Anwar wants English mastery among students improved

There is a need to improve English proficiency among students from 2024 onward, while not compromising the mastery of the Malay language, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

At a thanksgiving ceremony in conjunction with the one-year administration of the Madani government yesterday, he said efforts to master English need to be implemented quickly as the developed countries give emphasis on dual language.

"Speaking of the quality of education, Malay is the main language and must be mastered without compromise by all students, but we must try to think of new methods to improve the quality and mastery of the English language.

"So from next year, the quality of English language proficiency should be improved in addition to maintaining the position of the Malay language," he said.

Anwar hopes that the government's efforts to improve English proficiency among students in this country will not be disputed.

"If this country wants to further its economic capacity and progress, Malay must be the main language and English must be mastered by all Malaysians including in private and international schools.

"All our children, especially in the national schools, must place additional emphasis (on English) so that their command of the English language is much better than it is now," he added.

Need more skilled workers

Meanwhile, Anwar said expertise and training for young people must be enhanced to meet the needs of international companies investing in this country, for example, semiconductor company Infineon Technologies (Infineon) AG from Germany which decided to invest RM25 billion in Malaysia.

"It means that we have to train our technical and vocational education and training (TVET) graduates, engineers and others in the fields of mathematics, science, technology and digital so that they can meet the needs of the company.

“Otherwise, the company will take expertise from foreign countries," he said.

Infineon announced plans to upgrade its facility in Kulim, Kedah, to build the world's largest 200-millimetre silicon carbide power fabrication plant, with an additional investment of €5 billion (RM25.5 billion) over the next five years.

Over the past five decades, Infineon has made Malaysia an important hub in wafer fabrication in Kulim and carries out semiconductor chip packaging activities in Batu Berendam, Malacca.

- Bernama

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