Master languages besides mother tongue, Malaysians urged

Ng (left) virtually presenting a certificate of appreciation to Mah during the online talent show organised by the training centre.

Mastering another language besides our mother tongue is beneficial, especially in a multiracial country like Malaysia, says Deputy Education Minister Datuk Mah Hang Soon.

“Learning each other’s languages not only promotes harmony among Malaysians, it also encourages us to understand each other better.

“The ministry welcomes efforts to teach or to learn other languages besides a person’s mother tongue, ” he said in his speech at a virtual talent show organised by Kunkwan International Mandarin Training Centre.

Mah commended the centre’s efforts in teaching Mandarin to the non-Chinese community.

“I understand that the centre has about 10,000 current and former students who are learning or have learned Mandarin. I hope the centre can continue helping non-Mandarin speakers to improve their proficiency.

“I also managed to watch some of the performances and I was impressed by the participants’ showcase. Keep it up, ” he added.

Meanwhile, the centre’s general manager Kent Ng said the event, organised in conjunction with the United Nations Chinese Language Day, was aimed at providing a platform for non-Mandarin speakers to showcase their talents.

“The participants were also able to better understand the Chinese culture through the performances. We believe that in order to learn a language, we must also learn the culture.

“The talent competition was organised to let the participants express their love for the language through performances such as singing, storytelling, tongue twisters, Chinese calligraphy and martial arts display, ” he said. — By YEE XIANG YUN