ETA Programme Gaining Positive Impact Among Students In Malaysia's Terengganu

KUALA TERENGGANU (Terengganu, Malaysia), Oct 21 (Bernama) -- The English Teaching Assistant (ETA) programme implemented in selected schools in Malaysia has made a positive impact on students, giving them confidence to use the English language. Students who have been trained by ETA teachers and can vouch that their ability to adapt to the language has improved tremendously and they are more confident of using English as a second language and when conversing with friends. Nurul Ikrimah Omar, 16, from a secondary school of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Kompleks Gong Badak said the ETA teacher at her school, Melissa Diane Siegel, from Atlanta, Georgia, USA had helped her to improve her grades in the subject. "I used to attain low grades for English language but now I can score an A and I am confident of maintaining the grade in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM or the Malaysian Certificate of Education) next year." "The ETA teacher is a great help to me and my friends. We used to be shy when communicating in English but not any more as we are more proficient in the language," she said when met by Bernama at the 'English Teaching Assistant' 2014 Appreciation Ceremony at Terengganu Trade Centre here. Terengganu is an east coast state in peninsular Malaysia. State Assembly Speaker Zubir Embong officiated the ceremony while the Executive Director of Malaysian American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE), Dr James Coffman and Terengganu State Education director, Zakaria Hussin were also present. Another student, Nur Sofia Balqis Mohd Zakri, 16, said she had often failed in English Language but has now managed to pass with a grade C. "I really had little interest in this subject and had always failed, but I am now gaining interest since my ETA teacher Kendall Chandler Quisenberry, introduced fun activities such as quiz and English camps," she said. Meanwhile, Zakaria Hussin said the ETA programme was indeed helpful in improving Terengganu students' command of the language and has become a preparatory programme to assist students to attain a pass in the subject which is compulsory for the SPM certificate in 2016. "So far 146 ETA teachers have served in the state. They have assisted teachers in the school to improve the command of English among students and we hope the students' performance in English will continue to improve," he said. The programme which was implemented in Terengganu in 2006 is a collaboration between the Ministry of Education and MACEE while Terengganu was the pioneer, followed by other Malaysian states of Pahang, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak in 2011. --BERNAMA