KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 — Vernacular schools students, including those at Chinese independent secondary schools, excel in Bahasa Malaysia thanks to a range of government-backed initiatives aimed at boosting their language skills.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said the government’s efforts include encouraging schools to participate in the Student Forum Competition and the Language and Literary Festival.
The initiatives are designed to foster Bahasa Malaysia proficiency among students from Chinese independent schools, Chinese national schools, and Tamil national schools.
Since its inception in 1992, Wong said the programme organised by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) has received enthusiastic response, adding that this year alone, 305 students participated in the forum competition, up from 295 last year.
“The Language and Literary Festival also saw record-breaking participation, with 645 students this year compared with 493 last year.
“This is the highest turnout ever, and we aim to keep up the momentum to provide students with ample opportunities to showcase their mastery of Malay,” Wong said at the closing ceremony of the National Student Forum Competition and Language and Literary Festival 2024 at Wisma DBP.
The event was attended by DBP board chairman Datuk Anwar Ridhwan, DBP director-general Hazami Jahari, United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia vice-president Ngan Teng Ye, and Han Culture Centre of Malaysia president Datuk Goh Hin San.
— Bernama
