The education ministry has assured that it will not sideline any languages currently offered at schools with its plan to introduce Asean languages as elective subjects.
Education minister Fadhlina Sidek said the move should not be polemicised, as foreign languages had long been taught in schools as elective subjects, Utusan Malaysia reported.
“There is German, French, and various other languages (offered in schools). So, the question of sidelining any particular language does not arise.
“In fact, at vernacular schools, Tamil and Mandarin are already prioritised as the main languages, alongside the national language Bahasa Malaysia,” she was quoted as saying after visiting SMK Convent Kajang for the release of SPM results today.
Fadhlina recently announced that the education ministry was expanding elective language offerings in schools to include Thai, Khmer, and Vietnamese to promote deeper intra-Asean collaboration.
The proposal drew mixed reactions, with some calling for greater emphasis on strengthening students’ command of Bahasa Malaysia and English first.
Others suggested that Mandarin and Tamil be prioritised in national-type schools.
