According to Daily Express, Shahelmey said this showed a growing awareness among Sabah’s Bumiputera community of the need for the next generation to master another language after Bahasa Melayu and English.

“This is a very good development because when our people can master more than three languages and communicate well with each other, it will certainly deepen the unity within our multiethnic society,” he said.

Shahelmey, who is also the Putatan MP and Tanjung Keramat assemblyman, added that he would always support efforts to foster unity.

“Let us unite, respect each other and keep moving forward for the sake of Sabah.”

Earlier this month, Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin asked whether SJKCs would be able to withstand the impact of declining birth rates within the ethnic Chinese community.

The PKR man said that many SJKCs in rural areas with fewer than 150 students had been reclassified as low enrolment schools, or “Sekolah Kurang Murid”.

This was brushed off by former MP and activist Kua Kia Soong, who said the popularity of SJKCs even among non-Chinese students, especially the Malays, was proof of their lasting appeal.