Prof. Dr. Zuraidah Mohd Don
UNIVERSITI MALAYA
Since
independence in 1957, Malaysia has had the task of developing a coherent
language policy for a heterogeneous population including Malays and other
indigenous groups, and large immigrant communities largely consisting of
Chinese and Indians. In addition, Malaysia has like other countries to cater
for English as the global language. Elites from all ethnic backgrounds have
good access to English, as to a lesser extent does the general public in the
economically developed west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. For many others,
particularly the rural poor, access to English can be difficult or
non-existent. This situation creates major problems for selecting the language
or languages to be used as the medium of instruction at different levels in the
education system.
Malay
is the preferred language for the expression of national identity, but creates
problems for students in the Chinese and Indian communities who wish to use
their own languages, both for prestige and to optimize student learning. As the national language, Malay has also to
act as a symbol of national unity at a level above the differences within the
population, and include the indigenous communities and ensure social cohesion
and political stability. A third factor is that Malaysia has the ambition to be
recognized as an advanced country by 2020 with a higher education system acting
as a hub for the region, and this ambition requires high standards in English.
Whichever language is used as the medium of instruction has negative
consequences for some sector of the population, but failure in English language
education will restrict the employability and career opportunities of huge
numbers of young people, especially those from less privileged backgrounds.
