By Saiful Bahri Kamaruddin
Pix Ikhwan Hashim

Kuala Terengganu, June 15, 2015 – The National University of Malaysia (UKM) and the Sultan Mizan Royal Foundation (YDSM) will implement a new programme designed to improve the command of English among secondary school students in Terengganu dubbed ‘Your Language, My Culture’.

For that purpose a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was  signed by UKM  and YDSM here yesterday, in which the foundation allocates RM660,000 for the supply of books to students in five schools in the state.

UKM was represented by the Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali while Dato’ Haji Mohd Fadzli Yusof, representative of the Chairman and member of the Board of Trustees YDSM,  signed on behalf of the foundation.

The Sultan of Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al Muktafi Billah Shah witnessed the signing ceremony.

Also present were Board member of YDSM Prof Emeritus Dato’ Dr Abdul Rahman Embong, who is also a Fellow of the Institute of Malaysian and International studies (IKMAS) UKM, IKMAS Director Prof Dr Rashila Ramli and the project leader of ‘Your Language, My Culture’ Prof Datuk Dr Zawiah Yahya , who is also a Principal Fellow of the Institute of Occidental Studies (IKON) UKM.

‘Your Language, Culture Me’ is a method of supplementary reading in English written specifically for use in all secondary schools in the state.

It is not a replacement of any of the subjects in the existing school curriculum, but an additional tool to encourage students to learn the language.

The five-year programme is expected to commence in January 2016.

Its focus is to improve reading culture through local culture and inter-disciplinary textbooks.

UKM Experts and academics will train teachers on how to conduct the programme, in which English is taught in the context of local culture.

In the existing curriculum, English is taught with a foreign background in which local students may have little interest.

The Sultan Mizan Royal Foundation is a charity company that serves as a body that collects contributions from the government, all government departments, statutory bodies, government agencies, private companies, private organizations, institutions and individuals to be used and  managed efficiently for the benefit of the Terengganu state, and the country in general.

These contributions can be made in various forms such as cash, kind, expertise and services.