Its chairman, Tunku Dara Naquiah Tuanku Ja’afar, said a model similar to England’s would better prepare Malaysian students for the global stage, Bernama reported.

She also expressed concern over declining English proficiency in Malaysia since the 1990s, following policies that prioritised Bahasa Malaysia in schools.

“Of course, we must uphold our national language, but at the same time, we cannot neglect English as it is a global language.

“To be on par with other nations in areas such as the economy, defence and science, Malaysians must master English,” she was quoted as saying at a press conference today.

Tunku Dara added that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had been frequently using English abroad, and more efforts were needed to encourage its use in schools and universities.

Bahasa Malaysia is the national and official language in Malaysia, but English is also widely used and highly valued, especially among urban elites, professionals and employers.

Malaysia has a high level of English proficiency, ranking third in Asia according to the 2023 and 2024 EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), behind Singapore and the Philippines.

Globally, Malaysia ranks around 25th to 26th among non-native English-speaking countries, with an EF EPI score in the mid-560s, indicating high proficiency.