Please 'teached' them proper English
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong yesterday told The Malay Mail he had asked the textbook division director Jame Alip to look into the possible mistakes that could have been made in the Year One English textbooks.
Wee said this when commenting on the ministry's action plan following reports of textbooks with various errors in grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure.
"After I read the comments and opinions of readers on an online news portal, I instructed Jame Alip to look at the possible mistakes in the textbooks. If there are mistakes, we will rectify them as soon as possible," he said in a telephone interview.
Amid the furore of mistakes in primary school English textbooks, here are some glaring errors The Malay Mail spotted in a Year One English textbook made available to us:
1. MAKING SENSE: 'After the word is formed, pupils BLEND to read the words'. Even adults will face a difficult time in trying to comprehend this sentence, what more seven-year-olds.
2. PAST FOR PRESENT: 'He closed his eyes and fell ASLEPT'.
3. MISSED TURN: Pupils take TURN or turns?
4. WRONG GIFT: What DO you like to have as a birthday gift?
The Malay Mail