Malacca govt’s English move should be lauded

THE Malacca Chief Minister’s stance that top state officials must pass English as part of the criteria for future promotions should be lauded.

The CM pointed out that graduates should be able to understand simple English “but sadly this is not the case in Malacca”. He said that being weak in English is not good for the image of Malacca as a top global tourist destination and skills in the language must be improved in order to draw investments and tourists.

English is a global language which is used widely in communication. A strong command of the language will enhance one’s chances of communicating confidently, securing employment, and build friendships.

Mastery of the language requires a concerted effort on the part of the learner in a number of areas including pronunciation and grammar. The purpose of learning pronunciation is mainly to speak the words correctly so that listeners can understand exactly what we are saying.

We are fortunate that English is taught formally in our schools as a second language. Making English a compulsory pass subject at SPM level is a positive move towards producing a society which can compete reasonably well at the global level.

In order for English to be used widely in our society, all parties must contribute towards the awareness of its importance.

Students must be motivated to pick up the language, teachers must be innovative in their teaching-learning approach and parents too must do their part by encouraging their children to converse in the language.

The Malacca state government’s effort to emphasise the importance of English among government officials should be lauded. Hopefully, our local universities will churn out graduates who can speak English confidently soon.

LANGUAGE POWER

Klang