The Malaysian Insight

CHINESE is becoming popular among Malays, who realise the advantages of learning and knowing the language, said private tutors and adult students.

Interest in private classes has peaked as a result of parents wanting to ensure their children are not left behind in school, and later in the job market.

For tutor Nurainn Azhar, 35, the increase in demand for Chinese classes has been marked over the past two years.

“There is a huge demand now. I have students ranging from kindergarten level to someone who is 70 years old.

“They realise the advantage of learning Chinese as a third language, even if it is at a basic level,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Further, she said, it can be seen now that having Chinese knowledge is an added factor in getting jobs.

“In Malaysia, with us having a multilingual society, it is definitely easier to forge closer ties, if we speak the same language,” said the former journalist, adding that this practice was discouraged during her own school days.

“Previously, there was also a stigma among Malays in either learning Chinese or sending their kids to Chinese schools.

“Now, things have changed. There is more awareness and there are (national) schools offering other languages too, including Chinese, so that is good progress,” said the former student of Chong Hwa Chinese Independent School, on Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur.

Her own private classes have seen growth due to the keen interest taken by non-Chinese speakers in wanting to learn the language.

She now has school students from Sentul in Kuala Lumpur, as well as a mixed group from Shah Alam and Sungai Buloh in Selangor.

The interest in her classes is also in tandem with the rise of non-Chinese students in government run Chinese schools.

Education Ministry statistics show that 16% of students in Chinese schools were non-Chinese in 2016, rising to 18% in last year.

Meanwhile, parents said they were spending more money so their children could pick up Chinese. That way, it would become easier for them when they enter the job market.

“Many parents do not want their kids to lag behind and we must give the opportunity for this younger generation to learn an extra language.

“Right now, having an extra language is surely an added advantage in whatever job you want to do,” 40-year-old Syely Amini Arsad told The Malaysian Insight.

For Faizah Yusof, 45, knowing Chinese would allow her child to increase his social interactions.

“If my child speaks Chinese, it would help him interact better with others. He will not just stick to one group of people. He will have many friends,” she said.

Adult student Zulaiha Abdul, meanwhile, said she was learning Chinese to equip herself with extra skill sets at work.

“During my university days, I took a basic course for about a year. Now for the past six months, I am learning advanced Chinese to increase my knowledge and compete well in my job,” said the 26-year-old executive officer.

Another Chinese tutor, Roslinda Saharudin, 36, said picking up an additional language can help unite Malaysians.

“There is an advantage to this. We can learn about other races, about their culture and language. It can also improve our knowledge as there is a lot of research material written in Chinese,” said Roslinda, who has been teaching Chinese for four years. – June 4, 2019.