Malaysian students should learn four languages English, Bahasa Melayu, Mandarin and Tamil. That is the ideal situation in a multi-racial country like Malaysia, said Deputy Education Minister Abdul Aziz Samsuddin.

That will encourage interaction and enhance social integration among students of various races, he commented in an interview with the Nanyang Siang Pau today.

He believed that if such an education policy had been implemented, the English-language switch to teach Science and Mathematics and the vision schools concept would not become controversial at all today.

Abdul Aziz who was a former school teacher said that ideally, students in national schools should learn Mandarin and Tamil apart from Bahasa Melayu and English while those in national-type schools should do likewise besides learning their mother-tongues.

"This proposal does not mean that students are required to master the four languages. It is more to enable them to know more languages and to be able to communicate well with other races," he explained.

"How wonderful if Malay and Chinese students can use both Malay and Mandarin when they talk to each other. Likewise, it will be more cordial for them to use Tamil to converse with Indian friends," he added.

Important social agenda

The minister said that in a multi-racial and multi-cultural society such as Malaysia, it will be an important social agenda to learn and understand each other's mother-tongue.

"That will go a long way towards enhancing social interaction and reduce misunderstanding among our communities of various races, religions and cultures," he added.

He also stressed that there is no drawback in learning languages as it will improve one's knowledge and even enhance employment opportunities.

As a former teacher, Abdul Aziz revealed that this idea has been in his mind for a long time and it should be a long-term goal for both national and national-type schools to work on. He added that public feedback would be most welcomed on the matter.

On the obstacles facing such a proposal like the shortage of classroom hours and insufficient school facilities, Abdul Aziz believed they could be resolved.

As an example, he said that classes which usually end from 12.30pm to 1pm now can be extended to 3pm or 3.30pm so that the additional two hours can be used to teach other languages.

Consensus important

"The ministry can solve the facilities problem gradually but the most important thing now is to obtain the consensus from Malaysians, parents and students in particular," he said.

He also suggested that primary schools can implement the policy first, followed by the secondary level.

The minister added that his suggestion, if implemented, would not affect the position of Bahasa Melayu as the national language nor English as the second language.

The government has decided to implement the language switch to English language for Science and Mathematics to take effect next year in all schools for Year One, Remove Class, Form One and Lower Six students despite widespread objection from various quarters, especially vernacular education groups.

While these groups acknowledged the importance of mastering English, they argued that teaching Science and Maths in that language will not improve proficiency.

They also said that the switch may see vernacular school students' performance in the two subjects deteriorate as it is easier for them to learn the subjects in their respective mother-tongues.

Their objections met with a strong rebuke from government leaders, including Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who warned them "not to play with fire".

Even Chinese-based parties in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition have expressed reservation over the switch.