Funds for English teachers to sit for CEFR test

THE Education Ministry and the Malaysian Examinations Council are providing allocations this year for English option teachers to sit for the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) readiness test.

Education director-general Datuk Dr Habibah Abdul Rahim (pic) said the first intake was in February while the second intake was planned for November but due to the Covid-19 outbreak, it was moved to December.

The aim of the test, she said, is to ensure the standard of proficiency in the English language among English option teachers.

“We want our English language teachers to have a CEFR C1 qualification in the language.

“Between 2010 and 2019, only 50% of English option teachers took some form of tests to assess their proficiency in the language.

“We encourage more teachers to take tests that are available so that we know where they stand. This will allow us to help them, ” she said in a television interview on Oct 27.

There is no need to worry if the teachers do not pass the CEFR readiness test, she advised teachers, adding that it is merely the ministry’s aim to ensure English language teachers achieve a certain standard so that they are able to strengthen and improve their students’ proficiency through classroom teaching and learning.

“Our current approach is to first see where our teachers stand so that we can provide appropriate measures and interventions to help them reach the desired level.

“We’re not making it mandatory because our teachers have the qualifications and are trained; this is to just improve their standards.”

Teachers can even use the Malaysian University English Test (MUET) materials to prepare themselves for the CEFR readiness test, especially since MUET is aligned with the CEFR, she added.

“Our aspiration is to also increase students’ proficiency in the language and much of our hopes are dependent on our teachers, ” said Habibah.

Under the CEFR, language proficiency is measured in relation to the four communicative skills on a scale starting with A1 and progressing to A2 (basic user), B1 and B2 (independent user), and C1, C2 (proficient user).