Bahasa Melayu and English should complement each other, not compete
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia should be wary of over-relying on international English proficiency rankings and resist treating English-medium instruction as a quick fix for deeper education challenges, said Asian Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language vice-president Dr Ramesh Nair.
He said many global English proficiency rankings fail to reflect the full realities of national education systems.
Such assessments, he said, are often based on self-selected participants or urban populations and do not adequately capture rural-urban disparities, socioeconomic inequalities, multilingual realities or broader educational goals.
“In public discourse, English proficiency is closely associated with employability, job security and upward mobility, creating strong pressure on governments, schools and parents.”
Ramesh said this pressure has fuelled the expansion of private tuition industries in countries such as South Korea, China and Japan, with a similar trend emerging in Malaysia, where English is increasingly viewed as a critical advantage in the job market.
He said the growing demand has benefited the tuition and educational materials industry, but warned that it also comes at a human cost.
“In highly competitive systems, children may ultimately be paying the price,” he said, adding that excessive academic pressure could negatively affect students’ emotional well-being and relationship with learning.
Ramesh also stressed that strong English rankings do not necessarily translate into deeper educational strengths, noting that some countries continue to struggle with communication confidence, critical thinking and equitable access to quality education despite scoring highly.
In Malaysia, he acknowledged persistent concerns among employers and universities over graduates’ English proficiency, particularly in workplace communication and confidence.
“However, these issues cannot be reduced to the medium of instruction alone. They are also linked to teacher quality, school infrastructure, reading culture and socioeconomic inequality,” he said.
Ramesh said producing competent English speakers depends on multiple factors beyond policy changes, including the quality of teachers, school environments and classroom approaches.
“Students must see English not simply as a school requirement, but as a tool for communication, creativity, knowledge and participation in wider global conversations.
“School environments should actively encourage English use through debates, presentations, reading activities and digital engagement.”
Ramesh also cautioned against framing Bahasa Melayu and English as competing languages, saying both should instead be viewed as complementary tools within a multilingual society.
He suggested adopting more flexible bilingual approaches in schools, such as using Bahasa Melayu and English materials within the same subject, while allowing students to present ideas in either language depending on the context.
“Such an approach reflects how multilingual societies actually function.”
