Khmer, Thai, Vietnamese to be tought in schools in Malaysia

Khmer, Thai, Vietnamese to be tought in schools in Malaysia

An academic questioned the education ministry’s move to offer the Asean languages in school, saying there should be a focus on strengthening Malay and English languages among students first.

In a bid to boost ties with other Asean countries, as well as offering an opportunity and accessibility to more languages in education, Malaysia is expanding its elective language offerings in schools to include Southeast Asian languages like Thai, Khmer, and Vietnamese.

According to a Malay Mail report, education minister Fadhlina Sidek said that Malaysia’s bilingual foundation in Bahasa Malaysia and English is now evolving to support regional collaboration.

Fadhlina cited an Asian Development Bank report which revealed nearly 60 percent of jobs in the region face disruption from automation by 2030, and highlighted that many students are still learning through rote memorisation and outdated curricula.

She emphasised how education must move toward creativity, critical thinking, and lifelong learning to remain relevant.

Other developments in the education sphere Fadhlina mentioned were Malaysia’s National AI roadmap being integrated into classrooms as a learning tool, alongside expanded Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives for undeserved students.

To bridge the digital divide, solar-powered classrooms and satellite internet are being introduced in 180 remote schools in Sabah and Sarawak.

Master Bahasa Malaysia and English first, academic says

harifah Munirah Alatas, the deputy director of Universiti Malaya’s Allianz Center for Governance questioned the rationale behind the education ministry’s proposal to offer Asean languages as electives in schools.

She said the focus should be on strengthening students’ proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia and English first, Free Malaysia Today reported.

Sharifah also called on the government to release data on students’ current language proficiency, particularly in the national and global lingua franca.

Instead of new languages, Sharifah thinks students should be exposed to subjects like world history, comparative religion, political philosophy, and Southeast Asian civilizations – subjects that could strengthen national identity and critical thinking.

Source: TPR