1.0 INTRODUCTION
English as a Second Language (ESL or TESL) is a traditional term for the use or study of the English language by non-native speakers in an English-speaking environment. That environment may be a country in which English is the mother tongue (e.g., Australia, the U.S.) or one in which English has an established role (e.g., India, Nigeria). Also known as English for speakers of other languages. English as a Second Language also refers to specialized approaches to language teaching designed for those whose primary language is not English.
The English language is introduced to the Malaysian child as early as preschool, at the tender age of 5-6 years old. It continues to be taught as a compulsory subject in the national curriculum at the primary (6-12 years old), secondary school (13-17 years old), as well as post-secondary and tertiary levels of education (18 plus onwards). The inclusion of the English language as a subject in the national education curriculum of Malaysia is compulsory and guided by the language in education policy. However, it is not compulsory for the students to pass the subject towards completing their education at the primary or secondary levels. Even so, the role and status of the English language is institutionalized as an important Second language (English as a second language) in the Education Ordinance since 1957 and reaffirmed in the Education Act (GoM 1961 and 1996) and the National Education Policy issued in 1970 (MoE 2012).
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