Poor English among international students in Malaysia

Malaysian higher education institutions have been accepting foreign students with low proficiency in the English language.

Part of international student's university application is to provide a proof of their English proficiency. Students provide certificates as evidence of their language capabilities. However, many students actually lack basic knowledge of English, which becomes a major factor that contributes to high dropout rates. Additionally, their lack of proficiency puts into question the very certificate that ‘proved’ them linguistically capable in the first place, eventhough their certificates were legitimate.

Then of course there are cases of fake certificates. Some students come from countries where these certificates can be bought on the streets. They however, use these fake certificates to enter a country like Malaysia, but then disappear into the labour market.

According to Malaysian Qualification Agency's (MQA) chief executive officer, Datuk Rujhan Mustafa, the agency is aware of the problem “We found so many students who are poor in English, and we don’t know how they are going to do the course."

MQA's job is to set standards and expect higher learning institutions to follow these standards in their operations. However, MQA doesn't have the capabilities to enforce standards on institutions and it is up to these institutions to accept students who meet these requirements.

Rujhan says when MQA was carrying out their inspection duties, inspectors found that students, even at postgraduate level, failed to answer questions posed by the inspectors.

“Maybe they are like the Japanese. They are experts in their field but probably fall short in communication skills,” he says.

His assumption is valid. Some international students perform well on paper and fail in communication skills. However, this case is not a good sample of the larger population of international students in Malaysia.

Medical doctors performing the mandatory medical examination for international students, post arrival on Malaysian soil, have stated that many students do not have the proper language skills. Doctors said many of these students aren't clarifying their medical history properly and tend to make mistakes when ticking boxes on the medical examination forms.

This problem seems to be prevalent across established institutions and lesser known ones.

Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) is a government authorised agency that is specialised in checking international students and assessing the application process. EMGS has come under fire multiple times because of issues related to visa processing. However, this time, the issue is different. How can EMGS process student applications with problems related to language?

The head of EMGS's Communications and Branding Anita Daud Charles to The Sun, “EMGS looks at the general academic requirements and most institutes conduct language proficiency tests prior to offering the students a place.” She says it is the responsibility of the institution to ensure that student's proficiency level is assessed properly through tests. If students failed the test, the institution is required to recommend intensive English programmes to improve their skills. These programmes do not come free and institutions have separate fees for the intensive English programme.

She says institutions are required to set their own standards which must align with the standards set by MQA. EMGS's job is to do academic screening and check the credentials of the applicants against the academic requirements of a particular course.

It is worth mentioning that English requirement for foreign students is at minimum score of 5.0 IELTS or 550 TOEFL or equivalent. Students from countries where English is spoken as a first language or native language are exempted from providing language proficiency certificates. Additionally, graduates from local universities are believed to have the proper English qualifications to pursue their postgraduate studies in Malaysian institutions.

English problems in Malaysia

English language problems aren't exclusive to international students coming to Malaysia. The country’s English proficiency level isn't exactly what the education authorities expect it to be and the government has been introducing multiple programmes to improve the level of proficiency in Malaysian schools.

The problem continues to higher education and beyond. According to JobStreet.com's reports, around 65% of fresh graduates in Malaysia are unemployable due to their inept English and poor communication skills.

The problem however is not limited to foreigners in Malaysia.

Malaysian students in countries like Australia, the UK and the US experience language problems. In March 2016, MalaysianDigest.com published an article that covered segregation among Malaysians studying abroad. Malaysians abroad seem to live in areas that designated based on race, with Kampung Melayu and Kampung Cina being created in various instances.

These small communities seem to cause various problems because they tend to create a comfort zone that would hinder the effort to improve social and language skills. Some Malaysians have difficulties when talking to professors and their non-Malaysian peers. Many Malaysians students abroad are confined to their communities until graduation and they tend to miss out on important experiences that would help them improve their lives and involvement in the country they are studying in.

Malaysian students do adjust to their new environment well, but they resist assimilation and mixing around with other nationalities which create culture and language barriers.

This issue extends to international students communities in Malaysia and other countries in general. It is not wrong to be proud of culture and heritage, but confinement to the cultural frame, on the other hand, is proven to be problematic. Mixing with others is essential and if students value their culture, mixing will help communicate their culture to others and showcase the values they hold.

Segregated communities are observed not only among Malaysians, but also among students from other cultures like the Middle East and Africa. These students, whether they are in Malaysia or other countries, stick to their communities and tend to exhibit similar resistance to assimilation. Ultimately the lack of assimilation does not in any way help the English proficiency of these students.