{"id":5037,"date":"2014-10-07T03:50:38","date_gmt":"2014-10-07T03:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teachformalaysia.org\/agents-of-change-els-language-centres\/"},"modified":"2014-10-07T03:50:38","modified_gmt":"2014-10-07T03:50:38","slug":"agents-of-change-els-language-centres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachformalaysia.org\/my\/agents-of-change-els-language-centres\/","title":{"rendered":"Agents of #Change: ELS Language Centres"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is ELS Language Centres about? What are its key features?
\n<\/strong>ELS Language Centres is a global institution with 90+ centres worldwide in 14 countries \u2013 delivering quality English language programmes for academic and professional development. Established in Malaysia since 1990, ELS has developed the English language abilities of more than 150,000 students in order to be successful in university and\/or their careers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The core ELS programme (Certified Intensive English Programme) is taught throughout the world using the same proprietary materials and teaching methodology. Featuring 9 levels, its standards are recognised by more than 650 universities and colleges in the US, Canada and Australia as proof of English language proficiency for admissions \u2013 in lieu of TOEFL and IELTS test scores. This means that students with an\u00a0advanced level\u00a0ELS certificate do not need any further proof of English when applying for further studies.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What inspired you to start ELS?
\n<\/strong>ELS was founded in Malaysia due to the growing need of an internationally benchmarked English language programme. Malaysian students were graduating from high school, where the medium of instruction is predominantly Bahasa Malaysia, and proceeding to universities\/colleges where lessons and lectures are conducted in English. ELS aimed at bridging this gap by offering an intensive English language programme that efficiently and effectively brings students\u2019 academic English language abilities up to the standards required by tertiary institutions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ELS in the US was founded in 1961 for similar reasons \u2013 to assist new migrants to the US with university and career acclimatisation and later in the 1970\u2019s assisting foreign students in\u00a0preparation for university in the USA.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What are some of the challenges\u00a0ELS\u00a0has encountered?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Spreading the word about the importance of English among Malaysians.\u00a0<\/strong>While there is a general concern about the diminishing standard of English in the country \u2013 especially among the school-age students \u2013 there seems to be a slight inertia for people to take steps to counter this trend. This isn\u2019t just about taking an English course; the reading habit is poor among Malaysians in comparison to world standards and many youths today shun their peers for trying to speak and use English \u2013 as if to \u201cshow off\u201d.<\/li>\n
  2. Providing access to quality English\u00a0language programmes to learners in greater city areas and rural areas in Malaysia.<\/strong>\u00a0There is a vast and genuine interest in English language improvement from areas outside of cities\u00a0\u2013\u00a0seeing it as a prerequisite to get a job in the city or to attain a better education. Deploying qualified and dedicated teachers to these areas is a great challenge. ELS aspires to be able to offer effective programmes that reach out to these areas to assist and develop the ability of Malaysians as a whole.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    If you had to name one thing about\u00a0ELS\u00a0that you\u2019re proudest of, what would it be?
    \n<\/strong>Having being established for 25 years now, many lives that we have touched through our programmes has enabled\u00a0thousands of Malaysians and international students to be successful in their tertiary education and subsequently in their careers. The\u00a0various community initiatives (i.e.\u00a0Scholarships and special programmes) established alongside strong partners\u00a0\u2013\u00a0from schools, colleges and universities\u00a0\u2013 has instilled within many\u00a0students the confidence to pursue their dreams and change the lives of others.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    In your opinion, why do you think education is important?
    \n<\/strong>Education is important for the social development and economic growth of a nation. It builds self-confidence, character and develops our abilities to think, analyse and judge. Education enables\u00a0creativity in ideas and\u00a0problem-solving and language plays a significant\u00a0role in the sharing of such creativity\u00a0\u2013\u00a0to expressed and\u00a0interpreted\u00a0in a variety of forms that would turn into actions. As the saying goes: ideas are a dime a dozen. It\u2019s really the action that makes the difference.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    How do you think collaboration can play a part in improving the education landscape in Malaysia?<\/strong>
    \n<\/strong>The education landscape today is demanding. It requires more than just subject knowledge\u00a0\u2013\u00a0it is\u00a0about engaging the community to provide a multi-faceted and holistic\u00a0experience in the students\u2019 learning process.\u00a0Experiential learning can maximise the students\u2019 growth and development \u2013 especially in making career decisions as well as developing the knowledge skills and\u00a0attitude\u00a0that are essential in today\u2019s society.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Partnerships between communities and their education providers can serve as an\u00a0example. In the province of\u00a0Ontario, Canada, students are compelled to perform community service during\u00a0their school years. This gives students an\u00a0opportunity to grasp a well-rounded impression on their learning and how it will affect their communities. In Malaysia, collaborations such as the Teach For Malaysia Fellowship and public schools brings to the education landscape new perspectives on education to\u00a0students, teachers and participating fellows.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    What\u2019s your vision for\u00a0education in Malaysia?
    \n<\/strong>To be able to utilise the advancements in technology to provide every student in Malaysia access to quality education \u2013 especially to build skills in communication, mathematics and critical thinking. To also have all teachers and parents to be proficient users of technology to facilitate the learning progress of every student and child. This would produce world\u2013thinkers and doers to be relevant contributors to tomorrow\u2019s world.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    If you could send a message to the students of Malaysia, especially those from challenging socio-economic backgrounds, what would it\u00a0be?
    \n<\/strong>Languages, not just English, will open doors for you. It is as important as subject knowledge \u2013 because without it, you cannot share what you know and therefore, limit your ability in using such knowledge.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    What is ELS Language Centres about? What are its key features? ELS Language Centres is a global institution with 90+ centres worldwide in 14 countries \u2013 delivering quality English language…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[103],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5037","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-impact"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachformalaysia.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachformalaysia.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachformalaysia.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachformalaysia.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachformalaysia.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teachformalaysia.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5037\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teachformalaysia.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachformalaysia.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teachformalaysia.org\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}