Proposal To Make English A Compulsory Subject In Malaysia

It appears that all are in favor of making the English language a compulsory subject to pass for a major government exam in Malaysia. The only issue now is when to implement it.

Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of Malaysian PM Najib Razak, was among those who strongly supported the move. According to her, it is absurd to think that just because a Malaysian speaks good English, it would be an indication that he or she is 'less loyal' to the country, as some ultra-nationalistic Malaysians believe. Mansor was especially impressed with the ability of many autistic Chinese students in Beijing who are fluent in speaking English with American accent. She expressed hope that it would be a similar situation for students in Malaysia soon. Influential groups like The Federation of National Writers' Associations of Malaysia (Gapena) and the Peninsular Malaysia Malay Students Front (GPSM) have both agreed with the proposal, but they insisted that sufficient preparations must be made -- pilot studies should be introduced first, so that teachers and students in rural areas will be able to catch up with those in the cities who are much more advanced in the subject. They, however, could not agree about the idea that English should also be used to teach in the subjects of Maths and Science. Meanwhile, some parties suggested the implementation of the proposal to be stalled until more competent English language teachers are available, which is currently a problem in the country they claimed. Others however, have shown mixed emotions regarding the whole matter. At present, English is a subject in a major government exam -- the SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia), but is however, still non-compulsory to pass.