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01:08
By : Nisha Sabanayagam
KUALA LUMPUR: Fluency in English is a tool needed for global survival and should be encouraged among young people.
Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah, the consort of the Tunku Mahkota of Johor, said English was widely used in many settings such as corporate boardrooms and lecture rooms around the world or at social or diplomatic gatherings.
"In order to become a dynamic, economically successful country, we must accept English and be well versed in it. Most books are written in English and the internet is mainly in English, thus we need the language to progress,” she said at a Royal Fellow public lecture organised by the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)’s Social Science and Humanities Faculty.
In her lecture entitled “Going global: The use of the English language in 21st century Malaysia”, Raja Zarith pointed out that being fluent in the English language had nothing to do with being pro-British or glorifying our colonial past.
“It has nothing to do with us being any less nationalistic or patriotic. Studying English will not change us from being Malaysians,” she stressed.She used the “Asian giant”, India, as an example of a country where almost everyone was fluent in English yet at the same time able to firmly retain their culture and language.
Saying that India had eight newspapers in English, Raja Zarith questioned why Malaysia did not have more English language newpapers.“Perhaps it is because many of us find it difficult to express ourselves in English,” she concluded.Raja Zarith said Malaysians should not link learning the English language to any kind of hidden political and social agendas.“Being fluent in the language should be thought of as an advantage, especially among the young people these days” she said.
Raja Zarith said the young generation would lose out if the use of English was not cultivated in them.English, she said, should be taught at all levels of the education system as well as utilised outside the school system.“All of us and not just those who are involved in teaching must play a part in cultivating the language among the young,” said Raja Zarith, who became a Royal Fellow at UKM in Dec 2006.
She suggested that creative ways of teaching English would encourage students to learn the language.“Make it more fun,” she said.Parents, she said, should also encourage their children to read.“This is difficult, I realise. I can’t get my own children to read books,” she said wryly, adding that she would nonetheless take her children to the bookstores to expose them to books.
“I try to choose books that interest them, such as books on animals or cars,” said the mother of six.
Here is a suggestion :
Learn English with eXtraDICTION board game.
KUALA LUMPUR: Fluency in English is a tool needed for global survival and should be encouraged among young people.
Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah, the consort of the Tunku Mahkota of Johor, said English was widely used in many settings such as corporate boardrooms and lecture rooms around the world or at social or diplomatic gatherings.
"In order to become a dynamic, economically successful country, we must accept English and be well versed in it. Most books are written in English and the internet is mainly in English, thus we need the language to progress,” she said at a Royal Fellow public lecture organised by the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)’s Social Science and Humanities Faculty.
In her lecture entitled “Going global: The use of the English language in 21st century Malaysia”, Raja Zarith pointed out that being fluent in the English language had nothing to do with being pro-British or glorifying our colonial past.
“It has nothing to do with us being any less nationalistic or patriotic. Studying English will not change us from being Malaysians,” she stressed.She used the “Asian giant”, India, as an example of a country where almost everyone was fluent in English yet at the same time able to firmly retain their culture and language.
Saying that India had eight newspapers in English, Raja Zarith questioned why Malaysia did not have more English language newpapers.“Perhaps it is because many of us find it difficult to express ourselves in English,” she concluded.Raja Zarith said Malaysians should not link learning the English language to any kind of hidden political and social agendas.“Being fluent in the language should be thought of as an advantage, especially among the young people these days” she said.
Raja Zarith said the young generation would lose out if the use of English was not cultivated in them.English, she said, should be taught at all levels of the education system as well as utilised outside the school system.“All of us and not just those who are involved in teaching must play a part in cultivating the language among the young,” said Raja Zarith, who became a Royal Fellow at UKM in Dec 2006.
She suggested that creative ways of teaching English would encourage students to learn the language.“Make it more fun,” she said.Parents, she said, should also encourage their children to read.“This is difficult, I realise. I can’t get my own children to read books,” she said wryly, adding that she would nonetheless take her children to the bookstores to expose them to books.
“I try to choose books that interest them, such as books on animals or cars,” said the mother of six.
Here is a suggestion :
Learn English with eXtraDICTION board game.