Posted on 1 September 2011 – 07:24pm

THE Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) is very concerned over the poor command of English among our workforce. Malaysia needs an adequate supply of competitive and highly skilled manpower that is proficient in English and able to acquire cutting-edge knowledge.

Being the language of global communication and knowledge, competency in English is therefore essential in our drive to be an innovative, high income, high value-added economy.

There must be equal emphasis on Bahasa Malaysia and English in education. Besides Bahasa Malaysia, English should also be a must pass subject. Language competency must be strengthened in schools.

FMM fully supports the call by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to undertake a review of the learning of English in schools so as to ensure mastery of the language, as well as a study to allow schools to teach science and mathematics in English.

English needs to be strengthened in education because it is the language of maths, science, engineering, ICT and medicine – the core subjects of scientific knowledge and technology, contributing to greater innovation, knowledge-based and higher value added economic activities.

English is widely used in technical manuals, training especially international training, commerce, trade and in communication with governments worldwide.

Employers are facing difficulties finding local graduates with an adequate standard of English proficiency to write and discuss work matters, especially technical issues.

A key factor for poor performance in science and maths taught in English is the weak language foundation among teachers and students.

Only 25% of teachers are competent in English, which makes learning more difficult for students. English language proficiency must start from young and taught by competent language teachers.

A compulsory pass in public examinations would encourage students to devote more resources and time to study and learn English.

More government resources should be allocated to narrow the rural – urban gap in performance from primary to tertiary education instead of frequent policy changes.

English is the top language of internet users with over 536 million users, followed by Mandarin (445 million) and Spanish (153 million) [Source: Internet World Stats 2010].

Collectively, the top 10 internet languages facilitate communication with 82.6% of all internet users. English is the global language for communication and knowledge. Malaysia needs to communicate in English as part of the global community.

In conclusion, there should be greater emphasis on mastering English, including making it a must pass subject in public examinations. For a large and growing proportion of Malaysian families, English has become their mother tongue. Schools and parents should therefore be given a choice to use English in their children’s education.

We need to move away from politicising education policies and address the country’s need for quality manpower to support a high income economy. We cannot be weighed down with unemployable and low skilled manpower in a highly competitive global environment.

As pointed out by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Malaysia must correct its course to continually improve in education, health and the quality of life. We should be redoubling efforts to attract investment, drive productivity improvements and innovate, to compete successfully in the global economy.

Competency in English is the key to creating a pool of competitive, highly skilled and knowledgeable manpower.

Tan Sri Datuk Mustafa Mansur
President
Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers