The poor command of English has affected our well-being in Malaysia until today and if something is not done almost immediately then when will ever a solution be found. Should it continue then our upcoming generations will be the ones to suffer in time to come.
English proficiency in Malaysia has reached a critical level undermining the well-being and international prestige of this country in the absence of genuine efforts to curb its decline. It is impossible to conduct diplomacy and commercial relations without a strong command of English.
A survey made in 2011 reveals more than forty-thousand Malaysian graduates from public Universities could not get jobs in the private sector because they lacked proficiency in English. A large number of them were those from the rural areas as the family background of the family is also the cause for concern. This will certainly cause a drag in the country’s economic growth. Most Malaysians believe that English is a foreign language to be used only in official and formal occasions.
Malaysians in general have no problems of learning English as an additional language, but they will put English in its place, that English is a foreign language, that people who speak English frequently are the elite minorities and that English is typically useful only in international relations such as in international business or politics.
To make matters worse there was an announcement by the Education Minister recently that a compulsory pass in English at SPM (Form Five) which now has been indefinitely postponed. This announcement sent shock waves to concerned Malaysians. The decision to postpone benefits no one. Yes, many may have to slug it to do well to pass the compulsory English paper but the benefits are enormous. Thus decision made by the Government is illogical,, irresponsible and hinders the progress of the English language.
We were once ruled by the former British colony and we should be in the lead as far as command of the English language is concerned. Why have we lost the command? Have we compromised so much that we lag behind such basic command of the language?
I have said earlier in Parliament that the Government must have the “political will” and only then can the process to make it compulsory and increase the standard of English can succeed, if ever.
May be the only efficient way now will definitely be to instruct English medium in all public and national schools as practiced earlier and introduce English as a spoken language. Most parents should take this matter seriously and eradicate this problem by supporting the instruction of English in school so that the future generations will be able to carry themselves confidently in this already competitive world.
Therefore the Government must do more to reverse the decline in English proficiency, and has to do it with utmost urgency. Please do it now in the national interest.