‘Mastering Bahasa Malaysia is beneficial’

Chong: Committee to design special programmes to help Chinese schoolkids

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Chinese schoolchildren will be groomed to master Bahasa Malaysia better with the help of specially designed programmes, said Deputy Education Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon.

Chong pointed out that the majority of Chinese primary school pupils would enrol into National Secondary Schools (SMK), which uses Bahasa Malaysia as the main medium to communicate, after completing their Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR).

Therefore, he said, mastering Bahasa Malaysia is beneficial for these primary school pupils to further their studies in secondary school.

“It is our national language. Every Malaysian citizen must be fluent in it,” he said.

Chong was speaking to reporters here yesterday regarding the setting up of Bahasa Malaysia Performance Improvement Committee for SJK(C), which will oversee the improvement of the language in all Chinese primary schools.

He said the new committee will comprise designated representatives from 18 non-governmental organisations (NGO) – including the Malaysian Chinese Language Council (MCLC), the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Hua Zong) and more – as well as representatives from the Education Ministry.

“It will be in charge of designing programmes and identifying the most suitable methods to help Chinese primary school pupils strengthen their proficiency in the language,” he said.

He added that the committee board members will be appointed in two weeks’ time.

He said the committee will organise a seminar in the next few weeks to discuss issues on the learning and teaching of Bahasa Malaysia in the schools.

“We will invite Malay language specialists and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka to give their views and ideas on the matter.

“Once all the issues and views have been gathered, then only can we identify the best way to overcome all the problems,” he said.

We will invite Malay language specialists and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka to give their views and ideas on the matter.

Datuk Chong Sin Woon