Govt initiatives boosting Malay language mastery in vernacular schools

Govt initiatives boosting Malay language mastery in vernacular schools

Deputy education minister Wong Kah Woh says these efforts include encouraging schools to participate in the Student Forum Competition and the Language and Literary Festival.

wong kah woh
Deputy education minister Wong Kah Woh said participating in forums and literary competitions has honed students’ ability to master the Malay language. (Bernama pic)
KUALA LUMPUR:
Students from vernacular schools are excelling in mastering the Malay language thanks to a range of government-backed initiatives, says deputy education minister Wong Kah Woh.

Wong said these efforts include encouraging schools to participate in the Student Forum Competition and the Language and Literary Festival.

These are designed to foster proficiency in Malay among students from Chinese independent schools (SMPC), Chinese national-type schools (SJKC) and Tamil national-type schools (SJKT).

Wong said the programme has received an increasingly encouraging response since it was introduced by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) in 1992.

He said 305 students participated in the Student Forum Competition this year, an increase from the 295 recorded last year.

“The Language and Literary Festival also saw record-breaking participation, with 645 students this year compared to 493 last year,” Wong said at the closing ceremony of the National Student Forum Competition and Language and Literary Festival 2024 held at Wisma DBP here.

“This is the highest turnout ever.

“We aim to keep up the momentum to provide students with ample opportunities to showcase their mastery of the Malay language.”

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