He said higher education minister (Noraini Ahmad) had agreed that the language subject be made compulsory for all foreign students in the country.

Ismail, who is an Umno vice-president, also announced that the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Act would be amended to include enforcement powers, which would allow the agency to take action against those who put up Bahasa Malaysia signs containing errors.

Speaking at the Umno general assembly, he told delegates the party must champion the use of Bahasa Malaysia, which he hoped would become Asean’s second language.

He added that the language is the seventh most widely used language in the world, with more than 300 million people in Asean speaking Bahasa Malaysia.

A Perak delegate, Azhar Ahmad, had said earlier that the need to be proficient in Bahasa Malaysia was important as it is among the top 10 most popular languages in the world.

Ismail has pushed for broader use of the language internationally, and said last month that government officials must use Bahasa Malaysia when speaking at conferences and other engagements abroad.