Malaysia's ban on English raises concerns

Teachers of math and science in Malaysia will have to teach in the local language - Bahasa Malaysia - from 2012 as the government has decided to ban English in the two subjects, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said at a press conference that the decision won't change the government's aim to see the importance for Malaysians to master proficient English in order to compete in an International business environment. He assured the public that the teaching in Malay won't be a problem to raise professionals as "we have been able to produce doctors and professionals by teaching the subjects in Malay," reported The Star, Malaysia's biggest English language paper. The decision is believed as a result of heavy lobbying by Malaysian nationalists. But many teachers and parents are worried about the decline in English ability in the nation, as well as the language barriers which would limit the job opportunities. Michael Yeoh, chief executive of the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute, an independent research organization, told NYT that Malaysia’s business community has long been concerned about the reported decline in English standards in schools. "We don’t really know exactly how this could impede on the study of English," he said. Malaysia started to use English to teach math and science since 2003, a suggestion by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. He expressed his sadness over the decision and told the local media Bernama that the decision would make it difficult for children to catch up with the scientific development.