RANTAU: Ever since he was required to teach Mathematics in English, Mohd Azhar Abu Zarin has found it difficult, as he did not have a strong command of the language.

To overcome this, he has joined a pilot project aimed at mastering English.

IF you want rural students to master English, try involving parents and the community in the learning process, writes HARIATI AZIZAN, who recently checked out several programmes implemented by state education departments.

THE afternoon sun was scorching hot but it did not seem to bother the groups of Year Four and Five pupils from SK Seberang Ramai, Perlis, who tore up and down the jetty excitedly, with their notebooks and coloured pens.

The children from the four fishing villages along the Perlis River were on a mission – to explore their community, using English.

The pupils concentrated on their fact-finding task, interviewing the villagers about the economic activities in the community, especially fishing and making salted fish.

As the pupils asked questions in halting English, and the villagers “played” along, answering in (sometimes broken) English, the pupils’ initial awkwardness vanished as they slowly gained confidence.