JOHOR BARU: Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah said learning English will not dilute one’s identity and it helps open one’s door to global opportunities.
She said this after attending the GREAT Debate at UTM campus here titled “Does an English medium education increase competitiveness or dilute identity?”
“To master English is a tool, a skill to speak up, and get the world to understand you,” Raja Zarith Sofiah said in her speech at the event.
She cited her own example that because she could speak English, she could reach out to a greater audience.
On the call for English medium in the education system, she said the government should provide more choices for students.
“Let the students decide what medium they want,” she said.
On the question of some teenagers not speaking English, Raja Zarith Sofiah said it may be due to lack of confidence and also the fear of being branded as “Mat Salleh (white man)”.
The debate was hosted by the British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell who said the high commission is neutral on whether English should be used as a medium of education and the topic was chosen just for academic discussion only.
The debate panelists included Professor Emeritus Abdullah Hassan (previously of UTM), Cheryl Fernando (Head of Education &
Learning at Education Malaysia and Teach for Malaysia Alumni), Professor Malachi Edwin Vethamani (Professor of Modern English Literature, University of Nottingham Malaysia), Mohamed Raimi Ab Rahim (president of Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia/Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement), Wan Saiful Wan Jan (chief executive of IDEAS – Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs) and Iqbal Hafiedz.
