SEBERANG PERAI, Aug 30 — Malaysian students need to be proficient in English in order for the country to remain competitive globally, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said every Malaysian must have a strong command of Malay as the national language but they should also be proficient in English.

“If we have a strong command of Malay, it does not mean we have to neglect English and if we are good in English, it does not mean we are neglecting the national language,” he said in his speech during his visit to his alma mater the Bukit Mertajam High School, here.

“We can have both, we can have a strong command of Malay and also be proficient in English because we need it to master new upcoming technologies and skills,” he said.

He said there are now so many emerging fields such as digital transformation, energy transmission, artificial intelligence and social media technology.

He said these are new challenges in the education sector that the education ministry has to manage.

“Education is the assimilation of knowledge and with it, we must also have the assimilation of good values,” he said.

“While reaching for the sky to gain knowledge, we must also be rooted deep in the ground with good values,” he added.

He said Penang is a semiconductor hub in the region and students here should be encouraged to go into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

“We have so many semiconductor corporations here, such as Infineon and Intel, so students in Penang should be encouraged and guided to go into STEM,” he said.

He hoped the education ministry and teachers will place more emphasis on STEM and the proficiency of English among students for the future of the nation.

“We need proficiency in English especially in the field of STEM,” he said.

He said it is time that the people set aside old ideologies that try to divide the people using race and religion.

He said all religions, whether it is Islam, Christianity or Hinduism, teaches good values and love among fellow humankind.

“Which religion teaches us to spread hatred using religion?” he asked.

“We are all Malaysians, whether we are Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban or Kadazan,” he said.

He said this is why it is important that education is rooted in good values so that students learn the value of respect, love and care for each other.

Meanwhile, Anwar also announced a total allocation of RM500,000 to Bukit Mertajam High School to build a surau and other maintenance and upkeep of the school.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/08/30/balancing-malay-fluency-and-english-proficiency-key-to-malaysias-competitive-future-says-pm-anwar/148693