Monday September 17, 2012

Malaysia a good place to learn English, says deputy V-C

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is a good place to learn English, as many of its people are proficient in the language, said Albukhary International University deputy vice-chancellor Prof Dr Omar Farouk Sheik Ahmad.

He said many foreign students here had improved their command of English due to good language programmes offered in institutions of higher learning, as well as by speaking to locals.

“Many locals, even if their grasp of the language is limited, would try to speak to foreigners in English.”

However, he said there was still room for improvement in terms of ensuring English competency is evenly spread across the country.

“Awareness that having a good command of the language can open many opportunities needs to be more widespread, especially in the rural parts,” he said.

British Council English language services director Sam Ayton said the council, in collaboration with the Education Ministry, has a few programmes in the pipeline to improve the standard of teaching English in schools throughout the country.

Omar and Ayton are among the four panel speakers at a forum on the importance of English at the workplace.

It will be held tomorrow at Cyberhub, Menara Star, where other employment experts, such as Malaysian Employer Federation executive director Shamsuddin Bardan and Talentcorp Corporation Bhd CEO Johan Merican Mahmood, will also give their views on the subject.

It is part of The Star's on-going “English for More Opportunities” campaign to highlight the importance of the language.

For more information, e-mail englishformore@thestar.com.my.

News

Monday September 17, 2012

Malaysia a good place to learn English, says deputy V-C