Look to past projects to plan for better ones

LEARNING from previous projects and taking positive and successful outcomes from these projects to implement new and better ones could lead to further enhancements in education, said Ministry of Education's (MoE) Acting Permanent Secretary (Higher Education).

Hj Suhaila Hj Karim gave this advice to the 200 participants of the third Biennial International Conference on Teaching and Learning of English in Asia (TLEiA) yesterday, comprising local and international English teachers, at the Orchid Garden Hotel.

The acting permanent secretary cited the Success at Cambridge 'O' Level Public Examination (Scope) and Sharing Practice of Effective Language Teaching (Spelt) projects, which were undertaken by CfBT (Centre for British Teachers) and MoE to improve the teaching and learning of English within secondary schools, as examples of successful projects that teachers could learn from.

Hj Suhaila also said that determining the threshold level of Brunei's pupils in the English language would help the ministry in introducing their English medium instruction subjects.

He added that with assistance from the ministry's consultant in Reading and Literacy, Dr Laura Huxford, who was also a keynote speaker at the conference, it is hoped that they would get an estimation on the threshold level mentioned.

Dr Huxford would also make a major contribution in the establishment of a proper reading programme in schools whereby each class level would be assigned with its own reading level in the future, he said.

This establishment would set the benchmark in English literacy for Bruneians, said the acting permanent secretary, adding that maximising benefits from such consultancy and other professional engagements could result in value for money services.

Datin Hjh Khadijah Hj Akbar, President of the Brunei English Language Teachers' Association (Belta), said in her speech that the conference aimed to provide Brunei teachers a forum to exchange views, discuss research and share experiences in English language teaching with Asian and international counterparts.

The TLEiA conference, themed "Embracing Change", ends its three-day programme today with a panel discussion among key participants of the conference. The Brunei Times