More Malaysians are learning Mandarin, even as Chinese schools struggle for recognition

When Asmah Zainal, 34, enrolled her son at a Chinese-medium primary school, the Malaysian homemaker began attending Mandarin classes herself.

If she became fluent, she could more effectively help him with his homework and answer study-related questions, she reasoned.

“I also wanted him to know that he is not doing this extra language alone,” Asmah said. “Most importantly, I wanted to create a learning environment for him so that he will feel motivated to learn Mandarin every day.”

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Like many Malaysians, Asmah and her son are bilingual, speaking English and Bahasa Malaysia fluently. But they are also among an increasing number of people – particularly those of non-Chinese ethnicity – taking up Mandarin as a third language.

For Asmah, this is driven by the hope it would improve her child’s future career prospects.

“Mandarin is one of the most required languages when you are seeking a job,” she said. “If you can converse in Mandarin and can write and read Chinese, that’s a huge bonus point for you to be hired.”

Of Malaysia’s 28.3 million people, more than half are Malay, with ethnic Chinese making up almost one-quarter of the population.

Citizens can opt to attend any of the roughly five dozen independent Chinese high schools as well as “national-type” primary schools, a term that was coined to describe vernacular schools whose curriculums and teaching staff are overseen by the government.

The proportion of non-Chinese enrolments at Chinese-medium schools had been rising in recent years, local media reported.

Of the 521,000 pupils attending these schools last year, 18.7 per cent were non-Chinese, according to the United Chinese School Teachers’ Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong). This was up from the 13.9 per cent seen five years earlier.

But despite the increased interest in a Chinese-medium education, these schools remain in a grey area within the education system. Their school-leaver certificates – the Unified Education Certificate (UEC) – are not recognised and cannot be used to enter Malaysia’s public universities.

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Critics believe the recognition of Chinese schools would put national unity and the dominance of the Malay language at risk. Those in favour of the UEC say the syllabus meets national standards and is accepted by reputed universities, including the National University of Singapore and the University of Hong Kong.

When the Pakatan Harapan coalition government took office in 2018, it pledged to validate the UEC and even created a special task force to prepare a report on the issue. However, those plans stalled after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Malay nationalist administration rose to power following a coup in March.

“The report was delayed because the ministers in charge resigned. Then the government fell,” said Eddin Khoo, chairman of the UEC task force, adding that the coronavirus pandemic had put the priority of the plans in further doubt.

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The report, expected to be submitted to both the education and higher education ministries this month,would address “the viewpoints, misunderstanding and misapprehensions” surrounding the UEC, Khoo said.

“We are also hoping to meet the prime minister,” he said. “It will be submitted to cabinet, but we are asking that it be made public.”

Dong Zong has been the main voice behind calls for the certificate to be recognised in Malaysia. It has urged for the issue not to be politicised, in a country where political differences are often drawn along racial lines.

The group said many students chose to take the Malaysian Higher School Certificate to gain entry to public universities, or enrolled themselves at private or overseas institutions because the UEC was not recognised.

“Most opt to attend private universities here,” said Dong Zong secretary general Ng Chai Heng. “The rest go to Taiwan or China, although our top scorers are usually picked up by Singapore and Hong Kong universities.”

Ng said he hoped the government would take the report seriously as it would be the first time Dong Zong was able to air its perspectives without its messages being “twisted” for political ends.

“Detractors like to say Chinese high school graduates cannot speak the national language,” he said. “We have shown that not only is the pass rate for Bahasa Malaysia 90 per cent, but 60 per cent of students also score a credit or above, surpassing the overall national average.”

Compounding the UEC issue, job advertisements specifically seeking Mandarin speakers have been a point of contention, with some people denouncing them as thinly veiled racism.

Last year, a politician sparked fury after suggesting that firms which posted such job ads should be investigated for discrimination, with critics saying that speaking a language did not equate to racial discrimination.

Others said that by imposing linguistic requirements, Malaysian Chinese would be prioritised over applicants of other racial backgrounds.

Constance Vanessa, a communications officer, said she sent her two children, aged seven and eight, to national Chinese-medium schools because of the high quality of education.

“I believe Mandarin as a third language is important for my children’s future careers. At the same time, the teachers display high levels of commitment, professionalism and dedication to the students, and always assist non-Chinese parents with references to help the kids understand better,” she said.

“No doubt there is a lot of homework in Chinese schools. But that has taught my children to be quicker in understanding the subject and be more focused in their studies,” said Constance, who acknowledged the schools were also strict on discipline.

Her children now speak four languages: English, Mandarin, Bahasa Malaysia and Bidayuh – the language spoken by the eponymous indigenous group in the eastern state of Sarawak, which recognises the UEC as a valid qualification to join the civil service.

Meanwhile, language centres teaching conversational Mandarin are also seeinggrowth in enrolments, especially by ethnic Malays, with some schools attributing the rise in interest to China’s business ties with Malaysia, a key country in Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

“Because of the Chinese economy growing stronger, more people have taken up Mandarin,” said Vincent Ong, head trainer at Belajar Bahasa Cina, a language centre that provides both online and offline classes.

The school has grown from one centre to three over the past five years. Ong said his students were mostly ethnic Malays who went through the national school system.

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“It’s actually quite easy for Malaysians to pick up Mandarin as, in some ways, the structure is similar to Bahasa Malaysia,” Ong said, adding that the biggest hurdle for most was to overcome the perception Mandarin was too tough for a person to pick up at an older age. “The grammar isn’t as arbitrary as it is in English.”

While it remains uncertain if the UEC will be recognised any time soon – even though it was an election promise by leaders on both sides of the divide – for parents such as Constance, who herself attended a Chinese-medium school, vernacular schools have their value.

“I found it difficult to cope in my studies as most of the subjects were in Mandarin and my parents had no background,” she said. “But as a result, I learned a lot about discipline and my education provided me with a lot of opportunities.” ■