‘O’ Level Results In English Language Need Improvement
By Iaam S Ya'akub

Bandar Seri Begawan - "The English language `O' level results remain much to be desired," said the Minister of Education, Pehin Dato Awg Hj Abdul Rahman Dato Haji Mohamed Taib, during the 10th Conference on English in Southeast Asia, held at Chancellor Hall, UBD on December 10.

The minister hoped the conference would shed light on the issue of a bilingual education system and factors that may contribute to children doing well or poorly in schools.

"For twenty years now this country has followed a bilingual education system, as a result we might expect to see school leavers who are proficient in both Malay and English. However the English language `O' level results remain much to be desired," the minister said.

Pehin Dato Awg Hj Abdul Rahman said that while numerous students in Universiti Brunei Darussalm (UBD) are more than proficient at English, the Ministry of Education is concerned over those who have not been able to garner entrance to the university.

He went on to say that Brunei Darussalam and countries like it, need to perform a juggling act of retaining its identity while at the same time being able to switch to an international medium.

"It is rather a question of how best we can acquire English while remaining true to our Bruneian culture and heritage. Most importantly for the ministry is to ensure that it is taught and learned effectively so that it is not a hindrance in our education system but rather a tool for the development of pupils and ultimately to the country as a whole," said the minister.

The conference, which carries the theme `A Decade of Growth' will run from December 12 till 14. The conference, which is supported by the British Council and Royal Brunei Airlines, is the latest in a series of meetings hosted each year by institutions from the Asean region, with previous ESEA conferences held in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

Themes include Literature in English in South East-Asia, South East Asian varieties of English, Multilingualism, Roles and Contexts of English in South East Asian Societies, Using Language in New Technologies and English in the Media in South East Asia.

Plenary speakers include Dr David CS Li, Associate Professor at the Department of English and Communication, City University of Hong Kong and Dr Anthe Fraser Gupta, Senior Lecturer in Modern English Language in the School of English, University of Leeds.

The conference will also feature a number of exhibitions of books, Brunei art works, and communication & language software as well as university publications. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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