In a world where society is being brought together all the closer thanks to technological advancement, mastering a key language such as English is vital in ensuring one doesn’t get left behind in the process.
A lawmaker from the People’s Justice Party (PKR) recently made a bold claim about the level of English proficiency among Malaysians, saying that it was way better than its neighbour Singapore.
M’sians are more fluent in English than Singaporeans, says MP
During a Parliamentary session yesterday (Jul 16), Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah responded to Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek’s statement regarding the government’s decision to enlist the help of Singaporean volunteers to teach English in the country.
After acknowledging the efforts made by the government to raise the level of English proficiency and ensure Malaysia remained competitive in the global scene, he proceeded to make a rather bold statement:
In my personal opinion, however, I don’t think Singaporeans are very fluent in English. In fact, I believe Malaysia has a lot of experts…many more who are fluent in English.
Puah’s statement was then met with a thunderous applause from fellow lawmakers, with one shouting, ‘Betul! Betul!’ (Correct!)
He then called upon the government to first engage with Malaysians proficient in English, such as retired English teachers, before considering to take in volunteers from Singapore.
In response, Fadhlina said the Ministry of Education (MOE) will look into Puah’s suggestion and work towards reinstating retired English teachers.
“We welcome volunteers from Singapore and we also welcome retired teachers who want to serve with us again. No problem at all.
“MOE will also vet through the Singaporean volunteers to make sure they meet the standards before they are accepted,” she said.
How did M’sia consider getting SG volunteers in the first place?
Back in June, prime minister Anwar Ibrahim met with Lawrence Wong, the newly-appointed prime minister of Singapore, where the subject of bringing Singaporean volunteers to teach English in Malaysia was brought up.
According to Anwar, the suggestion was meant to help students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds to master English, reported Malay Mail.
Watch Puah’s statement and Fadhlina’s response from the 33:35-minute mark:
READ ALSO:
