Weak Bm In Vernacular Schools Requires Urgent Action

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Bahasa Melayu (BM) is Malaysia’s national and official language. It serves as a vital bridge connecting citizens of diverse ethnic backgrounds and is the primary medium for official communication and education.
However, a growing concern remains: to what extent is BM truly understood and mastered by students in vernacular schools such as Chinese private secondary schools (SMPC), Chinese national-type primary schools (SJKC), and Tamil national-type primary schools (SJKT)?
Although BM is a compulsory subject in all schools, numerous studies reveal that students in SMPC, SJKC, and SJKT continue to struggle, particularly in speaking, writing, and vocabulary acquisition.
This not only hampers their academic performance but also threatens national unity efforts, which rely heavily on a common language.
ADSEvidence of poor performance
According to linguistics professor Nor Hashimah Jalaluddin’s 2010 study, only 40.6 percent of BM spoken by Chinese students was grammatically accurate. The same research found that 44.8 percent of Chinese students (69 out of 154), 16.7 percent of Indian students (nine out of 54), and 23.3 percent of Kadazan students (seven out of 30) reported disliking learning BM.
Another study by lecturer Chew Fong Peng (2016) highlighted that many vernacular school students rarely use BM in their daily lives, resulting in a lack of confidence when speaking the language. Notably, Chew found that Chinese students in SJKCs performed worse in BM compared to their counterparts in national schools.
SJKT students face similar challenges. Lecturer D Jeyagobi’s (2011) study showed that many Indian students were disinterested in speaking BM due to limited exposure and vocabulary.
A 2020 study by researchers at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), involving 414 students across five vernacular schools in Kuantan, found that 65.2 percent lacked writing proficiency, and nearly 40 percent were not fluent in reading BM. Over half were weak in speaking skills as well.
What can be done?
Poor BM proficiency is not merely an educational problem, it is a national issue. Without mastery of a common language, society risks remaining divided along ethnic lines. BM plays a unifying role - its neglect could further widen interethnic gaps.
This problem cannot be solved simply by increasing the number of BM lessons. A comprehensive, multi-stakeholder approach is essential - one that includes schools, teachers, parents, communities, and the government.
First, schools should introduce more extracurricular activities conducted in BM. Debates, storytelling competitions, theatre, and forums in BM can help students practice the language in real-world settings.
Second, BM teaching methods in vernacular schools must be adapted to suit second-language learners. More visual, digital, and engaging materials should be used to make learning enjoyable and less burdensome.
Third, BM teachers need training in second-language pedagogy. They should be equipped to build students’ vocabulary progressively and foster confidence in speaking and writing.
Parents also play a crucial role. They are encouraged to use BM at home, even if it is not their primary language. Communities can support by organising supplementary classes or cross-cultural programmes that enhance BM usage among children.
ADSLastly, the government must enact clear and firm policies to strengthen BM proficiency, especially in vernacular schools.
This includes allocating sufficient instructional time, providing quality teaching aids across all schools, and conducting continuous monitoring to ensure teaching standards and learning time are upheld.
Vernacular school administrators must be reminded that while Malaysia allows schools with non-BM mediums of instruction, this should not lead to students graduating without basic competency in BM.
BM proficiency among vernacular school students is more than just an academic issue - it touches on national unity and the country’s future.
With collective effort, we can raise a generation not only equipped with knowledge but also capable of communicating and coexisting in one language, for one nation. - Mkini
OMAR YAAKOB IS chairperson of the Education Committee of Pertubuhan Ikram Malaysia and chair of the board of trustees, Musleh Integrated Education Bhd.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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