00:00An academic has questioned the rationale behind the Education Ministry's proposal to offer ASEAN languages as electives at schools,
00:09saying the focus should be on strengthening students' proficiency in Basel and Malaysia and English first.
00:15Sharifa Munira Alatas, a former assistant professor, called on the government to release data on students' current language proficiency,
00:23particularly in the national and global lingua franca.
00:28She questioned the lack of priority given to mastering Basel Malaysia and English, particularly English, beyond its use in mathematics and science subjects.
00:37Yesterday, Education Minister Falina Siddig announced that Malaysia would introduce Thai, Khmer and Vietnamese as elective languages in schools to enhance regional cooperation.
00:48However, Munira also questioned the Ministry's strategy for training teachers,
00:53saying new language policies must begin with plans to train competent educators.
00:59She also said instead of new languages, students should be exposed to subjects like world history,
01:04comparative religion, political philosophy, and Southeast Asian civilizations,
01:09areas that could strengthen national identity, and critical thinking.
