KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — A group of teachers have expressed concern that some students may not be able to comprehend the higher standard of English in imported textbooks that are set to be used next year.

According to The Star Online, Johor English Language Teaching Assoc­iation president Vincent D’Silva said the sudden change in learning materials could hinder students from mastering the language that they, especially those in rural areas, already found challenging.

He also expressed concern that some of the references within may be alien to Malaysians.

"If the students cannot identify with the topics taught, they might just switch off and this will hinder them from learning English.

"Caution must be exercised when we introduce something new as it can have severe repercussions. Not every student is exposed to Western culture,” he was quoted saying.

D’Silva said teachers would also need support from experts to oversee the integration of the said textbooks into the current curriculum.

"There is no rule stating that foreign textbooks should be the only materials used, but they can be supplemented with local materials such as newspapers.

"We can have a web page where issues related to the use of foreign textbooks can be discussed and addressed,” he said.

It was previously reported that imported English textbooks will be used in schools as part of the Education Ministry’s move to implement the Common European Frame­work of Reference for Languages (CEFR) aligned curriculum, which is a guide developed by the Council of Europe to gauge foreign language proficiency.