National language just as important as English in higher education, scholars say
WHILE it is important to emphasise the use of the English language in this era of globalisation, Malaysians cannot ignore the use of Bahasa Melayu (BM).
Students, said Prof Dr Salasiah Che Lah, must master both languages for communication purposes and for advancement in their future careers.
“We cannot deny that English has become the dominant language of instruction worldwide, but effort must be made by students and lecturers to ensure students are proficient in both English and BM,” she told StarEdu.
The Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) School of Languages, Literacies and Translation (SoLLaT) dean was commenting on the Higher Education Ministry’s recent unveiling of the “Action Plan to Promote BM as the Language of Knowledge in Public Institutions of Higher Learning (IPTA) 2023-2030”.
The action plan is a continuation of the “Action Plan for Enhancing BM as the Language of Knowledge in Higher Education Institutions (IPT) 2011–2015” and the “Action Plan to Dignify BM as the Language of Knowledge in Public Universities 2016–2020”.
The four main objectives of the enhanced action plan are to cultivate BM as the language of knowledge; produce graduates who are proficient in BM; realise BM as a vehicle for national development; and strengthen the role of BM as a source of reference comparable with foreign languages.
Prof Salasiah
To achieve the objectives, four cores, 11 strategies and 26 implementation initiatives have been outlined (see infographic).
Speaking at the launch of the action plan held at the International Islamic University Malaysia on June 15, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said raising the dignity and position of the national language is among the national agenda that must be supported by all IPT.
“The use of the national language should cross disciplines. It is not just a medium of instruction for learning related to the Malay language or culture only. It’s not just about everyday speech. And it should not be limited to the official affairs of the government,” he said.
Stressing that it is in universities that the potential and strength of BM can be developed, he added that his ministry had recommended that the teaching of compulsory subjects in IPTA be conducted in BM.
“It is also recommended that the passing of the BM subject as the basic level of communication be made a graduation requirement for international students in undergraduate programmes here,” he said.
In order to ensure the practical implementation of the recommendations, he urged all IPTA to seriously consider the approach that is most suited for them.
He also expressed hope that the action plan would be a point of reference for widening the offering of BM courses to both academic and non-academic staff, as well as enhancing reading and scientific materials.
He added that initiatives to enhance BM as the language of knowledge would be extended to private institutions of higher learning (IPTS).
Among the early actions would be to open the selection for the annual recipient of the Tokoh Akademik BM Award to include academics from IPTS from 2024 onwards.
“As part of its long-term plan, the ministry will also develop an action plan to promote BM in IPTS,” said Mohamed Khaled.
Recognising the importance of BM as the national language, National Association of Private Educational Institutions (Napei) secretary-general Dr Teh Choon Jin said further studies need to be done in developing the action plan, taking into consideration the landscape in which IPTS operate and where BM can be promoted as the language of knowledge.
Teh
“We are committed to engaging in constructive discussions with the ministry and relevant stakeholders to collaboratively develop an inclusive language policy that best serves the interests of our students and aligns with Malaysia’s aspirations for global engagement and academic excellence,” he said.
“We also acknowledge the ministry’s focus on cross-border collaborations to make Malaysia a hub of educational excellence, where English serves as the main lingua franca for technological and scientific fields, enabling global partnerships and academic exchanges,” he added.
Describing the enhanced action plan for IPTA as “very timely” and “excellent”, Prof Salasiah said there should be a balance in language use between BM and English at universities and in society.
“Malaysia is a multicultural and multilingual country, and BM is the national and standard language of the country. Therefore, BM should be promoted at universities.
“Malaysia used to be very strong in BM where there were many great scholars in various BM-related disciplines. This was evident through publications, recognitions and conferences, among others.
“However, there have been changes in the offering of academic programmes at universities where BM is no longer used as the medium of instruction for some programmes when there is a switch to the English language as the medium of instruction,” she said.
She added that effort needs to be made to expose international students to the Malaysian identity and to ensure they appreciate BM by learning and using it while they are studying in the country.
Addressing challenges
Weighing in, Universiti Malaya (UM) Academy of Malay Studies (APM) senior lecturer Dr Shafa’atussara Silahudin said the action plan is “relevant” and in line with the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015–2025 (Higher Education), which promotes the development of BM as the medium of instruction in higher education.
She added that while the action plan recognises BM as the language of learning, and stipulates that BM should be developed for teaching, learning, research, publication, and communication purposes, the attitudes to mother tongue education play an important role in whether or not BM can contribute towards improved quality of education.
“I foresee that not many tertiary students would prefer to be taught in BM. Some parents are not in favour of this practice as the English language is perceived as the language of power and economic development.
“BM is seen as inferior and not as a language that can be used to access education at the tertiary level,” she said.
Shafa’atussara
Addressing this concern in the action plan, the Higher Education Ministry said: “Malaysian society needs to change this perception by putting confidence in the ability of BM in the national education system.
“The desire to dignify the use of BM as the language of knowledge is important because this effort will be able to unite Malaysians who are of diverse races.
“With the full support of the community in this country, BM is capable of thriving as the main medium at all levels of education.”
Shafa’atussara added that the development of the action plan is not to replace the English language, but rather to enable students to access the language of the majority of people in Malaysia.
Another challenge that universities need to overcome to ensure the successful implementation of the action plan is whether they have qualified staff to teach BM, said Prof Salasiah.
With out-of-classroom activities, programmes and competitions related to BM and the Malay culture held at the IPTA level – as recommended in the action plan – she is confident that universities that cannot afford to introduce new BM courses due to the rigid structure of their programmes can still promote the language.
“BM can be offered in terms of literary appreciation such as pantun, syair, debate and drama. This can be done through the co-curriculum centre or student affairs centre, and even the university international centre,” she said.
SoLLAT, for example, runs a variety of programmes, such as the annual Senaman Bahasa event held in conjunction with National Sports Day, to attract students to use BM, she offered.
“USM has a strong principle on the promotion and use of BM. All students must pass a BM course – BM I for international undergraduates, BM dan Budaya Malaysia for international postgraduates, and BM IV for local undergraduates – in order to graduate,” she said, adding that SoLLAT’s programmes for students are in collaboration with Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) – the government body responsible for coordinating the use of BM and Malay literature in Malaysia.
According to Shafa’atussara, more innovation projects or short courses are now provided for students at universities to learn or celebrate both BM and the English language.
“Ensuring students from professional degrees learn the languages of their future clients will help them provide more effective services to the public,” she said.
APM, she added, is committed to promoting BM among Malaysian and international students in its learning programmes.
“We are also committed to producing scientific publications in BM. I myself have collaborated with researchers from other disciplines, such as medicine, creative arts, education, and business and economics.
“Collaborations such as this enable BM to be promoted and used across disciplines,” she said.
Ensuring continuity
The implementation of the action plan is in line with the Education Ministry’s Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening the English Language (MBMMBI) policy – thus ensuring there is continuity from the basic education level up to higher education in the effort to dignify BM as the language of knowledge.
During the closing ceremony of the Strengthening Malay Language Programme for Chinese Schools and Tamil Schools in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor on June 20, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said BM is a language that unifies people from different backgrounds, races and religions.
“The ministry will support any programme meant to strengthen the use of BM as the mastery of the language is in line with the development of children,” she said.
Earlier, in an interview with StarEdu on May 9, Fadhlina said the ministry is very serious about strengthening the command of BM.
This, she said, was evident by the RM20mil allocation for DBP, together with the Malaysian Institute of Translation & Books (ITBM) and book publisher Yayasan Karyawan.
“This is a very big project which we want them to focus on.
“We need to create an environment for the community to promote and enhance knowledge, as well as the use of the language,” she said.
In 2009, the MBMMBI policy, which entails enhancing the teaching and learning of BM and English through diversified and improved teaching approaches, was announced as a replacement to the Teaching and Learning of Science and Maths in English (PPSMI) policy.
It has been carried out since 2010 with the aim of producing a nation that can communicate effectively, is united and is able to compete internationally.
In 2016, the Dual Language Programme (DLP) was introduced as part of the MBMMBI policy, allowing selected schools to teach Science and Maths in English.
On the DLP, Fadhlina, in the same interview, said schools must meet certain conditions to conduct the programme, especially the requirement that the students’ BM results are “as good as, if not better than, the ministry’s target”.
“And they have to maintain this achievement for a number of years consecutively,” she added.
