BI1M programme to take on much bigger scale

Treasury Secretary-General Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, who mooted the BI1M, said the free English lessons had received overwhelming participation, while the participants showed marked improvement.

He said 8,288 Malaysians from all walks of life aged from seven to 81 attended the BI1M from an initial target of 3,400.

"We spent RM4 million to conduct BI1M nationwide at nine Urban Transformation Centres and six Rural Transformation Centres, and we hope the budget could be increased next year so that we can grow bigger and reach out to more villages, plantations and other rural areas.

"The objective is to transform Malaysia into a high-income nation by 2020, to be a global player in the international business environment, and ultimately improving the quality of life of all Malaysians," he said at the closing ceremony of the BI1M pilot programme here Friday.

The BI1M, launched in March, was rolled out for five months as a National Blue Ocean Strategy initiative, aimed at teaching communicative English to Malaysians, boosting their confidence and encouraging the use of English as a second language.

Target group for the programme is the bottom 40 per cent household income group, small and medium entrepreneurs, housewives and university students.

BI1M trainers are made up of retired teachers, as well as local and international facilitators/ volunteers.

The classes are free and opened to all Malaysians regardless of qualifications or age.