Students encouraged to master more than one language - Radzi

He said those who can master a language competently would have an advantage over those with a poor grasp of it.

"In the context of a borderless world today, every language has a role to play. At the same time, we must remember that there is huge competition in the world now and that's why anyone who masters a language will have an added advantage," he told the media after the Ministry of Education (MOE) 2022 National Language Decade Celebration ceremony here today.

Radzi also said the use of Bahasa Melayu as the national language also needed to be upheld and, in Malaysia's context, language is for national development while, in the context of society, the national language is placed as the pillar of unity.

"For Malaysians, Bahasa Melayu as the national language is the basis, it is our loss (if) we know it is our basic language (but) we do not improve our mastery," he said.

Elaborating, Radzi said that at the MOE level, they would always emphasise mastering a language when speaking about policy communication.

"This is not just in the context of writing, but we also give priority to oral presentation to ensure that when the message or policy that is drafted is translated, it will be understood and appreciated by those reading it," he said.