English to be made compulsory at public universities in Malaysia

Proficiency in English leads to better academic achievement. With the increasing use of English, mastery of the language can no longer be seen as a complementary competence especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and medical (STEM)  --- industries that are seen to drive up Malaysia's economy.

Hence, the Malaysian Government has conveyed its plans to make English a compulsory pass at public universities.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also the education minister, discussions are ongoing and the details of this new policy will be announced later.

Isn't MUET enough?

In late 1999, the Malaysian University English Test (MUET) was introduced to public universities for placement purposes. MUET was designed to bridge the gap in language needs between secondary and tertiary education by assessing a candidate's ability in four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The MUET scores are represented in a six-band scale with corresponding aggregated band score that ranges from 0-300.

International testing bodies like Cambridge ESOL regularly test the validity and reliability of their language test. It is common knowledge that the Malaysian Examinations Council conducts validation and reliability checks on MUET regularly, however only one report has been found available, according to a report by Rethinasamy and Chuah (2011) of University Malaysia Sarawak.

The report revealed that there is a good positive correlation between MUET and IELTS overall band. This means that MUET is compatible to IELTS which is accepted internationally as a reliable measure of a student's English language ability.

How is MUET being used?

In Malaysia, MUET results help university administrators assess a candidate's ability to communicate and their readiness for university. Candidates who obtained bands 1,2 and 3 in MUET are still accepted, provided they go through English enhancement courses and obtain a minimum grade.

Findings from Rethinasamy and Chuah (2011) showed that candidates with lower MUET bands tend to obtain average and weak pass in the English enhancement course, while those who have higher MUET bands have higher chances of obtaining better grades.

Some competitive degree courses like medicine and pharmacy require students to get band 5 or 6 in MUET.

Saving the unemployed

The announcement of making English a must pass subject for public universities was made during a launch of yet another career enhancement programme --- Cyberjaya Graduate Employability Enabler 2 (CGEE2).

This isn't the first of career enhancement programmes. In 2012, the government has sponsored Graduate Career Accelerated Programme (GCAP) programme to improve the employability of unemployed graduates. The classes are conducted in English, with special emphasis to improve oral communication skills.

The following year, the Higher Education Ministry launched the Graduate Employability Blueprint 2012-2017 with the aim of ensuring graduate employability. The target is to achieve a minimum of 75 percent of graduates getting employment upon completing their studies.

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