KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 ― Malaysians should master English in order to acquire knowledge at a faster pace so that they are not left behind by the latest developments.               

In making this call, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed said mastering the language was important as it was the lingua franca (common language) used in the latest developments especially in Science and Mathematics.  

“All journals on advances in science and research are in English.                

“Therefore, if we want to make progress and stay par with the developed world, we must master the English language,” he said in his keynote address at the Malaysia-Africa Summit 2014, here today.

Besides upholding the national language, Dr Mahathir also stressed the importance to comprehend knowledge as it is expanding rapidly and progressively in the academic world.

“Malaysians must be proud of our own language, but at the same time, we should put in more effort to master the English language so that we do not lose out in the international arena,” he said.

The one-day summit, with the theme “Enhancing Malaysia-Africa Engagement: Reshaping the Global Discourse on Education and Development”, seeks to promote greater engagement between Malaysia and Africa by providing an avenue for greater academic exchanges between Malaysian-African scholars via bilateral and regional collaboration.    

It was organised by the Education Ministry through the Global Research Programme of Education Malaysia, with collaborators Africa-Asia Development University Network and National Higher Education Research Institute of Malaysia, as well as public and private universities. ― Bernama