Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email PETALING JAYA, Thurs:
"Wo ai ta ping pang" (I love playing table-tennis) scream 19 year two pupils at the top of their lungs.
There is an air of joy as the pupils at SK Subang Jaya accompany their statement with hand gestures.
A Mandarin class is in session with teacher Doris Lee having her hands full containing the excitement.
In 15 minutes, the 10 Chinese, five Malay and four Indian pupils have sung three Mandarin songs about the eyes, mouth and other facial features.
"They are just as attentive and enthusiastic as their Chinese counterparts," said Lee.
The school is taking part in a pilot project for the teaching of Mandarin and Tamil in national schools scheduled for next year.
And how has the programme been faring?
Lee, the designated Mandarin teacher, said the classes had been going well with the pupils enjoying the syllabus.
"The syllabus is simpler compared with pupils’ own language (POL).
"In the past, POL classes concentrated more on writing as the emphasis was on learning Chinese characters.
"Now we want to make it more fun, with songs and such so that they are more inclined to learn.
"And it’s working, because my pupils want to do more writing," she said.
Mandarin is now taught in 150 national schools and Tamil in another 70 as part of the pilot project.
The government hopes the move will make national schools more attractive to the Chinese and Indians, who have turned to vernacular schools.
Schools are trying out two models: Model 1 consists of five periods of each language a week (the last period of the school day) and model 2 with 12 periods of each language weekly.
A third model, where five periods are taught on Saturday, was shelved because of teachers’ allowance dispute.
Model 1 is the favourite, according to feedback.
A ministry source said there had been differing reactions from parents on the programme, depending on school location and the model of implementation.
Mostly though, the response has been positive.
"Curriculum Development Centre officers visited the schools involved, and it was found that more than 60 per cent of students showed high interest and enthusiasm in the learning process.
"They were actively involved although their speech and intonation still need improvement," the source said.
Another encouraging aspect has been the positive response from non-Chinese students to the Mandarin classes.
In some schools such as SK Sungai Layar, Kedah and SK Sultanah Asma, Kedah, there are 17 and 29 students respectively out of an average of 40 students per class.
There were, however, some problems which still needed to be worked out, ministry officials and participating school heads said.
Transportation for students, especially those in urban areas, posed some problems for many interested parents who could not arrange transport for their children as the classes were held out of regular school hours.
"Some of the children are so small, and classes start early at noon.
"Bus drivers refuse to send them earlier to school.
"I think if there were more access to transportation then there would be more students for the classes," SK Subang Jaya principal Zubidah Joha said.
She said apart from the transportation woes for the students, reactions from parents and students had been encouraging.
Despite the relatively smooth running thus far, the ministry feels it has to continue monitoring the programme closely, while ensuring there will be enough teachers and textbooks for the implementation next year.
And although there are worries from parties who feel the shortage of teachers could pose a problem, the ministry says it is currently training teachers for the move.
Supplying teachers for more then 100 schools may be simple enough but will there be enough teachers for more then 7,000?
An official said if the post-pilot prognosis was unfavourable, then it would be unlikely for the ministry to roll out full implementation.
However, Lee, who is also an English teacher, said like her, many teachers with a background or knowledge of Mandarin had been trained to teach the language, and many more were also following in her footsteps.
But in the meantime, for the students at least, learning another language is something both fun and challenging to do.
To bubbly Iryani Amran, whose tiny hands leap up when asked for volunteers to sing or write on the blackboard, nothing could be more fun.
"I like this class. I get to sing songs," she said.
