Miss Keetha liked by all, and those around her really made their effort to speak English to her, although she herself could speak fragmented Bahasa Melayu, oops, Bhs Malaysia. Before coming here she has been very busy in Brunei for a couple of years, and that's where she learns Malay.
Farewell Speech by District Education Officer
Keetha's turn to speak
Something to remember - we put it in writing
Where's the MC ?
here?
A group photograph - specially arrange so that everybody put on the Baju Melayu.
Makan time, as usual, no farewell party is complete without a makan.
At last, its time to say farewell to Miss Keetha, a DELC officer seconded by the Education Ministry to perform her responsibility in the remotest district in Penang. She's been here in Jawi for one and a half years, standing in for Miss Dot Mckenzie, who decided to leave her job and take a more interesting offer in the Middle East, February last year.
Since then we came to know Keetha and day by day the experience which this lady brings along with her has given us a very useful insight of what ELT is really all about. The teachers in the district are more relaxe with her, and she made herself useful to them by visiting the schools and helping teachers whenever the need arises. Workshops are conducted more often. Teaching clinics are prompted and the teachers here find that these are more interesting than the usual teaching courses that they have attended.
Keetha has also shown us that our syllabus is too heavy for the mid-ability pupils to follow. Hence, she made the teachers understand that few is not too little, and many does mean you cannot handle it, and nor does your pupils.
I remember vividly how she gasp when she learned the number of new words that a child in year three learns in a week. "No,no,no too many..... , it's too much. They cannot... they just can't.... ." She has said these and I believed, yes they are too many, but we cannot stop here and bring down the the level because we are way out there in front competing with the little singaporean that has gone too far ahead of us.
So to Keetha, thanks for the contribution, sharing of ideas, experience and most of all the warmth that you so willingly spend and shared with us through these one and a half years. We cherished the fond thoughts and hope you never forget us wherever you are. And at the same time we wish you all the best in whatever and wherever you may be.
