PTP to improve students' English

GELANG PATAH: Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) recently launched its inaugural English language programme to improve the language proficiency of Form Four students here.

PTP chief corporate officer Azharuddin Nordin said the programme, called 2014 English Development Programme, which started last Friday, ends in November.

He said the programme is carried out in collaboration with the District Education Office (PPD) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

"We have been collaborating with PPD after it approved our module in 2008.

"However, our previous programmes were with primary schools involving about 600 pupils," he said during a press conference in Granada Hotel, Bukit Indah in Johor Baru.

Azharuddin said in the newly-launched programme, 100 students will be participating in three activities which comprise tutorial classes, communications workshops held once a month and a two-day one-night English language intensive camp.

"Tutorial classes will be held at SMK Gelang Patah and SMK Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar between 8.30am and 1pm.

"The tutorial classes will be handled by an experienced team of teachers, examination paper markers and school improvement specialist coaches. It will be based on the Form Four English language syllabus," he said.

"The intensive camp will be held in UTM Skudai in June. It will include motivational talks and tests to gauge the students' ability," he said.

Azharuddin said the communication workshop will start from June to November between 8.30am and 1pm on Saturdays.

"The students will be brought to PTP from their schools where they will be taught basic conversational skills by volunteers of PTP. We hope our employees of different nationalities can contribute to the programme," he said.

Azharuddin also encourages participation from employees in management, operation, human resource, and engineering departments besides those in corporate communications.

He said plans to launch a similar programme next year is in the pipeline with a follow-up programme for the pioneer batch to test their proficiency.

"This is our way of giving back to society. Currently, we are focusing on helping schools within a five and 10km radius from PTP," he said.

On a separate matter, Azharuddin said PTP will allocate more than RM500,000 this year as compared to about RM250,000 last year for various corporate social responsibility programme.

Meanwhile, Johor Baru deputy district education officer Ab Hafith Ismail said among the schools that will participate in the programme are SMK Gelang Patah, SMK Taman Nusajaya, SMK Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar and SMK Tanjung Adang.

"This collaboration is a platform for the private sector to play its part in improving the English language proficiency among the locals," he said.

"Being proficient in other languages would help them compete globally. Learning other languages does not mean that one is neglecting the national language," he said.

Also present were UTM SPACE (School of Professional and Continuing Education) professional development programme division director Assoc Prof Dr Abdul Halim Abdul Raof, teachers and students.