malaysian teachers are very good in English, says study
• Compulsory to pass English in SPM
• Malaysians urged to read more books in English