KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18: The Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (MELTA) will offer researchers and educators a platform for vital discussions on English Language Teaching (ELT) in Malaysia at its 31st International Conference 2023 at Universiti Malaya here on Aug 26 and 27.
Themed “From the Ground-Up: Dreams and Realities of English Language Education”, it will foster opportunities for sharing research among English language educators and enable peer engagement, said MELTA President Associate Prof. Dr Ramesh Nair.
“Our conference will feature dynamic plenary forums and roundtable discussions to gather diverse perspectives and invaluable insights from distinguish delegates,” he said, adding that many remain divided about the decision to abolish the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) and Form Three Assessment (PT3).
One of the key discussions will include Professor Stefanie Pillai from the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya, Sarina Salim from the Ministry of Education’s Curriculum Development Division and classroom practitioner Soffea Rahim deliberating on the implications of high-stakes testing for ELT in Malaysia.
Delegates from Singapore, Thailand, China, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Indonesia and Bangladesh have confirmed their participation. Distinguished participants include Professor Zaharom Nain,, Professor Dr Sivabala Naidu, Professor Dr Moses Samuel, Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, Mike Mayors, Samuel Isaiah and Victor Goh Weng Yew.
At the conference, students can also showcase their projects in STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art and Math) through English oral presentations. In addition, English teachers and student teachers can display their creative solutions to challenges in ELT.
The Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (MELTA) is a voluntary, not-for-profit professional organisation which was officially formed in 1982. MELTA grew out of two earlier organisations – The English Language Teaching Association and The Selangor English Language Teaching Association and its combined history can be traced to the year 1958. Since then, MELTA has gone through many changes, accommodating itself to the needs of the nation’s English language stakeholders.
More information can be obtained via meltaconference2023@gmail.com or www.melta.org.my.
–WE