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This Sept. 14, 2014, article announced a national requirement for public university students in Malaysia to demonstrate proficiency in English before they graduate.

"Not only inside the university but after graduating when it comes to career options[,] the knowledge and fluency of English can be very helpful. Every professional job needs a good usage of English. To engage in international trade activities, to develop technical skills required in modern industries and for many other opportunities in developing the personal career, need the usage of English" (¶13, 2015.08.19).

This article recap's policies that made English a national language of education and made other official languages required second languages.

This Sept. 13, 2014, article announced a national requirement for public university students in Malaysia to demonstrate proficiency in English before they graduate.

Yang, S. M., & Lin, Lillian. (2015.06.26). 

"Education Ministry secretary general Tan Sri Madinah Mohamad said the future generations need to be equal or better in their English proficiency to compete in the rapidly changing globalised world" (Achariam, 2015). Achariam, Timothy. (2015, August 6). Raising proficiency in English pivotal to next gen's future. The Sun Daily [Kuala Lumpur]. Retrieved from http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1512360

Mullane, Kurt. (2015.12.09). Language is the passport to personal mobility, opportunity and prosperity.

"Shuffleton said contributions of international students were 'invaluable.' Still, the specialized instruction they needed in English was something that even the best professors of other subjects weren't qualified to provide" (Flaherty, 2020.02.05).

"Room for improvement: For decades, Asia has been the workshop of the world, fueling economic development across the region. But a transition from manufacturing to knowledge-driven growth will require better English."

Rajaendram and Khor (2015) quoted an open letter from "a group of prominent Malaysian" that embraced integrative motivation for developing English proficiency: "'[I]f we aspire to be more proficient in the language, we are only trying to be better citizens of the world'" (¶4). What a breathe of fresh air among all the integrative motives that articles like this one often highlight! Rajaendram, Rebecca, & Khor, Ann-Marie. (2015, August 9). Speaking the global language. The Star Online, Education section. Retrieved from http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Education/2015/08/09/Speaking-the-global-language/

"Viet Nam is ranked a medium-level country along with Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan."

"When we count the top 10 most spoken languages according to the total number of people who speak them (whether or not the language is their mother tongue), eight of the 10 languages from the list above still make an appearance, but with a few major differences: English narrowly edges out Chinese for the top spot, Japanese and Punjabi lose their spots, and French and Indonesian join the top 10 ..." (Top 10 Languages by Total Number[s] of Speakers, ¶1).

"In order to make it on this list, the sites have to be accessible to English Language Learners and also provide engaging content."

"Washback becomes negative when learners spend so much time preparing for exams that they do not develop the actual skills and abilities those tests are meant to measure, thereby calling into question the very validity (and wisdom) of the tests themselves."

What Sec. Duncan said about cross-cultural and language education in the U.S. may apply to other countries around the world as well.

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