LETTERS: The New Year is always a good time for reflection. Let's take the view by president of the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman.
He said an important finding from the 2021 MEF Salary Survey was that "for the advancement of knowledge and continuous learning, and to establish a better career path, it is necessary for employees to acquire English proficiency.
This is something we had been advocating decades ago.
English is a global language. It is a language of the internet, diplomacy, aviation and tourism. In short, it is the language of the modern world of science and technology.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) require all pilots to pass a "Level 4 English ability" test before being given a licence to fly.
Without exaggeration, the standard of English in our country is appalling. So, without much ado, we must address this problem. The underlying principle behind the usage of English is: "use it or lose it".
VIPs and the elite in our country are aware of the importance of the English language, so much so that they routinely send their children to international schools across Malaysia.
There are nearly 300 international schools in the country and still growing in number, signifying their popularity among the haves. They don't come cheap; they can cost as much as RM100,000.
The have-nots in the country can ill afford this, and are resigned to send their kids to public schools.
Meanwhile, under Article 161 of the Federal Constitution, Sarawak is allowed to use English as an official language of the state alongside Bahasa Malaysia and their native languages.
We should extend this law to the whole of Malaysia to overhaul our education system to start anew our country's progress.
The High Court recently ruled that the use of Mandarin and Tamil in vernacular schools was legal and constitutional. The judge added that "the Federal Constitution expressly protected teaching in mother tongues other than Bahasa Malaysia".
Such being the case, the government must approve the establishment of English-medium schools in the country to augment the use of English in the country.
Therefore, we must take the bull by the horns to enhance the English language in the country.
DR A SOORIAN
Seremban, Negri Sembilan
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times