15 April 2015 at 9:00 am
Malaysian student teachers value NZ experience
Twenty Malaysian student teachers started fund-raising for a 10-day trip to New Zealand by earning the equivalent of $3 or 12 Malaysian ringgits (MYR) renting bicycles to university students.
While it was not much money, it motivated them, according to Mdm Anis Abdullah, co-ordinator of the Kiwi Experience Project at the Institute of Teacher Education (Batu Lintang) in Kuching, who accompanied the students.
Over the next year they raised their target of 100,000MYR or $NZ 30,000. That first day they rented out the bikes for less than 1 ringgit – so the fact there were 12 takers was the incentive to continue.
During the March visit to Dunedin the third-year primary-level English language student teachers gained insights into New Zealand culture, education techniques, ways of managing pupil behaviour and various literacy programmes. The tour ended with the students performing three songs, including a waiata, at North East Valley Normal School.
Aged 21 to 25, many will be posted in rural areas with added responsibilities as school administrators and for pastoral care of pupils. “English is part of the curriculum in both primary and secondary schools now but in 2016 it will become compulsory and pupils will be required to pass English language studies to graduate from high school,” according to Mdm Anis.
She said the trip enabled the students to have the total Kiwi experience. “I believe in the holistic approach to education where learning entails much more than just what you study in class. Trips like this enrich an education. New Zealand is the most expensive benchmark option for us, but it is the best because we would like our students to see first-hand how the early literacy and reading recovery programmes are carried out here. Besides, New Zealand is a very beautiful and safe country and the warmth of the Kiwis always made us feel very welcomed.”
This visit was the first time some had left their home region of Sarawak. “They have had a great time and many said that when they graduate and have worked for a few years, they will come back.”
Mdm Anis said commonalities existed between the Malaysian and New Zealand teaching ethos. “It is about teachers being informed, knowledgeable and global citizens. Our teacher development programmes focus not only on intellectual aspects, but also on developing values and the emotional, spiritual and physical aspects – similar to the ‘life-long-learner’ concepts in New Zealand.”
Mdm Anis hopes the Malaysian Ministry of Education will plan another twinning programme for Malaysian students to study at the University of Otago, possibly at Masters level. She previously helped co-ordinate such a programme at the institute where she works, that ended in 2013, for 117 student teachers to complete half of their Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, TESOL, degree at Otago.
