NATIONAL LANGUAGE STATUS WILL NOT BE COMPROMISED – RAMANAN

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 (Bernama) -- The status of the national language will not be compromised even as the government intensifies efforts to strengthen English proficiency among Malaysia’s workforce to ensure graduates and workers remain competitive globally, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan said.

He said Bahasa Melayu remains the national language and continues to be used in official and administrative affairs, while English serves as an international lingua franca that facilitates access to global knowledge, technology, trade and higher education.

“English proficiency is a critical core competency, particularly for new entrants to the workforce, in navigating a globalised, high-technology work environment driven by automation and artificial intelligence (AI),” he said during the oral question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

bootstrap slideshow

Ramanan was responding to a question from Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (PN-Kuala Kangsar) on the Ministry of Human Resources’ (KESUMA) position on the importance of English proficiency and efforts to enhance its use within the national workforce.

On measures to strengthen language skills, he said KESUMA has integrated English-language elements into the National Occupational Skills Standards (NOSS), particularly in globally oriented sectors such as information and communications technology (ICT), aerospace, automotive and professional services.

He added that skills training institutions under the Department of Skills Development (JPK) have also been enhanced through the expanded use of bilingual reference materials, the conduct of presentations and assessments in English, as well as the provision of more than 2,000 free courses related to English, professional communication and workplace skills.

Responding to a supplementary question from RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong) on the importance of learning other languages such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean and German, Ramanan said the primary focus remains on English due to its widespread use in trade and corporate management, although proficiency in other languages is strongly encouraged.

-- BERNAMA